flat tire FORD EXPLORER 2023 User Guide

A.P: Indicates a tire, designatedby the Tire and Rim Association,that may be used for service oncars, sport utility vehicles,minivans and light trucks.Note: Ifyour tire size does not begin witha letter this may mean it isdesignated by either the EuropeanTire and Rim TechnicalOrganization or the Japan TireManufacturing Association.
B.215: Indicates the nominalwidth of the tire in millimetersfrom sidewall edge to sidewalledge. In general, the larger thenumber, the wider the tire.
C.65: Indicates the aspect ratiowhich gives the tire's ratio ofheight to width.
D.R: Indicates a radial type tire.
E.15: Indicates the wheel or rimdiameter in inches. If you changeyour wheel size, you will have topurchase new tires to match thenew wheel diameter.
F.95: Indicates the tire's loadindex. It is an index that relates tohow much weight a tire can carry.You may find this information inyour owner’s manual. If not,contact a local tire dealer.
Note:You may not find thisinformation on all tires because itis not required by federal law.
G.H: Indicates the tire's speedrating. The speed rating denotesthe speed at which a tire isdesigned to be driven for extendedperiods of time under a standardcondition of load and inflationpressure. The tires on your vehiclemay operate at differentconditions for load and inflationpressure. These speed ratings mayneed to be adjusted for thedifference in conditions. Theratings range from 81 mph(130 km/h) to 186 mph(299 km/h). These ratings arelisted in the following chart.
Note:You may not find thisinformation on all tires because itis not required by federal law.
Speed ratingLetterrating
81 mph (130 km/h)M
87 mph (140 km/h)N
99 mph (159 km/h)Q
106 mph (171 km/h)R
112 mph (180 km/h)S
118 mph (190 km/h)T
124 mph (200 km/h)U
130 mph (210 km/h)H
149 mph (240 km/h)V
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*Traction: The traction grades,from highest to lowest are AA, A,B, and C. The grades represent thetire's ability to stop on wetpavement as measured undercontrolled conditions on specifiedgovernment test surfaces ofasphalt and concrete. A tiremarked C may have poor tractionperformance.
*Temperature: The temperaturegrades are A (the highest), B andC, representing the tire'sresistance to the generation ofheat and its ability to dissipateheat when tested under controlledconditions on a specified indoorlaboratory test wheel.
M.Maximum InflationPressure: Indicates the tiremanufacturers' maximumpermissible pressure or thepressure at which the maximumload can be carried by the tire. Thispressure is normally higher thanthe vehicle manufacturer'srecommended cold inflationpressure which can be found onthe Safety ComplianceCertification Label (affixed toeither the door hinge pillar,door-latch post, or the door edgethat meets the door-latch post,next to the driver's seatingposition), or Tire Label which islocated on the B-Pillar or the edgeof the driver’s door. The coldinflation pressure should never beset lower than the recommended
pressure on the vehicle label.
The tire suppliers may haveadditional markings, notes orwarnings such as standard loador radial tubeless.
Additional InformationContained on the Tire Sidewallfor LT Type Tires
Note:Tire Quality Grades do notapply to this type of tire.
LT type tires have some additionalinformation beyond those of Ptype tires; these differences aredescribed below.
A.LT: Indicates a tire, designatedby the Tire and Rim Association,that is intended for service on lighttrucks.
B.Load Range and LoadInflation Limits: Indicates thetire's load-carrying capabilitiesand its inflation limits.
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C.80: Indicates the aspect ratiowhich gives the tire's ratio ofheight to width. Numbers of 70 orlower indicate a short sidewall.
D.D: Indicates a diagonal type tire.
R: Indicates a radial type tire.
E.16: Indicates the wheel or rimdiameter in inches. If you changeyour wheel size, you will have topurchase new tires to match thenew wheel diameter.
Recommended Tire Pressuresand Inflating Your Tires
Safe operation of your vehiclerequires that your tires areproperly inflated. Remember thata tire can lose up to half of its airpressure without appearing flat.
Every day before you drive, checkyour tires. If one looks lower thanthe others, use a tire gauge tocheck the pressure of all tires andadjust if required.
At least once a month and beforelong trips, inspect each tire andcheck the tire pressure with a tiregauge (including spare, ifequipped). Inflate all tires to theinflation pressure recommendedby the manufacturer.
