This past Saturday i saw a good friend of mine who owns a 1990 Aerostar EXT. It was at Costco. He had just had 4 new tires installed, a BFG whitewall radial, p 195 70 $14. I told him "Man, those tires look too small on your van. Plus, you have an extended Aerostar, those vans are heavy. He looked and reluctly agreed. My '87 Aerostar XLT has P 215 75R14 WW raidals, they look much better on an Aerostar. He said let's take my van for a ride, see what you think of these tires. Long story short, those P195's are too small, IMHO. I drove and they float under the weight of the van, ride is noticeably harsher (roadnoise) and the steering seems to be loose, as in the power assist os working overtime. Mind you, these are brand new tires srill with the tire nubs, and smelling like freshly mounted new rubber.

We then parked his van, back at the Costco lot, got in my Aerostar. Night and day difference. Smooth, quiet ride, nice road feel, and solid. These are P215 75r14 tires with about 17,000 miles on them. Now my van is a shorty as compared to his EXT long van, and his has both rows of back seats while mine has both seats removed, ala a "carpeted cargo van". He drove my Aerostar and commented that it "rides like a Cadillac". Anyway, I think he's going to exhange his P195's, I told him to get at least a P215 70 R14 set, much more appropriate for the weight and carrying capacity of an EXT Aerostar.

 

check the driver door sticker for the NTSB tire rating safety sticker and the owner's manual for spec'd tire sizes.

also get the P rated tires that are spec'd to carry 44 psi, much firmer sidewall and ride. I run mine at 38 psi most of the time and 42 psi when towing.

tire wall construction is critical for a safe ride in a top heavy rig such as the Aero. brand and tire model make a difference, read the user tire reviews at Tire Rack dot com

 

P195 70 R14 tires are not recommended for aero. really too small. As I remember the smallest tire for aero were 205/70R14 ore 215/70R14.

 

96 & Pablo: First 96: What size tires are you referring to in your post?

Pablo: You are 100% correct. What happened was his Aerostar previously had P195 70R14's on them and they simply replaced them (again) with the incorrect tire size! A sharp tire installer would have caught this, and at least brought it to my friend's attention.

In fact, I had a 1990 Ford Escort before, and I had P195 70R14 tires on it!!! (Stock size is P185 70R14's, I went up one size larger) That Escort is a lot lighter than an extended Aerostar, bottom line!

Ed (I just stocked up on some HEET Iso-Dry Gas for the winter. Even though I am in NoCal, I still like to use dry gas in my tank, at fill-ups. Old habits from driving in Northeast Ohio winters as a teenager in the mid 70s and through the mid 80s!).

 

Aero is relatively heavy vechicle, it seems to me 215/70R14 tires are small too, I use 235/70R14. Fit aero well.

 

tire shops are civilly liable for putting on undersized tires not manuf. spec'd for vehicle
P225R75x14 rated 44 psi on sidewall

 

NICE!! I never see those sizes here. in a 15" size, yes, but not 14". What brand of tires do you have, Pablo and 96?
Ed

 

Onese I had Summit, after that Michelin, later Rosava (Brigstone) and now Matador (Michelin)

 

I'll agree that P195 70 R14 tires are way too small for an Aerostar. Years ago my dad had replaced the tires on his (now my) 1994 Aerostar with Pirelli 195/70R14. He really hated those tires as he towed a camping trailer in the summer. When I got the van from him I couldn't wait for those tires to wear out so I could go back to the proper 215/70R14 tires. The ride and handling increased dramatically.

 

When I got the van from him I couldn't wait for those tires to wear out so I could go back to the proper 215/70R14 tires. The ride and handling increased dramatically.
__________________________________________________ _____________
Install C205R14 for Mercedes 508 cargo vans and u will see difference! They are designed for 950 KG load and runs better. But they are heavy.

 

The tires I'm running are 27x8.5R14 LT, which is an english size. They are pressure rated to 55 psi. They do make the ride a bit stiffer, but it still rides fairly smooth. In makes the handling a bit more like that of a truck. What would really help me more than anything else would be new shocks and new coils springs.

 

Yeah, there are English ore German size tires availible on market. But for example 215/70R14 is rare size, they offer 225/70R14 instead.

 

I use General XP 2000 215/70R14, it's the only brand i can find here, and think they don't completly fit to the Aero, in the sense that walls are too smooth, and tires bend like mashmallows in turns, and with a trail its sometime near to limits. Strangely, she had used Michelin M+S when I bought it ( the previous owner imported it from USA) but Michelin don't sell them in France because ( as they say) theses tires don't meet the french regulation; I think in fact they don't feel concerned with that, Ford sold a ridiculous number of Aerostars and this size, as far I know, is concerning only two other cars: an old Ferrari from the fifties and the old Ford Mustang; I've tried Cooper but two were defectives. Perhaps I'll try to change rims to move for a size like 215 or 225/60-15; the closer i'll can find in circumference; and with a better availability, and stronger walls.

 

Going to a 60 series tire for one, does not look right on an Aerostar due to the shorter sidewall. Plus the shorter side wall gives up a lot on ride comfort.

These vans are relatively heavy for a mini-van. I'd stick with a good 70 or 75 series tire only, even with 15" rims.
Awhile ago I saw an older Aerostar with a normal offset Cragar S/S wheels, that you never see on the road anymore.

This combo looked beautiful, the dark color of the Aerostar, and the bright chrome of the classic Cragars nearly snapped my neck off from rubber-necking / gawking.

Call me old fashioned, but many wheels I see now are downright ugly / gawdy / looking like a 3rd grade kid designed them. Seriously.

20" wheels on a 57 Chevy, any 60s era car, ruin the look, no matter how you slice it as well.
http://store.summitracing.com/largei...r-617734_w.jpg

 

ah, Ed
don't be a party pooper
put on 4 of those gold flashy 24" spinners with the Bling Bling all over and a van load of starved beaten Pit Bulls.


can't beat the classic beauty of those chrome Cragers plus lots of cooling air for brakes
http://www.cragar.com/WheelSearch.asp?type=CP

i like the 31 Series also

their steel/chrome wheels bleed rust thru here

the story of Cragar Wheel
http://www.cragar.com/2004-115524-467.asp