Hi everyone, new to this forum. I could use some help with selecting tires and shocks for my van, so here goes. I have 1999 ford E-150 Hi-top coversion van by explorer. Has 4.6L eng. On the van right now are Indy 500 tires 255/70/15 and monroe sensa-trac shocks. The tires were no good cause there made for pass. cars not vans. Didn't like the way the original size tires 235/75/15 looked so I went with the Indys. Didn't wear well at all. So now I could use some help with tires and shocks. Any suggestions? Thanks for any help anyone may provide.

 

Find some LT rated tires. They don't have that much of a wide range of 15" LT tires so if you want good tires, you may not always have something you'll like.

 

Don't know this will be helpful but here's my current set up..........

'00 E250 with about a 12" raised roof used exclusively for a work/cargo van that weighs just at 7800 pounds as driven daily. Almost never carrying more weight, never towing as that's not a need or requirement for my work.

I swallowed the pill for close to $1k on Michelin LTX's LT245/75R16, load range E and absolutly love them! I do run them at 70 psi and the ride is not at all harsh or rough. With almost 30K miles on them now there is very very evidence of tread wear. Please keep in mind the $1K price included new take off steel wheels and mounting/balancing from a different shop than I purchased the tires.

Shocks I also swallowed hard and bought Bilsteins which was about 2 years over due. Found them online for $324.60 shipped to my front door, lifetime guarantee and paid some trusted mechanic friends $80 cash to install them for me. They could use the money, I could and did avoid the aggravation this chore is!

To me spending the bigger money up front for tires & shocks that will live so much longer than anything "cheaper" turns out to be the most economic decision. A friend who drives a similar E250 spent about $450 on a set of no name tires, within the year he was buying another set. If I'm not mistaken he's now on his third set of tires while I'm still waiting for my LTX's to wear out.

 

Hey JWA, thanks for the info. Don't want to spend that crazy money on bilsteins, but will if I have too. Want to keep 15" tires on van, don't have money to switch over to 16" but will look into it Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks.

 

I have a pair of firestone Transforce HT's load range E, i love them too i read the reviews on them and they are the cheaper alternative to the LTX's, the ride is smoother and the handling is better even though i went up about 2in in width and height (265/70LT16) they run about 150-170 a piece. I also have monroe sensa tracs and I am pleased with them to, and a lifetime warranty from the parts store so ill keep swapping them out every 30k.

 

Just keep this in mind relative to costs:

The Bilstein's are a bona fide lifetime guarantee so think of them as a one time purchase. Any good brand of shocks will cost you at least $200 so for just a bit more you can ride on the best!

Michelin's probably have the LTX's in a size more to your preferences. Even if they're not in your near future definitely go with the LT designation since they typically have a bit better sidewall for what you're seeking. Then again a knowledgeable tire guy not just intent on selling you something would be a great idea too. There is a tire and suspension forum here----should be lots of experience and advice there.

Best of luck!

 

I don't want to go with 16" tires because then I need new rims as well. I have narrowed it down to, Firestone destination LE or General Grabbers HT/S in 255/70/15 and as far as the shocks go, it's either going to be the monroe gas magnums, or the monroe reflex. Thankyou for your feedback .

 

The van came with michellin ltx's in 235/75/xl 15's they were very old and needed to be replaced. I had several vans before and always went with the wider tires like 255/70/15 because of the nicer look. Problem with my van now is it weighs close to 6000 lbs, where my old ford vans:ie 1983, 1990 were not as heavy so these tires always wore well. When I put the firestone Indy 500 tires on my present van the outer edge of wore down within 2 years. I always got a wheel alignment as soon as my new tires were put on. Thats when I found out they were pass. tires not van tires, hence the xl's The two tires I mentioned the le and the hts are both designed for light truck/ suv. I spoke with a tire guy and he said either one would work on the van, both very good tires. The grabber HT/s were rated #1 by consumer reports either 1 or 2 years ago. I really want to stick with the wider profile tire for the nice way it looks and also helps with the ride. But I'm still feeling my way around this, no decision yet, but working on it. As far as the shocks go I'm looking at sites that carry the bilsteins. Thanks again for your insight.

 

I purchased my Bilstein's from eshocks.com. Ordered completely online Monday morning, Tuesday afternoon they're on my front porch! Best price I could find but they don't come up in a lot of searches---forget how I found them.

 

For best prices on Bilstein shocks try eshock.com-----they won't come up in a lot of Google searches but they were the best I could find. Ordered them completely online Monday morning-----Tuesday afternoon they're sitting on my front porch!

I too love the lower profile fat tires but like 65F100 says sometimes function has to preceed appearance. In the case of tires its as much about safety too since the wrong tires can create dangerous situations---I'd hate to be in an accident due good looking but ineffective tires. You've already noticed the passenger car tires do not work well on vans---the weight alone is a huge cause for concern.

Its a never ending battle of decisions sometimes huh?

 

Your sure right about that. Even though tire Indy 500s looked real nice, they were by far the wrong choice for my van this time. Just too much weight. Next set of tires will without a doubt be Lts. Just not sure of brand yet. Just looked at continental tires and they also looked like a good fit for the van. We'll see. Thankyou very much for all your insight on this matter.

 

I install and sell monroes all day, do not do the gas magnum for comfort, I would only suggest this on a work vehicle that takes alot of heavy loading and abuse, the reflex is the best choice, it is not offered for all of the econolines though.

 

I drive only 5-6K miles a year, 2/3 towing a race car, 1/3 25 mile round trips, 03 E-150 Chateau. I went with Destination LE's. (I also went with 16" alloys). I also installed the Bilsteins as I'll have the van a long time

The firestones' seem like a very good tire, thought I have no idea how long they'll last. I've run them about 4K miles and no issues, wear and handling are fine. good luck. Mike

 

Thanks guys for the feedback. I was going to use the magnums but after talking to a monroe tech, he also suggested the reflex shocks because it 's a conversion van. I'm just waiting to hear from the tire guys about the destination le's there on back order. If I cant get them I will either get the grabbers HT/S or continentals Thanks again.

 

Explorer Vans are as heavy as work vans, while their owners want comfort like in "featherweight" Club Wagons.

I played around with shocks and found peace with Bilstein Touring. Unless you are looking for short-term solutions