I don't have a great understanding of the explore formula, but I'm pretty sure that it's partially dependent on prov size relative to rest of KD.

So, if at OOP 5 provs are explorign 200 acres, is it beneficial to wait 1-2 ticks then explore? Or is the reduction in cost likely to be small enough than having an extra 8 acres for a tick will make up for it?
Would this b change if all provs are exploring?

Edit: Obviously the discount should change if all provs explore, question was if the discount would become worthwhile if x% of KD explores or some such metric.