Ford Explorer ST (2020–2024) Wheel Fitment Guide
The 2020-2024 Ford Explorer ST is the first performance-tuned Explorer built on the rear-wheel-drive U625 platform, powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6 making 400 horsepower. It came standard with 20-inch machined aluminum wheels, with 21-inch gloss black wheels available through the optional ST Street Pack — and an active enthusiast community that has spent years documenting exactly what fits, what rubs, and where the sweet spot sits. This guide covers both OEM configurations in full and every commonly documented aftermarket fitment for the platform.
About this guide: The fitment data below is compiled from owner-submitted builds and enthusiast forum research across ExplorerST.org and ExplorerForum.com. We summarize what Explorer ST owners have reported running successfully so you have a researched starting point for your build.
Every FMB build goes through a sanity check and an engineering verification before forging. We cross-reference the configuration you're ordering against your trim and brake package and what's commonly documented on similar builds — and our manufacturing partner verifies the wheel itself (backspace, brake caliper clearance, structural spec) before production begins.
Fitment decisions involving ride height, tire choice, and suspension setup are yours and your installer's call. Use this guide as research, not as a substitute for a real fitment conversation.
Factory Wheel & Tire Configurations
Every 2020-2024 Explorer ST left the factory on 20-inch machined aluminum wheels. The 21-inch gloss black wheels were available as part of the optional ST Street Pack, which also added enlarged front and rear brake calipers, vented rotors, and red-painted caliper covers. All specs below are verified against OEM parts data and confirmed for the US market.
Aftermarket Wheel & Tire Configurations
The Explorer ST has one of the more active aftermarket wheel communities of any three-row SUV — the platform rewards wider, lower-profile fitments visually and handles well with them dynamically. The setups below are drawn from the established Explorer ST owner community. Every combination listed has been documented as physically installed and reported clean by owners on this platform.
Inner Suspension Clearance — Know Your Offset Limit. At stock ride height, there is less than ½" between the front tire inner barrel and the suspension on the 2020-2024 Explorer ST. On wide aftermarket wheels, offset matters more than diameter. On a 10.5"-wide wheel, ET30 is commonly cited as the practical minimum for clean fitment; below ET30 on a wide tire, owners commonly report risk of contact with the front strut or sway bar. The highest-risk steering angle for fender rubbing on this platform is mid-lock (15-25 degrees of steering input), not full lock — meaning clearance needs to be evaluated through the full steering range. Tire width also compounds offset risk: 305/35 commonly clears at ET30 on 10.5" wide, while 305/40 at the same offset is documented as contacting the front fender liner due to taller sidewall bulge. ET25 on a 10.5" wide wheel with 305/40 has been documented to rub. Any significant offset reduction on a wide wheel needs to be paired with careful tire sidewall selection.
Flush Fitment
Square Setup
Aggressive Fitment
Square Setup
What Happens When You Build With FMB?
The configurations above are a starting point — not a final spec. When you start your build, here’s what actually happens before anything is forged:
- FMB sanity check. We cross-reference the configuration you’re ordering against your trim and brake package, and compare it to what’s commonly documented on similar builds. If the setup you want falls outside what we’ve seen work on this platform, we’ll flag it before you commit.
- Manufacturer engineering verification. Our manufacturing partner verifies the wheel itself — backspace, brake caliper clearance for your brake package, and structural spec — before production begins.
- Design render approval. You see the final design and confirmed specs before any aluminum is touched.
Ride height, tire choice, alignment, and suspension setup are variables your installer handles on the car — not things we verify from our end. That’s why we ask for the vehicle details we do on the build form: they’re the inputs we can actually check against.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Every 2020-2024 Explorer ST came standard with 20×8.5 ET44.5 five-double-spoke machined black aluminum wheels (Ford part number LB5Z-1007-D) wrapped in 255/55R20 Michelin Primacy A/S tires. The optional ST Street Pack ($995 at launch, raised to $1,105 partway through production) upgraded to 21×9 ET37.5 seven-spoke gloss black wheels (LB5Z-1007-F) with 275/45R21 Pirelli Scorpion Zero A/S tires, and also included enlarged front and rear brake calipers with red paint. A polished-finish 21″ variant (LB5Z-1007-G) was offered at a price premium. The ST High Performance Pack ($1,595, raised to $1,705) included the same wheels and brake hardware as the Street Pack and added upgraded brake pads.
Bolt pattern is 5×114.3 (also expressed as 5×4.5″). Center bore is 70.5mm. Lug nuts use M14×1.5 thread pitch with a 60-degree conical seat. Torque specification is 150 lb-ft (204 Nm). The ST uses M14 studs — note that some generic Explorer references cite M12 specs, which apply to other Explorer trims but not the ST.
