245/55-18 vs 255/55-18 Wear

[427435]

Some of you have put on the newer BFG 255/55-18 tires----partly due to poor availabilty of the stock BFG rear tire. The 255's have a lower wear number (300 vs 400 for the stock tire). The stock rears, as we all know didn't wear well. I've eeked out 30,000 miles but they're down to the wear bars and need to be replaced badly. If I could easily obtain the original BFG size, I would, but Tire Rack is out of stock and I haven't found another source. If I go with the newer tire in the 255 size, is my wear going to be worse?

[MENINBLK]

Some of you have put on the newer BFG 255/55-18 tires----partly due to poor availabilty of the stock BFG rear tire. The 255's have a lower wear number (300 vs 400 for the stock tire). The stock rears, as we all know didn't wear well. I've eeked out 30,000 miles but they're down to the wear bars and need to be replaced badly. If I could easily obtain the original BFG size, I would, but Tire Rack is out of stock and I haven't found another source. If I go with the newer tire in the 255 size, is my wear going to be worse?

We have been in contact with BFG.
There will be tires available in August.
So if you still want the KDWS and you can hold on just a little longer,
you will be able to purchase what you need in a few weeks.

BFG Post (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showpost.php?p=273618&postcount=64)

[Rider90]

My 255/55s are wearing better than the 245/55 both kept at 40 psi.

[Smokie]

The original rear OEM tires are in my opinion; garbage, at about 8k, the centers showed signs of uneven wear, at 15k traction was a joke in DRY & WET roads, at 23k they were close to the cords in the center, while the outside edges looked about 50% worn.

Maybe this happened to me and only me, thats why me thinks they are garbage. The KDW2's after 4k show no signs of wear at all.

[jcooper]

Some of you have put on the newer BFG 255/55-18 tires----partly due to poor availabilty of the stock BFG rear tire. The 255's have a lower wear number (300 vs 400 for the stock tire). The stock rears, as we all know didn't wear well. I've eeked out 30,000 miles but they're down to the wear bars and need to be replaced badly. If I could easily obtain the original BFG size, I would, but Tire Rack is out of stock and I haven't found another source. If I go with the newer tire in the 255 size, is my wear going to be worse?
30,000???

My right rear tire went flat at 13,000. It was nearly bald. How do you get that many miles????

John

[Marauderman]

I just moved my rear OEM's to the fronts cause of my meat on the rear--and when they (fronts) go away--well will move up a bit more--why not----it's so cool---the current handling is so MUCH better--can't believe it-- well --my thoughts on the subject anyway-

[427435]

30,000???

My right rear tire went flat at 13,000. It was nearly bald. How do you get that many miles????

John

I dropped the air pressure to 28 psi after 3000 miles and then to 24 psi at about 10,000 miles. The centers still went first, but considering what others have gotten, I'm not complaining. The passenger side was also showing more wear at 20,000 so I rotated left to right and right to left.

The ride is good, at 24 psi, and the handling is still good. The wet road traction was great until the tires were about 75% worn.

I've actually got 40,000 miles on the car but I put 10,000 miles on some 16" wheels with Blizzacks this winter.

[427435]

I got lucky. I made a couple more calls including to a Discount Tire store in Minneapolis. Couple hours later, they called back and had 2 tires at their store. Cost $317 mounted and road force balanced. Maybe a little spendy for only 30,000 miles of use (I'm used to $80 tires going 50,000+ miles), but these tires sure make a big, heavy car handle nice.

[texascorvette]

Boy, I'm totally confused. I have about 14K and the rears are nearly shot. I thought I understood tires, but obviously I don't......and, yes, they are wearing out in the center. I'd believe they could be worn out if the car could actually light up the tires, but, even then, they should be worn out evenly across the tread. Verrrry strrrange.

[Rider90]

Boy, I'm totally confused. I have about 14K and the rears are nearly shot. I thought I understood tires, but obviously I don't......and, yes, they are wearing out in the center. I'd believe they could be worn out if the car could actually light up the tires, but, even then, they should be worn out evenly across the tread. Verrrry strrrange.

These were mine at 14k
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/gallery/data/500/tire1.jpg
I kept them at 40psi for about 10k then brought them to about 35psi, but they were already gone.

[Smokie]

These were mine at 14k
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/gallery/data/500/tire1.jpg
I kept them at 40psi for about 10k then brought them to about 35psi, but they were already gone.You can clearly see how the tire is concave, and how much contact patch you loose, this has happened to many, many of our members. What I find surprising is that a person that experiences what the picture shows so clearly, would want to go to round 2 and buy the same tire again, that I don't understand.

