Best Tires for Ford Escape

One of the most popular compact SUVs on the market, the Ford Escape has transitioned from a boxy truck-looking thing into a sleek city-styled crossover over the years. It’s focus has always stayed the same, however, offering affordable versatility, with solid fuel economy and the capability to get off-road when required.

Ford Escape Tires Sizes

Below are the different trim levels for the Ford Escape as well as the tire sizes available for each from the factory.

• S 225/65/17
• SE 225/65/17
• SE Sport225/65/17 or 225/55/19
• SEL 225/60/18 or 225/55/19
• Titanium 225/55/19

Best Tire for Ford Escape

Michelin Defender T+H

It’s not surprising to see a Michelin at the top of any best-of tire list. The Defender T+H really makes a fantastic case for itself with excellent levels of summer grip and driving dynamics mixed with above average capability in the wet, as well as colder temperatures.

It’s a true touring tire, with excellent road manners, and an extremely quiet and comfortable highway ride. Plus, it offers an 80,000 mile tread life warranty.

It’s pricier than most other tires for the Escape, but it’s worth it.

   

Best Tire for Ford Escape (alternative)

Continental Cross Contact LX 25

As unsurprising as it is to see a Michelin in first place, it’s also a common occurrence to see a Continental right behind it.

The Cross Contact LX 25 offers impressive wet and light winter grip thanks to its copious amounts of siping and tread divisions that give it plenty of extra biting edges. Dry weather performance is aided by the shoulder blocks that are reinforced by being connected to each other, allowing the tire to hold up better under hard cornering.

A 70,000 mile tread life warranty is near the top of the class here, so expect long life from these tires, while pricing is quite attractive.

   

Best Budget Tire for Ford Escape

General Altimax RT43

If you’re hunting for some replacement rubber for your Escape and don’t want to spend a fortune, we highly recommend the Altimax RT43 from General Tire. It’s extremely well-rated and well-reviewed by owners.

Ride quality, noise levels and performance are all very good. You can certainly find tires that offer more in each of these categories, but sometimes you’ll pay 50% more.

It’s backed by a 75,000 mile milage guarantee so you’ll have these tires for many years to come.

   

Best Long Lasting Tire for Ford Escape

Goodyear Assurance MaxLife

Goodyear is winning the race when it comes to engineering a long lasting tire. The Assurance MaxLife is the champ with a factory guarantee to reach 85,000 miles.

It’s not cheap, but it’s also not a budget tire. Not only is it the longest lasting tire you can buy our there (at least in this segment) it’s also a premium touring tire. What that means is that compared to a conventional all-season you’ll get heightened performance, particularly in the dry. It also delivers a more premium ride quality and noise-reduction technologies.

   

Best Winter Tire for Ford Escape

Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2

One of just a handfull of winter tires we regularly recommend, the Blizzak DMV2 is a beast in the snow. With solid cold-weather grip on clear roads, where it really shines is when driving on snow covered roads. The center tread section is a mesh of triangles giving an extremely planted and stable ride. And the heavy siping means it grips the snow amazingly well. Large shoulder blocks help in its handling capability on clear or covered roads too.

This next-generation of the Blizzak tire also offers 15 percent more tread block edges than the original, helping dig in even more for extra grip.

   

Best Off-Road Tire for Ford Escape

Falken Wildpeak AT Trail

One of the newer offerings in the all-terrain segment, we love this tire for what it promises and that its really built for drivers of modern crossovers.

This isn’t a tire for rock crawling or extreme off-roading in the mud. Instead it’s designed to deliver good off-road grip on dirt trails and gravel roads. In other words, it’s built for the type of off-roading you’d likely find yourself in in a crossover.

Falken designed the Wildpeak AT Trail to do this sort of driving regularly and withstand those demands. As a result, it get a 65,000 mile tread life warranty.

It’s also better on-road than most all-terrain tires, with better street manners for when you’re not on the trails.

   

Best Tire for Ford Escape Hybrid

Michelin Primacy Tour AS

A significant upgrade over the Primacy AS tires on the Escape Hybrid from the factory, the Primacy Tour AS offers superior comfort and driving dynamics. Cushioning over big bumps around town or cracks at highway speed, this tire does an excellent job of absorbing them all.

Grip an handling dynamics are first rate thanks to reinforced shoulder blocks that really put a lot of rubber in contact with the road. As a result, grip isn’t just plentiful, but also extremely responsive.

Tread life is a touch short, especially for the price, but you make up for it by combining that luxury ride quality with great handling.

   

Frequently Asked Questions

What Tires Come on the Ford Escape?

Depending on the model of Escape, it comes with one of three different tire options. Models equipped with the 17-inch wheels run either the Michelin Primacy AS or Continental ProContact TX tires. Versions with 18-inch wheels also get the same Michelin option. Top-trim versions of the popular crossover feature the Bridgestone Ecopia HL 422 Plus.

How Long do Ford scape Tires Last?

You should expect the factory tires on a Ford Escape to last roughly 55,000 miles. Both the factory-equipped Michelin and Continental tires come with a tread life warranty of 55k and should hit that number with proper tire rotation and inflation procedures maintained.

Tire Buying FAQ

Where can I find the best price on tires?

There is no one answer to this question unfortunately. Sites like Tire Rack and Discount tire offer deals all the time on specific brands. You can also find deals on Amazon though they are much harder to find and often only apply to a specific size or group of sizes. Visit our Tire Deals page for more info.

When is the best time to buy tires?

It’s common that many shoppers buy tires once its already too late. At that point you don’t have a lot of choice and can often over-pay. If you’re planning ahead, generally, retailers offer significant tire deals around major holiday weekends (especially in the summer), as well as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

How much is Shipping?

Shipping is often included when you purchase tires online. Many retailers offer free shipping if you get your tires shipped to an installer that they recommend. Even if you ship to your home, Tire Rack offers free shipping on purchases over $50. And if you’re buying new tires, that won’t be hard.

How long does shipping take?

Shipping can take just a few days, or over a week in the worst cases. Often it depends on where you live. anyone in a larger urban center or living closer to a tire distribution center can get them quite quickly.

Does anyone offer mobile tire installation?

Depending on where you live, there may be numerous local mobile tire installers available. If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of tracking one down, TireRack offers its own service. You don’t even have to purchase tires from TireRack to use it.

While it’s more expensive than bringing your tires to the shop, it’s also a lot more convenient. Prices start at $25 per tire.

How much does it cost to install a tire?

Generally you’ll pay between $25 and $50 per tire for installation services. This includes mounting and balancing, while using the latest tools so your rims don’t get scuffed or scraped.

Do I need to replace the tire pressure monitoring system when I change tires?

It’s not necessary to replace TMPS sensors when you change tires, but you may want to consider it. The units can fail over time due to damage or corrosion. Also, most units contain a battery and as a sealed unit, they must be replaced when the battery wears down. While most tire installers will handle sourcing these parts for you, you can also buy your own here.

Do online tire retailers offer rebates?

Absolutely! In fact, rebates are offered by most brands (even premium ones). Often these incentives are offered with other deals including up-front discounts and credit card offers.