On a 10.5″-wide wheel, ET30 is commonly cited across the Explorer ST community as the practical minimum for clean fitment. Below ET30 on a wide tire, the inner barrel of the tire begins to encroach on front suspension components. ET25 on a 10.5″ wheel with a 305/40 tire has been documented as contacting the front sway bar or shock at full steering lock — owners typically avoid that pairing. On the outer side, 305/40 on a 10.5″ wheel at ET30 has been documented as lightly contacting the front fender liner at full steering lock; 305/35 commonly clears at the same dimensions. The highest-risk steering angle for fender rubbing on this platform is mid-lock (15-25 degrees of steering input), not full lock — clearance needs to be evaluated through the full steering range.
The most commonly documented setup is 20×10.5 ET30 with 295/45R20 tires — replicated across numerous Explorer ST owner builds. This combination steps the width from the OEM 255mm to 295mm and keeps the overall diameter (~30.5″) within a fraction of the OEM 255/55R20 (~30.7″), so no speedometer correction is needed. The 22×10.5 ET30 with 305/35R22 is the second-most-common setup, frequently chosen by owners who want larger-diameter visual impact at slightly reduced overall height.
At stock ride height, the most commonly documented setup is 20×10.5 ET30 with 295/45R20 tires. The 22×10.5 ET30 with 305/35R22 is the second-most-common, preferred by owners who want larger-diameter visual impact. Both fit without fender work or spacers at stock height, with hub-centric rings as a near-universal requirement. Some tire compounds have been documented as producing light contact at mid-steering-lock with the front fender liner, so verifying clearance through the full steering range is commonly cited as best practice.
On the Explorer ST, flush means the tire sidewall sits near the fender lip — at ET30 on a 10.5″ wide wheel with a 305-series tire, the outer edge of the tire is approximately level with the fender. Aggressive means the tire pokes visibly past the fender line. At ET28-32 on a 22×10.5 wheel, the tire extends slightly beyond the fender — this is aggressive territory. The threshold is tighter on the outer (fender) side than the inner (suspension) side, especially as tire width increases above 295mm.
The ST Street Pack brakes (enlarged front and rear calipers) require a minimum 20″ wheel — they will not clear 18″ wheels. For 20″ and larger wheels, clearance is also dependent on spoke geometry and barrel depth — there’s no universal “safe” rule by diameter alone. When ordering aftermarket 20″ or 21″ wheels, owners commonly request brake clearance templates from the wheel manufacturer before purchasing. At 20×10.5 ET30, owners commonly report Street Pack calipers clear without issue on most spoke designs. Aftermarket BBK upgrades documented on the platform have been documented as requiring a minimum 20×10.5 at ET35 in some cases, with one documented owner needing a 10mm spacer at that offset — specific BBK clearance varies by kit and should be verified individually before ordering wheels.
All commonly documented aftermarket fitments on the Explorer ST are square (same size all four corners). The OEM configuration is also square. Staggered setups have not been documented as a common community fitment on this platform. Square setups allow tire rotation across all four corners, are simpler to source, and are how this platform is most widely run by the aftermarket community.
The Explorer ST hub bore is 70.5mm. Most aftermarket wheels are drilled to 72.6mm or 76.1mm for broader compatibility. If your wheel’s center bore is larger than 70.5mm, polycarbonate or aluminum hub-centric rings are required to properly center the wheel on the hub. Lug-centric mounting (without rings) works mechanically but transfers centering stress to the lug nuts; hub-centric is the preferred practice. Rings are inexpensive and universally available. Always verify your wheel’s center bore spec before ordering.
The Explorer ST uses M14x1.50 thread pitch lug nuts with a 60-degree conical (tapered) seat. Many aftermarket wheels use a ball-seat or flat-seat design, which requires matching aftermarket lug nuts — the OEM conical nuts will not seat correctly in a ball-seat wheel. Always verify the seat type your aftermarket wheel requires and purchase matching lug nuts. Using mismatched seat types is a safety issue regardless of whether the nuts thread on.
The most common winter setup among ST owners is running the OEM 21×9 ET37.5 wheels (or a dedicated 18″ or 19″ alloy or steel set) with a winter-specific tire. On the OEM 21×9 rim, owners have commonly run 275/45R21 Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 SUV and Michelin X-Ice Snow with no clearance issues. For a slightly larger contact patch in winter, 305/40R21 on the OEM 21″ wheel has been documented — wider than the OEM 275mm and slightly larger overall diameter. For true winter performance, a narrower tire on a smaller wheel typically outperforms a wide low-profile setup — 18″ or 19″ steel or alloy wheels with a 255/65 or 265/60 winter tire are commonly cited for serious snow regions.
Every FMB order goes through a sanity check and an engineering verification before any aluminum is forged. First, our team cross-references the configuration you’re ordering against your trim and brake package and flags anything that falls outside what’s commonly documented on similar Explorer ST builds. Second, our manufacturing partner verifies the wheel itself — backspace, brake caliper clearance, and structural spec — before production begins. You then approve the final design render and confirmed specs before any work starts. Ride height, tire choice, and alignment are things your installer handles on the car; the fitment guides on this site are researched starting points for making those decisions with your installer.