PDA

View Full Version : What Tires?



Drives03Maraude
12-25-2004, 10:51 PM
Simple Question: What Brand/size/model Performance tire is/was(before winter) everyone running. It is that dredful time again and if I am gonna get new tires, I want the best I can afford!

Thanks to all!
-Dennis Stiles

BillyGman
12-25-2004, 11:03 PM
Have you seen the other tire thread yet?

It's here.....
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=14904

that might not answer your question entirely, but I just wanted to make sure that you're awatre of the info in there.

sailsmen
12-26-2004, 08:42 PM
Goodwrich KDW-2.

BruteForce
12-26-2004, 09:12 PM
Goodwrich KDW-2.

4 thumbs up

:2thumbs: :2thumbs:

MMM2003
12-27-2004, 07:36 AM
Simple Question: What Brand/size/model Performance tire is/was(before winter) everyone running. It is that dredful time again and if I am gonna get new tires, I want the best I can afford!

Thanks to all!
-Dennis Stiles

I have been driving the Bridgestone Pole Position S-03 for about 8 months. I think the size will show in my sig. I talked to some friends who do Auto-X and also checked the Tirerack web site. They have some pretty good reviews about all the tires, they sell. One fo their top tires is the Bridgestone.

I really love the way they handle, and grip the road. No squealing in corners and off the line. Wear is excellent as well. This coming spring I will replace the rears with a wider version of the same tire.

Best bang for the buck, as far as I can tell.

Just my $.02.

Thanks,

Peter

CRUZTAKER
12-27-2004, 08:18 AM
This probably won't help your decision a whole hell of a lot...but since I do not drive my MM for nearly 4 months over the winter, I decided to stick with the oem BFG's, and buy them through TireRack as their prices have been extremely good with their recent sales.

I use Pirrelli PZeros when I race in street tire competitions (see KB applications for sizes), and Mickey Thompson ET slicks 16x28 for serious rack competitions.

Drives03Maraude
12-28-2004, 02:13 AM
Actually, it did help alot, I drive mostly my bird in winter and (Fingers crossed the alternator fixes the problem) a Land rover Disco when it gets bad.... Well, I just landed me a Part time job at NTB, and today I ordered the OEM BFgoodys and I will probably grab some rims offa a Aftermarket rim-changeout for some slicks....
Any ideas on OEM rims to look for? Thanks!
-Dennis Stiles

johnnyvax
03-16-2005, 09:10 PM
Sorry, this is less of reply, and more of a question...I asked this question once before and all I got was a smartass answer, but I'll try again.

I would like to know what the widest tire is that I can mount on the stock rear wheels of my 03 MM. I have read through a lot of the posts and I see quite a few posts that discuss widening the wheels, pro and con, but I would prefer not to have to do this if possible, and obviously would like to avoid purchasing new wheels. Can anyone help me with a suggestion or two, or some friendly advice? Can I even change the tire width on these rims?

Thanks


John

Dark_Knight7096
03-16-2005, 09:22 PM
I use KDW2s 255/55/18s Great tires

jabird56
03-16-2005, 09:52 PM
KDW-2s on order, should be mounted this weekend.

rookie1
03-17-2005, 06:41 AM
I use KDW2s 255/55/18s Great tires


I have an 04 with t/c, both of the local tire shops I called said I couldn't go with the same size all around because of the t/c.
I've read most of tire threads and still haven't found a definitive answer.
Somebody please chime in.

jstevens
03-17-2005, 07:07 AM
[QUOTE=johnnyvax]Sorry, this is less of reply, and more of a question...I asked this question once before and all I got was a smartass answer, but I'll try again.

I would like to know what the widest tire is that I can mount on the stock rear wheels of my 03 MM. I have read through a lot of the posts and I see quite a few posts that discuss widening the wheels, pro and con, but I would prefer not to have to do this if possible, and obviously would like to avoid purchasing new wheels. Can anyone help me with a suggestion or two, or some friendly advice? Can I even change the tire width on these rims?

Sorry, John. Some people can be real jerks. As I'm not a gearhead either.
I think the new BFG KDW2 is 1/2" taller and may be wider than stock. I've heard it fills up the wheel well pretty good.

