Towing tires

[nseenoman]

I'm new to RV towing. I'm pullling a 16.5 ft. Jayco RV with a 2002 Explorer (V6). I need to replace the original tires on the SUV. It came with Michelin CrossTerrain 235/70R16 tires. Should I go with a 245 tire?

[Chris Stewart]

I put wider tires on my '92 and they threw rocks at my body panels and chipped them. Stiffer sidewall tires for stability aren't necessarily wider. Check with UHaul for their recommend.

[ericn1300]

Originally Posted by nseenoman

I'm new to RV towing. I'm pullling a 16.5 ft. Jayco RV with a 2002 Explorer (V6). I need to replace the original tires on the SUV. It came with Michelin CrossTerrain 235/70R16 tires. Should I go with a 245 tire?

I'm not familiar with the Michelin tires, but i recommend staying with the manufactors size rating. The 235/70R16 rating is the aspect ratio of tread width to sidewall height and is a formula that changes dramaticaly when any number is changed. The 235 is not the width of the tire. Stick with the origional size, espicially on the Explorer. Instead be aware that sidewall strengh is rated as PT (passenger tire) or LT (light truck tire). Go for the LT rating if you want to tow and carry the maximum rated load for your vehicle. Check the maximum load rating and recomended pressure on the sidewall for a heavy load and inflate appropiatley, I even inflate front and rear differently depending on load distribution. For instance if I'm towing 200 lbs tounge weight on the trailer, another 200 lbs of cargo in the rear of the vehicle, 200lbs of cargo on the rear roof rack, and my fat mother in law in the back seat, I'll inflate the rear tires to their max rating and leave the front alone. For daily driving inflate to manufacture recommdations, usualy on a label on the drivers side door pillar.