XL or SL tires?

[RubyRedBird]

I traded by 5.0 v8 mustang in for the MME GT and I am very happy I did. Can almost say I've been bitten by the BEV bug.

I had 11 inch rims with 305 tires on the 5.0 and the first time I floored in the MME, I spun the pirellis. So of course I need new rims and tires.

Decided on a staggered setup with the largest tires in the back I can get without modifying the suspension. There's not a lot of tires available at 295/40, but one that gets good reviews on here is the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus.

They have two tires that would be around the same size as 295/40 for the front, 265/45 and 255/45. But one is an SL tire (265) the other is an XL tire (255). They both have higher load ratings to the pirellis, but I understand the SL should be inflated no more than 36 PSI. Will it cause any ride issues to have the fronts less inflated than the rears, should I just go with the XL, or go with another tire that has both a 295/40 and 265/45 in an XL?

OEM tire:

245/45/20 103Y XL - load rating 1,929 lbs

Front Options for Continental DWS 06 Plus:

255/45/20 105Y XL - load rating 2039 lbs
265/45/20 104Y SL - load rating 1,984 lbs

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[markboris]

I traded by 5.0 v8 mustang in for the Mach-E GT and I am very happy I did. Can almost say I've been bitten by the BEV bug.

I had 11 inch rims with 305 tires on the 5.0 and the first time I floored in the Mach-E, I spun the pirellis. So of course I need new rims and tires.

Decided on a staggered setup with the largest tires in the back I can get without modifying the suspension. There's not a lot of tires available at 295/40, but one that gets good reviews on here is the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus.

They have two tires that would be around the same size as 295/40 for the front, 265/45 and 255/45. But one is an SL tire (265) the other is an XL tire (255). They both have higher load ratings to the pirellis, but I understand the SL should be inflated no more than 36 PSI. Will it cause any ride issues to have the fronts less inflated than the rears, should I just go with the XL, or go with another tire that has both a 295/40 and 265/45 in an XL?

OEM tire:

245/45/20 103Y XL - load rating 1,929 lbs

Front Options for Continental DWS 06 Plus:

255/45/20 105Y XL - load rating 2039 lbs
265/45/20 104Y SL - load rating 1,984 lbs

There are quite a few tires that you can get with 265/45/20 front and 295/40/20 rear and they all have XL ratings. I have run three different tires in those staggered sizes. My favorite was the Pirelli Zero Scorpion All Season Plus. They were quiet and gave a very smooth ride. Next were the Michelin Latitude Sport 3. They are summer performance tires but they are built for low rolling resistance. They are also quite but not as much as the Pirellis and they have a harsher ride and handle a bit better. Last were the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV also a summer performance tire. These were the nosiest of the three and firmest riding but they definitely handled the best.

Right now I am running 275/40/20 front, 315/35/20 rear in Michelin Pilot Sport 4s but when I change out tires, I think I'm going back to the Pirelli Zero Scorpion All Season Plus's only because I want to stick with an all season tire. I will ONLY buy XL tires for the Mach-E as I want a more heavy duty tire for this car.

 

[RubyRedBird]

There are quite a few tires that you can get with 265/45/20 front and 295/40/20 rear and they all have XL ratings. I have run three different tires in those staggered sizes. My favorite was the Pirelli Zero Scorpion All Season Plus. They were quiet and gave a very smooth ride. Next were the Michelin Latitude Sport 3. They are summer performance tires but they are built for low rolling resistance. They are also quite but not as much as the Pirellis and they have a harsher ride and handle a bit better. Last were the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV also a summer performance tire. These were the nosiest of the three and firmest riding but they definitely handled the best.

Right now I am running 275/40/20 front, 315/35/20 rear in Michelin Pilot Sport 4s but when I change out tires, I think I'm going back to the Pirelli Zero Scorpion All Season Plus's only because I want to stick with an all season tire. I will ONLY buy XL tires for the Mach-E as I want a more heavy duty tire for this car.

Thanks Mark, I saw your posts about running the PIlot Sport SUV tires in that size but didn't see the ones running the Latitude 3. I've run the Pilot Super Sport and 4S on my Mustang. I can also get away with running summer tires year round here in Texas. How did you like the Latitude and SUV tire compared with the 4S you are running now?

When the SL and XL have the same load rating, I don't really see a difference. But its probably just safer to go with both an XL tire and not worry about it.

 

[markboris]

Thanks Mark, I saw your posts about running the PIlot Sport SUV tires in that size but didn't see the ones running the Latitude 3. I've run the Pilot Super Sport and 4S on my Mustang. I can also get away with running summer tires year round here in Texas. How did you like the Latitude and SUV tire compared with the 4S you are running now?

When the SL and XL have the same load rating, I don't really see a difference. But its probably just safer to go with both an XL tire and not worry about it.

The 4S, is in my mind, one of the best summer performance tires on the market, but that is my personal opinion. I have run them on several vehicles and they also came standard on my Focus RS and GT500. I change out tires depending on sizes I am looking to run (and test) and it is hard to beat the 4S on the road. On the track is a different story. I chewed through more than half of my 4s's just in one day in the RS and the tires could have been better. I think PS Cup 2's were in order there.

Back to the Latitude Sport 3 and Pilot Sport 4 SUV (both are truck/SUV summer performance tires), the Pilot Sport 4 SUV is the closest you can get to the handling of the 4S's but it is designed with more comfort and a bit quieter. The Latitude Sport 3 was designed for low rolling resistance. It is definitely a little more harsh and noisier than the PS 4 SUV. That is basically the trade off. If you want an SUV summer tire that handles great, is comfortable and a bit quieter, the PS 4 SUV is the tire. If you want a good sporty SUV tire that is one of Michelin's lowest rolling resistance besides their specific EV tires (which come in very limited sizes right now) the Latitude Sport 3 is the tire. There are many great tires out there but we are just talking about these Michelin's here.

 

[MachGT]

Max load is entirely a function of tire pressure and the load index. The pressure needs to be increased based on the load of the tire. So stating generically that an sl or xl psi is fixed is not the right way to look atit. Those are averages, but the pressure should be set to waht is mfg recommended, and adjusted if hauling very heavy loads to ensure proper handling and wear. I would focus more on the load index number than the sl/xl badge, which is too general.

https://www.yournexttire.com/trailer-load-inflation-chart/

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