I'm sure a tire expert will chime in here shortly.

Rider90
03-17-2005, 08:13 AM
I have an 04 with t/c, both of the local tire shops I called said I couldn't go with the same size all around because of the t/c.
I've read most of tire threads and still haven't found a definitive answer.
Somebody please chime in.

I don't understand why this would be true. If the rear tires are the same size, both of them, then why would the T/C have any problem whatsoever?

wchain
03-17-2005, 08:30 AM
I don't understand why this would be true. If the rear tires are the same size, both of them, then why would the T/C have any problem whatsoever?


You have 4 Wheel ABS, and the sensors on the front are looking for more rotations then the rear. Swap the front and rear tires on the car and see what happens. THe Dealer made a post about this a while back. Car would shut off and die or TC light would flash, car woudlnt go above 14 MPH.

MENINBLK
03-17-2005, 12:44 PM
I don't understand why this would be true. If the rear tires are the same size, both of them, then why would the T/C have any problem whatsoever?

The Traction Control problem relates to the Marauder specifically.
We have smaller front tires and larger rear tires.
In your conventional vehicle, all 4 tires are the same size.

Traction control monitors the RPM of each wheel and compares it to several things:
Engine RPM
Engine LOAD %
Transmission Input RPM
Speed Sensor

If ONE WHEEL'S RPM changes significantly, your T/C will enable itself
to bring that wheel back within the same RPM of the other wheels.
It does this by cutting spark timing, cutting fuel, and applying brakes.
In the worst case, it will cut the spark altogther.

In the case of the Marauder, since our front tires are a smaller diameter than the rears,
the Fronts will spin 5% FASTER than the Rears will.
The Marauder's T/C KNOWS THIS, and monitors the FRONT wheel RPM within this +5% variance.
If the Front Wheel RPM go beyond +5% or fall short of +5%, the T/C assumes that
the Marauder is loosing traction and it enables itself and responds accordingly.
The only way around this is to DISABLE the T/C if you are running any size tires
that are outside this 5% or 1:1.05 F:R tire size difference on a Marauder.

Now if you rotate your tires FrontxRear, it puts the smaller on the back and larger on the front.
This changes the ratio from 1:1.05 to 1.05:1.
So to your T/C the front tires are spinning -5% SLOWER, or actually
10% slower than what the T/C is looking for in RPM from the front tires..
This is a BIG difference for the T/C and when it can't solve the problem
it goes into severe mode and cuts the spark altogether.

The same size on the front and rear cause the same problem, because the
fronts spin 5% slower then what the T/C is looking for at a 1:1 ratio F:R.

Have I confused you enough ? :confused:

rookie1
03-17-2005, 03:56 PM
The Traction Control problem relates to the Marauder specifically.
We have smaller front tires and larger rear tires.
In your conventional vehicle, all 4 tires are the same size.

Traction control monitors the RPM of each wheel and compares it to several things:
Engine RPM
Engine LOAD %
Transmission Input RPM
Speed Sensor

If ONE WHEEL'S RPM changes significantly, your T/C will enable itself
to bring that wheel back within the same RPM of the other wheels.
It does this by cutting spark timing, cutting fuel, and applying brakes.
In the worst case, it will cut the spark altogther.

In the case of the Marauder, since our front tires are a smaller diameter than the rears,
the Fronts will spin 5% FASTER than the Rears will.
The Marauder's T/C KNOWS THIS, and monitors the FRONT wheel RPM within this +5% variance.
If the Front Wheel RPM go beyond +5% or fall short of +5%, the T/C assumes that
the Marauder is loosing traction and it enables itself and responds accordingly.
The only way around this is to DISABLE the T/C if you are running any size tires
that are outside this 5% or 1:1.05 F:R tire size difference on a Marauder.

Now if you rotate your tires FrontxRear, it puts the smaller on the back and larger on the front.
This changes the ratio from 1:1.05 to 1.05:1.
So to your T/C the front tires are spinning -5% SLOWER, or actually
10% slower than what the T/C is looking for in RPM from the front tires..
This is a BIG difference for the T/C and when it can't solve the problem
it goes into severe mode and cuts the spark altogether.

