Posted by Kevin (NJ) on February 14, 1999 at 15:40:34:
In Reply to: Michelin LTX 26575R16 for Ford Expedition posted by David R. Little on January 28, 1999 at 14:33:45:
I put the Michelin X Radial LT (Costco's version of the LTX M/S) on my Ranger about 7 weeks ago and am very happy. Replaced the OEM Firestone Wilderness AT 265-75-15 with 31x10.5-15 (a little wider and about the same hight). I wasn't worried too much about extra width leading to extra slop in handling because the Michelins tend to have a stiffer side wall. And it's true. The ride is much better, less noisy, and much improved handling and traction on any on-road surface.
I've used 4lo.com to run quick calculations on tire height and cross-section.
Diameter Section Width Section Ht
235 75 15 28.9 9.3 7.0
255 75 16 31.1 10.0 7.5
265 75 16 31.6 10.4 7.8
The 265s would work, of course. The fact that the tire is *slightly* larger than the original probably won't affect the ride. The diameter difference works out to 1.2%. Not enough to worry about spedo differences. The difference through the life of a tread alone will account for about 2%. Good luck.
-Kevin