Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
A bit OT, but I want you guys to get to and from your hunting trips and the shooting ranges in one piece. Even Dennis! 
I stopped in at my friendly Ford dealer today. "They say":
1. Not all the "Wilderness AT" tires are being recalled. If you look on the sidewall of the tire on the side toward the car (naturally it ain't gonna be where you can easily see it), look for the letters "VDHL". As ever, "VD" is a Bad Thing; tires with these letters in the code are being recalled.
2. This Georgia Ford dealer has 300 tires on order, but no idea about a delivery date. In the interim, they recommend running no more than 26psi. The local guy didn't know why, but I think it is to relieve the load on the tread--less circumferential stretch, among other things.
If you run this sort of tire pressure, drive slower! According to tire engineers, the ruined tires which they've had an opportunity to check showed signs of external damage (chuckholes, rocks, etc.) and under-inflation (center tread grooves are deeper than outer grooves). But running 26psi on a 4,500-pound Explorer will be squirmy, and the tires will lay over in corners. (I have found in eight years of Explorers that 35psi to 40psi gives even wear across the tread.)
FWIW, Art
I stopped in at my friendly Ford dealer today. "They say":
1. Not all the "Wilderness AT" tires are being recalled. If you look on the sidewall of the tire on the side toward the car (naturally it ain't gonna be where you can easily see it), look for the letters "VDHL". As ever, "VD" is a Bad Thing; tires with these letters in the code are being recalled.
2. This Georgia Ford dealer has 300 tires on order, but no idea about a delivery date. In the interim, they recommend running no more than 26psi. The local guy didn't know why, but I think it is to relieve the load on the tread--less circumferential stretch, among other things.
If you run this sort of tire pressure, drive slower! According to tire engineers, the ruined tires which they've had an opportunity to check showed signs of external damage (chuckholes, rocks, etc.) and under-inflation (center tread grooves are deeper than outer grooves). But running 26psi on a 4,500-pound Explorer will be squirmy, and the tires will lay over in corners. (I have found in eight years of Explorers that 35psi to 40psi gives even wear across the tread.)
FWIW, Art