I was able to make a deal recently for a set of '00 oem SVT Lightning 18 x 9.5" wheels that I'll be installing on my Expy . . . of-course my next purchase will be tires.

You'll note that I tend to shy away from any 'private Label' tires and even left out some well known brands.

I have settled on the size . . . 285/60-18

I even have narrowed my search to a couple of brands . . . in no paticular order. All of them carry a M&S Rating... for what it's worth.

1. Bridgestone Dueler H/P D680 . . . I have had great results with Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo's and MUST consider these as contenders

2. Toyo Proxes S/T . . . Can everybody who loves them be wrong?

3. Yokohama Geolander H/TS G052 . . . I have heard some pretty wonderful things about these tires, even if they don't look very aggressive

4. Pirelli Scorpion Zero . . . from what I hear they are nice but wear kind of fast . . . and cost

5. Falken Ziex S/TZ-04 . . . could these be the best tire for the money?

6. Kuhmo ECSTA STX . . . another well rated budget tire.

I will possibily be leaving them on year round so please let me know what you like and why with regards to wet, dry, cold weather, snow, tread life, handling and ride qaulity.

Thanks for you time.

 

I know Va can go through some pretty extreme weather conditions so I guess you need something other than performance. Is your Expy 4wd? What do you use it for? If it's strictly a street vehicle and possibly 2wd then I recommend the Eagle F1s that come on the lightning. Pretty good tire and does well in all weather conditions. I also recommend the yokos. I put a set on my 01 EB Expy and they work great. Lightning wheels look good on Expeditions.

 

The Toyo Proxes ST tires are very nice as I had them on my Navigator originally. When I went to 20's, I decided to go with Falken Ziex S/TZ-01's as all the guys at the Les Schwab store were running that tire. I figured if they sold both and they put the Falkens on their personall vehicles and the company trucks, they must be pretty good. Can't complain so far.

I'd stay away from the Pirelli's, as they are a very soft compound and tend to wear out fairly quick. Cooper makes a new performance SUV tire that looks awesome also.

 

I have the 18" by 8.5 in Lightning wheels and I went with the Michelin Pilot LT in 285/60. This combination put me within a quarter inch of the height of the stock 17" wheel with the 235/75 tires. They are roughly a quarter inch shorter in overall height.
These tires come in different speed ratings as well. I didn't need trires that are designed for sustained speeds in excess of 150 mph so I got the lower 120 mph rated tire. They were cheaper and will last longer.

 

I've got the Nitto NT-404 Extreme Force SUV in 305-18-55
on lighting rims. Pretty good tire and does decently in the
rain (only weather outside of sun we get here in LA).

they run a little bit with the wheel turned all the way in,
nothing bad tho.