The same size on the front and rear cause the same problem, because the
fronts spin 5% slower then what the T/C is looking for at a 1:1 ratio F:R.

Have I confused you enough ? :confused:


Thanks for an eloquent and understandable post even for a moron like me.
Here is my problem however:
Stock size on my 04 wt/c: Rear 245/55zr18 Front 235/50zr18

TIRERACK tires available in original KDW 245/55wr18
TIRERACK tires available in new KDW-2 255/55vr18

I obviously can't use this combination and the original factory combination is not available so wtf does an idiot like me have to do to replace the tires?

duhtroll
03-17-2005, 05:45 PM
If you have the cash get:

rear: KDW2 255/55/18
front: (oem size new tread) KDW2 235/50/18

If not get KDW 245/55/18 on the rear -they are about $40 cheaper per tire.

-A

Glenn
03-17-2005, 09:01 PM
Well, I took the plunge that I was thinking about for over a year. I widened my MM rims and bought a set of huge 295X45X18 Nitto Extreme Performance street tires. This set-up is difficult to cost justifiy on a N/A car. The best Ford dealer in Atlanta installed them today along with rebuilding my posi and repainting nearly half the car. In addition, I spent $30 to balance my driveshaft to 10,000 rpm, no more vibration - none. Much to my surprise the MM still rips these huge tires loose from a dead stop at idle with the neatest tire squealing sound ever. I will do more testing later, but the 40 degree temperature had to add 20+ HP to the engine. These engines love the cold air. But, I will say the launch was very strong and better then with the OEMs. One of the best things is the very aggressive look of the Nittos along with improved handling. The tires were quite with no ride harshness. Now the true test will be at FFW in April. I'm looking at 13.85 with my modest mods and HP.

Glenn

MENINBLK
03-18-2005, 08:57 PM
Thanks for an eloquent and understandable post even for a moron like me.
Here is my problem however:
Stock size on my 04 wt/c: Rear 245/55zr18 Front 235/50zr18

TIRERACK tires available in original KDW 245/55wr18
TIRERACK tires available in new KDW-2 255/55vr18

I obviously can't use this combination and the original factory combination is not available so wtf does an idiot like me have to do to replace the tires?

Call TireRack and ask for Cy at 888 541 1777 Ext. 622.
Make sure you tell him who you are and that you are with the MM.net group.
This way you get your discount, and Logan gets his points...

They have the KDWS tires @ $128 for the fronts and $131 for the rears!
Estimated availability for the fronts are 3/22 which is next week.
You missed out during the winter when the prices were LOW...

Is this simple enough for you ?

Dan
03-19-2005, 06:23 AM
Pete,

Did you arrive at this choice by using the TireRack selection process or some other method?

The KDWS looks like a good tire but it would be good to have another "non stock" choice to view.

Dan

IMAX
03-19-2005, 06:36 AM
I don't know if this will help, but last night, I sent a couple of e-mails to a few tire companies before I went to bed. Toyo for their Proxes 4's & Kumho for thier Ecsta ASX's. Don't have the time to hit the rest right now. Getting ready to goto work. Maybe tomorrow. I asked someone to come to the forum & see how the Marauder is stuck basically with one tire choice. If you want to stay with the OEM sizes. I also pointed out to them that the Crown Vic (LX Sport especially), Grand Marquis, & Marauder are the same car. Well except for the engines & other various stuff. So they wouldn't be making the tires just for one specific model. I asked them to seriously consider it & contact the moderator to see if they could post a survey to who all would be interested. Since they are corporations, I told them what they wanted to hear. It could be very profitable for them...

Rider90
03-19-2005, 01:46 PM
A Tire Rack Rep from Indiana called me when I placed my order for 255/55/18 KDW2 tires and said they are on backorder for 8-10 weeks and it does not matter which location.

CBT
03-19-2005, 04:29 PM
Traction control?! We don't need no stinking traction control!!

MENINBLK
03-19-2005, 11:19 PM
Pete,

Did you arrive at this choice by using the TireRack selection process or some other method?

The KDWS looks like a good tire but it would be good to have another "non stock" choice to view.

Dan

KDWS is the STOCK tire for the Marauder.