WARNING: Under-inflationis the most common cause oftire failures and may result insevere tire cracking, treadseparation or blowout, withunexpected loss of vehicle
control and increased risk ofinjury. Under-inflation increasessidewall flexing and rollingresistance, resulting in heatbuildup and internal damage tothe tire. It also may result inunnecessary tire stress, irregularwear, loss of vehicle control andaccidents. A tire can lose up tohalf of its air pressure and notappear to be flat!
You are strongly urged to buy areliable tire pressure gauge, asautomatic service station gaugesmay be inaccurate. Werecommend the use of a digital ordial-type tire pressure gaugerather than a stick-type tirepressure gauge. Use therecommended cold inflationpressure for optimum tireperformance and wear.Under-inflation or over-inflationmay cause uneven treadwearpatterns.
Always inflate your tires to therecommended inflation pressureeven if it is less than the maximuminflation pressure informationfound on the tire. You will find aTire Label containing themanufactures recommended tireinflation pressure by the tire sizeand other important informationlocated on the B-Pillar or the edgeof the driver’s door).
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The recommended tire inflationpressure is also found on theSafety Compliance CertificationLabel (affixed to either the doorhinge pillar, door-latch post, or thedoor edge that meets thedoor-latch on the B-pillar, or onthe edge of the driver’s door.
Failure to follow the tire pressurerecommendations can causeuneven treadwear patterns andadversely affect the way yourvehicle handles.
Inspecting Your Tires andWheel Valve Stems
Periodically inspect the tire treadsfor uneven or excessive wear andremove objects such as stones,nails or glass that may be wedged
in the tread grooves. Check the tireand valve stems for holes, cracks,or cuts that may permit airleakage and repair or replace thetire and replace the valve stem.Inspect the tire sidewalls forcracking, cuts, bruises and othersigns of damage or excessivewear. If internal damage to the tireis suspected, have the tiredismounted and inspected in caseit needs to be repaired or replaced.For your safety, tires that aredamaged or show signs ofexcessive wear should not be usedbecause they are more likely toblow out or fail.
Improper or inadequate vehiclemaintenance can cause tires towear abnormally. Inspect all yourtires, including the spare,frequently, and replace them ifone or more of the followingconditions exist:
Tire Wear
When the tread is worn down toone sixteenth of an inch (2 mm),tires must be replaced to helpprevent your vehicle from skiddingand hydroplaning. Built-intreadwear indicators, or wear bars,which look like narrow strips ofsmooth rubber across the treadwill appear on the tire when thetread is worn down to onesixteenth of an inch (2 mm).
When the tire tread wears downto the same height as these wearbars, the tire is worn out and mustbe replaced.
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Damage
Periodically inspect the tire treadsand sidewalls for damage (suchas bulges in the tread or sidewalls,cracks in the tread groove andseparation in the tread orsidewall). If damage is observedor suspected, have the tireinspected by a tire professional.Tires can be damaged duringoff-road use, so inspection afteroff-road use is alsorecommended.
Age
WARNING: Tires degradeover time depending on manyfactors such as weather, storageconditions, and conditions of use(load, speed, inflation pressure)the tires experience throughouttheir lives.In general, tires should bereplaced after six yearsregardless of tread wear.However, heat caused by hotclimates or frequent high loadingconditions can accelerate theaging process and may requiretires to be replaced morefrequently.
You should replace your sparetire when you replace the roadtires or after six years due toaging even if it has not beenused.
U.S. DOT Tire IdentificationNumber
Both United States and CanadaFederal regulations require tiremanufacturers to placestandardized information on thesidewall of all tires. Thisinformation identifies anddescribes the fundamentalcharacteristics of the tire and alsoprovides a U.S. DOT TireIdentification Number for safetystandard certification and in caseof a recall.
This begins with the letters DOTand indicates that the tire meetsall federal standards. The nexttwo numbers or letters are theplant code designating where itwas manufactured, the next twoare the tire size code and the lastfour numbers represent the weekand year the tire was built. Forexample, the numbers 317 meanthe 31st week of 1997. After 2000,the numbers go to four digits. Forexample, 2501 means the 25thweek of 2001. The numbers inbetween are identification codesused for traceability. Thisinformation is used to contactcustomers if a tire defect requiresa recall.
Tire ReplacementRequirements
Your vehicle is equipped with tiresdesigned to provide a safe rideand handling capability.
