Best tires for the Ford Explorer Sport Trac
Top picks across four categories for the Ford Explorer Sport Trac, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 235/70R16. Every recommendation is selected from our 22,000-tire catalog by ranking on UTQG treadwear, mileage warranty, cabin-noise rating, and season class; no commission-weighted reordering.
Daily driver
Best all-season touring
Long warranty, low noise, balanced ride. The one-tire compromise that works for 80% of owners.
BFGoodrich
All-Terrain T/A KO2
Reinforced sidewall all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Pirelli
Scorpion all terrain plus
UTQG 600 with a 50,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Ford Explorer Sport Trac owners.
Bridgestone
Blizzak DM V2
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Bridgestone
Dueler H/T D684 II 235/70R16
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Lowest cost per mile
Best budget
Best price-per-warranty-mile in this size. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not safety.
Michelin
Defender LTX M/S
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
BFGoodrich
Advantage T/A sport LT
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Continental
CrossContact LX25
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Cooper
Discoverer SRX
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Lowest cabin noise
Best quiet
Tread patterns engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning. Pick this if you commute long highway distances daily.
Pirelli
Scorpion all terrain plus
73 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; well below the segment median. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
BFGoodrich
All-Terrain T/A KO2
75 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; still quieter than most competitors in this size. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Side-by-side
Pick the trade-off that matches your driving
| All-season BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 | Best budget Michelin Defender LTX M/S | Best quiet Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| UTQG treadwear | - | 800 | 600 |
| Mileage warranty | 50,000 mi | - | 50,000 mi |
| Cabin noise | 75 dB | - | 73 dB |
| Season class | all-season | - | all-season |
| Type | truck-suv | - | truck-suv |
OEM tire sizes by year
What size does the ford explorer sport trac use?
Recommendations on this page are anchored to the latest model-year's OEM size. Confirm yours against the driver-door placard before purchase.
| Year | OEM size | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 235/75R15 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2002–2005 | 235/70R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2007–2010 | 235/70R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the ford explorer sport trac
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 235/70R16; and filtered our catalog of 22,000+ tires to those offered in that exact size. From there, four parallel rankings:
- Best all-season ranks on a weighted score: tire type matches SUV segment, season is "all-season", premium brand bonus (Michelin / Continental / Bridgestone / Pirelli / Goodyear / Nokian).
- Best budget ranks on cost-per-warranty-mile; the lower the better. Premium brands get no bonus here.
- Best quiet ranks on the EU tire-label dB rating; lower is quieter.
- Best winter filters to tires marked 3PMSF severe-snow rated or all-weather class, with a small premium-brand bonus because winter-compound R&D is capital-intensive.
SUV-specific tire models (CrossClimate, CrossContact, Defender LTX) have reinforced sidewalls designed for the chassis mass and often a wider tread for better wet traction at higher curb weight. Use the side-by-side comparison above to weigh the trade-offs against your specific driving; highway-heavy, winter-state, performance-oriented, or budget-constrained.
NHTSA-reported issues for ford explorer sport trac
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (30) · Sidewall (3) · Tread / Belt (3) · TPMS (3) · Valve (1)
Reported across: 2001 – 2009 (8 years)
What owners described
Blowout or sudden deflation is the most common description, in 19% of these reports. Percentages are shares of the 26 reports covering every model year of the Ford Explorer Sport Trac that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 19% | 20% | 1.0× |
| Sidewall failure | 12% | 15% | 0.8× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 8% | 9% | 0.8× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 8% | 8% | 0.9× |
| Premature or uneven wear | 4% | 1% | 3.0× |
Mileage at failure
6 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 19,000 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 2,000 and 106,250 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
I HAD UNEVEN WEAR ON MY TIRES THAT WERE THE ORIGINAL TIRES FROM THE FACTORY. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW FROM THE FORD DEALER. I WAS TOLD THAT THE TIRE SPECS AND BRAND WERE NOT THE IDEAL TYPE FOR THIS KIND OF VEHICLE. NO WARRANTY COVERAGE GIVEN. I DID BUY MICHELIN AT OWL AND THEY HAVE HELD UP TO PRESENT 2014 AT 106250 MILES.
WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH DRIVER HEAR A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR. SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED UNCONTROLLABLY. DRIVER PULLED OVER, AND NOTICED THAT THE REAR LEFT TIRE BLEW OUT. DRIVER WILL CONTACT THE DEALER IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, THE RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WERE NO OBVIOUS ROAD HAZARDS OR DEBRIS. UPON INITIAL INSPECTION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE TIRE HAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED ALONG THE TREAD AND SIDEWALL AREA. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL, # 01T016000, REGARDING THE TIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE ALERTED. THE TIRE WAS A FIRESTONE WILDERNESS A/T P235/75R15.
IN LATE AUGUST, 2008, I WAS INVOLVED IN A SINGLE VEHICLE ACCIDENT ALONG INTERSTATE 64 BETWEEN RICHMOND AND CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA DUE TO SUDDEN LOSE OF AIR PRESSURE IN THE LEFT FRONT TIRE OF MY 2007 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC. I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE AND SAFELY GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT HITTING OTHER VEHICLES OR INJURING ANYONE. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO A FORD DEALER IN LOUISA, VA. AFTER BEING ASSURED THAT I COULD DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITH THE SPARE TIRE, I RETURNED IT TO WILLIAMSBURG FORD, THE ORIGINAL DEALER. THE TIRE AND THE AIR PRESSURE SENSOR HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST TO ME OF $365.58. ON OCTOBER 20, 2008, THE AIR PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT INDICATED ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH TIRE PRESSURE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO WILLIAMSBURG FORD. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VALVE STEM IN THE LEFT REAR TIRE WAS DAMAGED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $15.00.
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Ford Explorer Sport Trac →
FAQ
What's the best all-season tire for the Ford Explorer Sport Trac?
Should I get a cheaper tire for my Ford Explorer Sport Trac?
Does the Ford Explorer Sport Trac need winter tires?
Can I run a different tire size on my Ford Explorer Sport Trac?
Where can I buy these tires?
Last verified 2026-10-07.