Best tires for the Lincoln Navigator (275/50R22, ranked by category)

Q: What's the best all-season tire for the Lincoln Navigator?

Our top all-season touring pick for the 275/50R22 OEM size is Bridgestone Alenza A/S 02, selected by matching segment fitment, all-season compound class, and premium-brand quality bonus.

Q: Should I get a cheaper tire for my Lincoln Navigator?

The budget pick ranks by cost-per-warranty-mile. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not actual safety risk.

Daily driver

Best all-season touring

Long warranty, low noise, balanced ride. The one-tire compromise that works for 80% of owners.

Bridgestone

Alenza A/S 02

Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.

Bridgestone

Alenza A/S 02 275/50R22

Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.

Bridgestone

Alenza AS ultra

Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.

Bridgestone

Alenza AS ultra 275/50R22

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.

UTQG 800

Falken

Ziex CT60 A/S

Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.

UTQG 740

Toyo

Open country H/T II

Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.

UTQG 740

Continental

TerrainContact H/T

Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.

UTQG 720

Side-by-side

Pick the trade-off that matches your driving

	All-season Bridgestone Alenza A/S 02	Best budget Michelin Defender LTX M/S
UTQG treadwear	-	800
Mileage warranty	-	-
Cabin noise	-	-
Season class	-	-
Type	-	-

OEM tire sizes by year

What size does the lincoln navigator 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
1997–1999	`245/75R16`	Year-specific fitment →
2000–2002	`255/75R17`	Year-specific fitment →
2003–2014	`255/70R18`	Year-specific fitment →
2015–2017	`275/55R20`	Year-specific fitment →
2018	`285/45R22`	Year-specific fitment →
2019–2024	`275/55R20`	Year-specific fitment →
2025–2026	`275/50R22`	Year-specific fitment →

Browse Lincoln Navigator fitment by year →

How we ranked these tires for the lincoln navigator

We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 275/50R22; 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 lincoln navigator

174

Complaints

6

Crashes

11

Injuries

0

Deaths

Top issue category: Tires (General)

Most reported: Tires (General) (79) · Tread / Belt (65) · Sidewall (17) · Spare Tire (6) · TPMS (6)

Reported across: 1998 – 2020 (15 years)

What owners described

Tread or belt separation appears in 21% of these reports; about 1.6× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 113 reports covering every model year of the Lincoln Navigator 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
Tread or belt separation	21%	13%	1.6×
Blowout or sudden deflation	20%	20%	1.0×
Sidewall failure	17%	15%	1.1×
Loss of control, rollover or collision	10%	8%	1.2×
Cracking or dry rot	4%	9%	0.5×
Bubble or bulge in the tire	3%	6%	0.4×

Mileage at failure

30 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 22,500 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 12,000 and 88,000 miles.

In owners' own words

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Lincoln Navigator. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.

THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR EQUIPPED WITH NATIONAL A/S COMMANDO TIRES, SIZE: 245/75/16 (N/A). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE TIRE WAS NOT REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE OF THE TIRE AND THE VEHICLE WAS 6,500. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint 1001249 · 1999 vehicle

WHILE DRIVING ON I-95 NORTHBOUND AROUND WOOLBRIGHT ROAD, I RAN OVER TIRE DEBRIS AND CAUSED PART OF MY TIRE TO COME OFF. THE TIRE DID NOT GO FLAT AMAZINGLY, BUT I WILL DEFINITELY NEED A NEW TIRE. I HAVE A NAVIGATOR, SO LUCKILY IT DIDN'T CAUSE ANY MORE DAMAGE LIKE AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA complaint 1090265 · 2001 vehicle

THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED AND EXHIBITED NUMEROUS OTHER MECHANICAL ISSUES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TIRES WERE BALD, THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AND THE BRAKES FAILED TO OPERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKES, TIRES, AND PARTS OF THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.

NHTSA complaint 1124714 · 2001 vehicle

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED 4 BLOW OUTS WITH ALL 4 TIRES, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE 5TH BLOWOUT OFTHE TIRE, CAUSED THE HUB AND TIRE TO FALL OUT, ALMOST RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. TIRE DEALER CLAIMS THAT IT IS THE WRONG TIRE SIZE FOR THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE. MANUFACTURERCLAIMS ITS A DEFECTIVE TIRE. PLEASE PROVIDE MANUFACTURER OF THE TIRE OTHER DETAILS.

NHTSA complaint 116144 · 1998 vehicle

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.

FAQ

What's the best all-season tire for the Lincoln Navigator?

The all-season touring slate above ranks the top options for the 275/50R22 OEM size. The leader is selected by matching lincoln-segment fitment, all-season compound class, and premium-brand quality bonus. For most Lincoln Navigator owners, the all-season touring pick is the best one-tire compromise; long warranty, low noise, reasonable cost per mile.

Should I get a cheaper tire for my Lincoln Navigator?

The budget slate above ranks tires by cost-per-warranty-mile, ignoring brand premium. The budget pick is genuinely competitive on durability metrics; the trade-off is shorter warranty and slightly higher cabin noise, not actual safety risk. If you drive less than 15,000 miles a year, the budget pick will outlast your replacement window regardless.

Does the Lincoln Navigator need winter tires?

If you see more than 5 snow days a year or drive at sustained temperatures below 7 °C, yes; winter compounds stay pliable in cold where all-season rubber hardens, which translates directly to shorter braking distances. The winter pick above is 3PMSF severe-snow rated and works for the 275/50R22 OEM fitment. Storage cost is real (4 extra tires somewhere), but the safety margin in winter conditions is substantial.

Can I run a different tire size on my Lincoln Navigator?

Plus-size and minus-size alternatives within ±3% overall diameter are typically safe per the ETRTO standard. See the 275/50R22 upsize options for the full categorised alternatives table with verdicts.

Where can I buy these tires?

Each tire links to its detail page with live pricing from our online retailer partners. Out-the-door cost (including mount, balance, TPMS service, and disposal) varies by state; use the install cost calculator for a realistic estimate.