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WARNING: Only usereplacement tires and wheelsthat are the same size, loadindex, speed rating and type(such as P-metric versusLT-metric or all-season versusall-terrain) as those originallyprovided by Ford. Therecommended tire and wheelsize may be found on either theSafety Compliance CertificationLabel (affixed to either the doorhinge pillar, door-latch post, orthe door edge that meets thedoor-latch post, next to thedriver's seating position), or theTire Label which is located onthe B-Pillar or edge of thedriver's door. If this informationis not found on these labels, thenyou should contact yourauthorized dealer as soon aspossible. Use of any tire or wheelnot recommended by Ford canaffect the safety andperformance of your vehicle,which could result in anincreased risk of loss of vehiclecontrol, vehicle rollover, personalinjury and death.
WARNING: To reduce therisk of serious injury, whenmounting replacement tires andwheels, you should not exceedthe maximum pressure indicatedon the sidewall of the tire to setthe beads without additionalprecautions listed below. If thebeads do not seat at themaximum pressure indicated,re-lubricate and try again.
WARNING: For a mountingpressure more than 20 psi(1.38 bar) greater than themaximum pressure, a Forddealer or other tire serviceprofessional should do themounting.
WARNING: Always inflatesteel carcass tires with a remoteair fill with the person inflatingstanding at a minimum of 12 ft(3.66 m) away from the wheeland tire assembly.
WARNING: When inflatingthe tire for mounting pressuresup to 20 psi (1.38 bar) greaterthan the maximum pressure onthe tire sidewall, the followingprecautions must be taken toprotect the person mounting thetire:
•Make sure that you have thecorrect tire and wheel size.
•Lubricate the tire bead andwheel bead seat area again.
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•Stand at a minimum of 12 ft(3.66 m) away from the wheeland tire assembly.
•Use both eye and earprotection.
Important: Remember to replacethe wheel valve stems when theroad tires are replaced on yourvehicle.
It is recommended that the twofront tires or two rear tiresgenerally be replaced as a pair ifthe worn tires still have usabledepth.
To avoid potential Four-WheelDrive (4WD) malfunction or(4WD) system damage, it isrecommended to replace all fourtires rather than mixing
significantly worn tires with newtires.
The tire pressure sensors mountedin the wheels (originally installedon your vehicle) are not designedto be used in aftermarket wheels.
The use of wheels or tires notrecommended may affect theoperation of your tire pressuremonitoring system.
If the tire pressure monitoringsystem indicator is flashing, yoursystem is malfunctioning. Yourreplacement tire might beincompatible with your tirepressure monitoring system, orsome component of the systemmay be damaged.
Safety Practices
WARNING: If your vehicleis stuck in snow, mud or sand, donot rapidly spin the tires;spinning the tires can tear thetire and cause an explosion. Atire can explode in as little asthree to five seconds.
WARNING: Do not spin thewheels at over 34 mph(55 km/h). The tires may fail andinjure a passenger or bystander.
Driving habits have a great dealto do with your tire mileage andsafety.
*Observe posted speed limits
*Avoid fast starts, stops and turns
*Avoid potholes and objects onthe road
*Do not run over curbs or hit thetire against a curb when parking
Highway Hazards
No matter how carefully you drive,there is always the possibility thatyou may eventually have a flat tireon the highway. Drive slowly to the
closest safe area out of traffic.This may further damage the flattire, but your safety is moreimportant.
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If you feel a sudden vibration orride disturbance while driving, oryou suspect your tire or vehiclehas been damaged, immediatelyreduce your speed. Drive withcaution until you can safely pulloff the road. Stop and inspect thetires for damage. If a tire isunder-inflated or damaged,deflate it, remove wheel andreplace it with your spare tire andwheel. If you cannot detect acause, have the vehicle towed tothe nearest repair facility or tiredealer to have the vehicleinspected.
Tire and Wheel Alignment
A bad jolt from hitting a curb orpothole can cause the front endof your vehicle to become
misaligned or cause damage toyour tires. If your vehicle seems topull to one side when you aredriving, the wheels may be out ofalignment. Have an authorizeddealer check the wheel alignmentperiodically.
Wheel misalignment in the frontor the rear can cause uneven andrapid treadwear of your tires andshould be corrected by anauthorized dealer. Front-wheeldrive vehicles and those with anindependent rear suspension (ifequipped) may require alignmentof all four wheels.
The tires should also be balancedperiodically. An unbalanced tireand wheel assembly may result inirregular tire wear.
Tire Rotation
WARNING: If the tire labelshows different tire pressures forthe front and rear tires and thevehicle has a tire pressuremonitoring system, then youneed to update the settings forthe system sensors. Alwaysperform the system resetprocedure after tire rotation. Ifyou do not reset the system, itmay not provide a low tirepressure warning whennecessary.
