2003 MM 300B 245/55-18 Tires All Around?

[wht8364]

Can you or can you not have the same tires front and rear without having to reprogram or turn off the traction control? From all of the threads it appears you can put 245/55-18 tires on the front to match the rear tires.

[BillyGman]

From all of the threads it appears you can put 245/55-18 tires on the front to match the rear tires.
Well then it looks like your question has already been answered.

[David Morton]

Here's the 2 cents from an ASE Master Technician that cut his teeth on front ends and tire busting, my 2 cents.

Forget about everything you "know" about regular tires. This isn't a Grand Marquis, it's a Marauder.

Get your front end reset to a more neutral camber. Specs allow 0.0 degrees. Mine's -0.1L, -0.2R.

Forget about rotating tires. The added cost doesn't add enough tire life to pay for itself.

Keep the tires that are designed for the front. The braking system is more important than traction control and our ABS is an active motorized system that is designed for the smaller front tires. Plus the smaller size stops better period.

If you drive like I do, you'll be replacing rear tires at about 20k. Putting same size fronts on the back every now and then is going to wear those out faster too.

I'm also confident that the car handles better with the lower profile that the original front tires give it.

I'm very happy with the tire scheme as designed.

[MENINBLK]

Putting same size fronts on the back every now and then is going to wear those out faster too.

Dave,

I think wht8364 was asking about putting the same size tires on the FRONT as are already on the REAR.
Tirerack has the REAR tires on sale right now for $84 each.
The front tires are $125 each...
So buying a set of 4 rears would save hime some $$$$.

[David Morton]

Dave,

I think wht8364 was asking about putting the same size tires on the FRONT as are already on the REAR.
Tirerack has the REAR tires on sale right now for $84 each.
The front tires are $125 each...
So buying a set of 4 rears would save hime some $$$$.Possibly. Let's do the math...
If the fronts last for 40,000, and the backs 20,000 no rotating then at 40k it's $250 for fronts and $168 for rears, all fresh meat now. $418

If rotating, he buys rears now $168 (what's his mileage? Let's say 10,000) then at 40k it's $336. $504

Maybe he gets some more mileage out of the fronts before he does that .

How's about this math? He saves $81 on a set of fronts he's now wearing out faster by paying for rotating every 5000-6000 miles. How much do you pay for a rotation?

Doesn't add up for me.

[MENINBLK]

Your math is not accurate because tires, when rotated, should last longer,
but your idea is there, and the idea holds true.
The rears wear faster because of the burnouts we do, and the limited slip axle.

But in any event, even if an average of 30,000+ miles were possible with the same size rubber all around,
and rotated at least every 7500 - 10,000 miles (you don't need to rotate them any sooner),
the savings would be about a tank of gas...

So for what its worth, we should just leave well enough alone, and replace the tires as an axle set,
when they show enough wear to warranty a replacement.

We can take advantage of any Tirerack sale, to save on the cost of replacing the tires at anytime...

[wht8364]

THANKS FOR THE REPLIES. Summarizing - Keep the car the way it was meant to be. Appreciate the comments on camber.


Here's the 2 cents from an ASE Master Technician that cut his teeth on front ends and tire busting, my 2 cents.

Forget about everything you "know" about regular tires. This isn't a Grand Marquis, it's a Marauder.

Get your front end reset to a more neutral camber. Specs allow 0.0 degrees. Mine's -0.1L, -0.2R.

Forget about rotating tires. The added cost doesn't add enough tire life to pay for itself.

Keep the tires that are designed for the front. The braking system is more important than traction control and our ABS is an active motorized system that is designed for the smaller front tires. Plus the smaller size stops better period.

If you drive like I do, you'll be replacing rear tires at about 20k. Putting same size fronts on the back every now and then is going to wear those out faster too.

I'm also confident that the car handles better with the lower profile that the original front tires give it.

I'm very happy with the tire scheme as designed.

[mark c]

the wheel part #s are different frt to rear

mark
03 300a

[MENINBLK]

the wheel part #s are different frt to rear

mark
03 300a

The 4 wheels are IDENTICAL.

[David Morton]

The 4 wheels are IDENTICAL.Unless you've got Lidios' widened rear wheels. Then the part number has "BA" attached to the end for Bad A$$. :lol:

Edited for content.

I reserve the right to revise and extend my remarks.