Chances are that since the FHP is buying up all the Marauders they can get,
they are also buying up all the TIRES they can get as well.
So we are going to be seeing some tire backorders for awhile...

I know that we would like to have another choice in tires for our Marauders,
but for 18" wheels, there aren't that many tires available.
Some of your available choices are going to be more money than the KDWS...

MENINBLK
03-19-2005, 11:21 PM
I don't know if this will help, but last night, I sent a couple of e-mails to a few tire companies before I went to bed. Toyo for their Proxes 4's & Kumho for thier Ecsta ASX's. Don't have the time to hit the rest right now. Getting ready to goto work. Maybe tomorrow. I asked someone to come to the forum & see how the Marauder is stuck basically with one tire choice. If you want to stay with the OEM sizes. I also pointed out to them that the Crown Vic (LX Sport especially), Grand Marquis, & Marauder are the same car. Well except for the engines & other various stuff. So they wouldn't be making the tires just for one specific model. I asked them to seriously consider it & contact the moderator to see if they could post a survey to who all would be interested. Since they are corporations, I told them what they wanted to hear. It could be very profitable for them...

The Diameter of the rear tires HAS TO BE 5% LARGER for the Marauder,
unless you are lucky enough to have one of the early 2003 models WITHOUT Traction Control.

CBT
03-20-2005, 09:12 AM
Or just turn it off?

Dan
03-20-2005, 07:26 PM
It is irksome, really.

The issue is that darn height difference and the way that the computer looks for it.

Has any investigation been done into eliminating this (other than disabling the TC) or removing components)?

It would be nice to have more than one choice for full sets of tires for the car.

Dan

MENINBLK
03-20-2005, 08:40 PM
Or just turn it off?

You can disable it, but you can't turn it off.
Evertime you start your engine, its re-enabled.


It is irksome, really.

The issue is that darn height difference and the way that the computer looks for it.

Has any investigation been done into eliminating this (other than disabling the TC) or removing components)?

It would be nice to have more than one choice for full sets of tires for the car.

Dan

The Traction Control is integrated in the ABS.
The only way to get rid of it would be to replace the ABS ECM with the same from an early 2003 Marauder.
Then the only problem that may exist is if the PCM knows to look for a T/C system and can't find it.
In that case, you would also need to PCM from and early 03 Marauder without traction control.

Now I don't know if the connectors from a 2003 and 2004 are the same for the various ECMs/PCMs.
Maybe Kenny Brown or someone who has done extensive work on both Marauders would know this.
If they are the same, then they may be interchangeable.

If you want more choice for tires for your Marauder, consider switching to 17" or 16" wheels.
Then your choices for tires are plentiful!

Rider90
03-20-2005, 09:56 PM
Why doesn't T/C take over on the dyno?

Front tires aren't moving at all, rears are moving like hell. If it is finding the different speeds through them front and rear why doesn't it stop it?

stevengerard
03-20-2005, 10:20 PM
Why doesn't T/C take over on the dyno?

Front tires aren't moving at all, rears are moving like hell. If it is finding the different speeds through them front and rear why doesn't it stop it?

Turn the T/C switch to "off"

MENINBLK
03-20-2005, 11:21 PM
Why doesn't T/C take over on the dyno?

Front tires aren't moving at all, rears are moving like hell. If it is finding the different speeds through them front and rear why doesn't it stop it?

When you flip the T/C switch it disables Traction Control.
This is also done in states where the vehicles are run on a treadmill for emission inspection.

This will set a ABS light since the rear sensors are sending a signal and the front sensors are not.

1 BAD 03 MM
03-21-2005, 01:23 AM
I'm going to go with the 255/45/18 on all four corners (777 Revs per mile). A little lower profile, and at 27", they are 0.5" shorter than the stock fronts, and 1.6" shorter than the stock rears. I prefer a level stance, although the MM is one car that does look good with a slight rake. This theoretically will lower the car a whopping 0.25", right? Or am I off on the math.

The 255/55/18 (717 Revs per mile) actually raises the car in the front by 0.75", and in the back by 0.20". Not something I want to do.

They are also in stock, but shhhhh, don't tell anybody. ;)