Alright, here we go...
I have a 2018 Ford Explorer Sport. A sports car nut at heart, I wanted the ecoboost, AWD and sporty suspension. However, I live at the start of the hill country here on the upper north side of San Antonio - Bulverde actually. We have friends with land/property; we like to go to the lake; we go to wineries that are set back sometimes a mile off the main road; etc. One of the shooting/training facilities I frequent is outdoor and the entrance is about 1/4 mile of loose(ish) cobblestone and rock. So, I'd say I'm 85-90% on-road use, and any offroad terrain I plan to encounter is dirt/pebble/small rock road and bumpy field type of terrain. No rock crawling or backwoods exploring over fallen trees or anything. When it rains, the roads are slick - blacktop. I drive to Houston a lot on i10, and I HAVE had to dive off through the grass and up on to the feeder (frontage road for you non-Texans) and it has been wet more than once - different vehicle. I'm a spirited driver, hence the Sport model. I've never considered "off road" capability even a little in my past tire choices, but we also only just moved here and are discovering more and more to do in the hill country. The "least" performance tire I have purchased in the last 6 vehicles is the Michelin Pilot Sport AS3, if that says anything. I say that to say that maybe a good All Season is what I need - I just don't know what tires are and are not capable of "lite" off roading.
What I want to achieve: something that will take a spirited drive in the winding and hilly countryside around here and not feel like the sidewall is caving in the curves, and also not have to drive at 5mph when we get on to my friends/family's properties. I won't be towing a boat or anything either. Does this exist? I will be buying a light weight forged wheel of some sort (Forgestar, TSW or similar) to help keep weight down while remaining structurally strong. The size will depend on the tire I end up with. I currently have Michelin Defender LTX M/S in stock 255/50/20 - meh. They are OK. I don't have any real complaints about them other than they look boring as hell. I'm looking at the following size options:
265/50/20
265/60/18 (most options)
275/60/18
I have a 2018 Ford Explorer Sport. A sports car nut at heart, I wanted the ecoboost, AWD and sporty suspension. However, I live at the start of the hill country here on the upper north side of San Antonio - Bulverde actually. We have friends with land/property; we like to go to the lake; we go to wineries that are set back sometimes a mile off the main road; etc. One of the shooting/training facilities I frequent is outdoor and the entrance is about 1/4 mile of loose(ish) cobblestone and rock. So, I'd say I'm 85-90% on-road use, and any offroad terrain I plan to encounter is dirt/pebble/small rock road and bumpy field type of terrain. No rock crawling or backwoods exploring over fallen trees or anything. When it rains, the roads are slick - blacktop. I drive to Houston a lot on i10, and I HAVE had to dive off through the grass and up on to the feeder (frontage road for you non-Texans) and it has been wet more than once - different vehicle. I'm a spirited driver, hence the Sport model. I've never considered "off road" capability even a little in my past tire choices, but we also only just moved here and are discovering more and more to do in the hill country. The "least" performance tire I have purchased in the last 6 vehicles is the Michelin Pilot Sport AS3, if that says anything. I say that to say that maybe a good All Season is what I need - I just don't know what tires are and are not capable of "lite" off roading.
What I want to achieve: something that will take a spirited drive in the winding and hilly countryside around here and not feel like the sidewall is caving in the curves, and also not have to drive at 5mph when we get on to my friends/family's properties. I won't be towing a boat or anything either. Does this exist? I will be buying a light weight forged wheel of some sort (Forgestar, TSW or similar) to help keep weight down while remaining structurally strong. The size will depend on the tire I end up with. I currently have Michelin Defender LTX M/S in stock 255/50/20 - meh. They are OK. I don't have any real complaints about them other than they look boring as hell. I'm looking at the following size options:
265/50/20
265/60/18 (most options)
275/60/18