Note:If your tires show unevenwear, ask an authorized dealer tocheck for and correct any wheelmisalignment, tire imbalance ormechanical problem involvedbefore tire rotation.
Note:Your vehicle may beequipped with a dissimilar sparewheel and tire assembly. Adissimilar spare wheel and tireassembly is defined as a sparewheel and tire assembly that isdifferent in brand, size orappearance from the road tires andwheels. If you have a dissimilarspare wheel and tire assembly, it isintended for temporary use onlyand should not be used in a tirerotation.
Note:After having your tiresrotated, inflation pressure must bechecked and adjusted to the
vehicle requirements.
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Rotating your tires at therecommended interval will helpyour tires wear more evenly,providing better tire performanceand longer tire life. Sometimesirregular tire wear can becorrected by rotating the tires. SeeScheduled Maintenance (page476).
Tire Rotation Diagram
Rear-wheel drive and Four-wheeldrive vehicles, front tires at left ofdiagram.
USING SUMMER TIRES
Summer tires provide superiorperformance on wet and dry roads.Summer tires do not have the Mud andSnow (M+S or M/S) tire traction rating onthe tire side wall. Since summer tires donot have the same traction performanceas All-season or Snow tires, we do notrecommend using summer tires whentemperatures drop to about 45°F (7°C) orbelow (depending on tire wear andenvironmental conditions) or in snow and
ice conditions. Like any tire, summer tireperformance is affected by tire wear andenvironmental conditions. If you must drivein those conditions, we recommend usingMud and Snow (M+S, M/S), All-season orSnow tires.
Always store your summer tires indoors attemperatures above 19°F (-7°C). Therubber compounds used in these tires loseflexibility and may develop surface cracksin the tread area at temperatures below19°F (-7°C). If the tires have beensubjected to 19°F (-7°C) or less, warmthem in a heated space to at least 41°F(5°C) for at least 24 hours before installingthem on a vehicle, or moving the vehiclewith the tires installed, or checking tireinflation. Do not place tires near heatersor heating devices used to warm the roomwhere the tires are stored. Do not applyheat or blow heated air directly on the tires.Always inspect the tires after storageperiods and before use.
USING WINTER TIRES
Inflate the winter tires to the same tirepressures as those listed in the tirepressures table.
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WARNING: Snow tires must be thesame size, load index and speed ratingas those originally provided by Ford. Useof any tire or wheel not recommendedby Ford can affect the safety andperformance of your vehicle, which couldresult in an increased risk of loss ofcontrol, vehicle rollover, personal injuryand death. Additionally, the use ofnon-recommended tires and wheels cancause steering, suspension, axle, transfercase or power transfer unit failure.Follow the Ford recommended tireinflation pressure found on the SafetyCompliance Certification Label (on thedoor hinge pillar, door latch post or thedoor edge that meets the door latchpost, next to the driver seat), or TireLabel on the B-Pillar or the edge of thedriver door. Failure to follow the tirepressure recommendations can causeuneven treadwear patterns andadversely affect the way your vehiclehandles.
USING SNOW CHAINS
WARNING: Do not exceed 30 mph(50 km/h). Failure to follow thisinstruction could result in the loss ofcontrol of your vehicle, personal injury ordeath.
WARNING: Do not use snow chainson snow-free roads.
WARNING: Only fit snow chains tospecified tires.
WARNING: If your vehicle is fittedwith wheel trims, remove them beforefitting snow chains.
Only use snow chains on rear wheels.Install snow chains in pairs. Do not useself-tensioning snow chains.
Only use snow chains on the followingspecified tire sizes:
•255/60R18
•Only install chains that are 10 mmor less.
•255/65R18
•Only install chains that are 10 mmor less.
•265/60R18
•Only install chains that are 10 mmor less.
•255/55R20
•Only install chains that are 10 mmor less.
We recommend you use steel wheels ofthe same size and specification if snowchains are required because chains maychip aluminum wheels.
Follow these guidelines when using snowtires and traction devices:
•If possible, avoid fully loading yourvehicle.
•Purchase snow chains from amanufacturer that clearly labels bodyto tire dimension restrictions.
•When driving with snow chains do notexceed 30 mph (50 km/h) or themaximum speed recommended by thechain manufacturer, whichever is less.
•Drive cautiously. If you hear the snowchains rub or bang against the vehicle,stop and tighten them. If this does notwork, remove the snow chains toprevent vehicle damage.
•Remove the snow chains when theyare no longer needed. Do not use snowchains on dry roads.
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