[MarauderMarc]

The OEM tires are CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !! I will NEVER buy another set of them EVER again. I just went through my 3rd set and I hate them. Fu#$ these tires!!!! Im going to get a set of KDW2s and if they suck, then Ill change my brand. Whomever designed those should be drug into a street and shot!!! Over 1500.00 in less than 10 months on stupid tires. KDWSs are :banned: from my car.........Do yourselves a favor and quit trying to order them from BFG...the reason they are on back order is because they suck and wear out faster than they can be produced......

[JimmyXR7]

The OEM tires are CRAP! . . . I just went through my 3rd set and I hate them. ..the reason they are on back order is because they suck and wear out faster than they can be produced......Have you guys ever seen High Performance tires?
How about watching a race, Like Daytona 500 or other NASCAR race. Or how about the Indianapolis 500.
They go thru 4 or 5 sets of tires!!!!
In one 500 mile race!!!!
Jim

[Bowman9]

If you go to a 255/55-18 tire from the stock 245/45-18 will it throw off the speedo, ABS, traction control, or any of the other computer related gizmo's on the car???

[Rider90]

If you go to a 255/55-18 tire from the stock 245/45-18 will it throw off the speedo, ABS, traction control, or any of the other computer related gizmo's on the car???
Speedo only.

[duhtroll]

No - at worst it's about 1 MPH off, and it works just fine.

My car reads as accurate when I go by those speed trailers the LEOs use to try to shame you into going the speed limit. I've never been more than 1 MPH off with the KDW2 255s on the rear.

-A

[Rider90]

No - at worst it's about 1 MPH off, and it works just fine.

My car reads as accurate when I go by those speed trailers the LEOs use to try to shame you into going the speed limit. I've never been more than 1 MPH off with the KDW2 255s on the rear.

-A

I was off 10 mph. My speedo read 50, the car in front read 60.

[duhtroll]

If you are off 10 mph there is something else wrong.

Maybe you should compare your own car's speedo to the trailer's indicated speed for your car and not use the car ahead of you as a gauge. :lol:

Going from a 245/55-18 to a 255/55-18 is a minute change.

Run it through one of those tire size calculators if you don't believe me.

-A

[Bradley G]

If you git 30K on rear tires, you should get a :stooges:

[Rider90]

If you are off 10 mph there is something else wrong.

Maybe you should compare your own car's speedo to the trailer's indicated speed for your car and not use the car ahead of you as a gauge. :lol:

Going from a 245/55-18 to a 255/55-18 is a minute change.

Run it through one of those tire size calculators if you don't believe me.

-A
oh whoops, I forgot I did the 4.10s at the same time. My bad *smacks forehead* carry on

[schuvwj]

The OEM stock BFG's required 40 psi to limit rear center tire wear.
Are the new KDW-2's showing the same wear patterns?

[duhtroll]

Mine aren't yet. I have them at 35 and they seem fine at about 5K.

-A

[Rider90]

The OEM stock BFG's required 40 psi to limit rear center tire wear.
Are the new KDW-2's showing the same wear patterns?

I had mine at 40 psi, and you can see from the picture it didn't help me much. I have the new ones at 40 psi as well and it has been 7k miles, they are wearing MUCH better than the OEMs since the OEMs were about halfway used at 7k miles.

[LNYTUNS]

No - at worst it's about 1 MPH off, and it works just fine.

My car reads as accurate when I go by those speed trailers the LEOs use to try to shame you into going the speed limit. I've never been more than 1 MPH off with the KDW2 255s on the rear.

-A

The smaller tire is 5% less in total circumfrence. So 80mph on the clock = 76mph in reality. The odometer will also show 5% more miles than you have really traveled.

It equates to an effective 3.73:1 rear also if you don't change the 3.55s out.

PS. I have 8k on my original tires, 38psi, they wear just fine with normal rotation every 5k miles. The rears always loose a little more than the fronts though, I wonder why that happens :)

[Rider90]

The smaller tire is 5% less in total circumfrence. So 80mph on the clock = 76mph in reality. The odometer will also show 5% more miles than you have really traveled.

It equates to an effective 3.73:1 rear also if you don't change the 3.55s out.

PS. I have 8k on my original tires, 38psi, they wear just fine with normal rotation every 5k miles. The rears always loose a little more than the fronts though, I wonder why that happens :)

uh...rotation?

[Bowman9]

Here's a link to a tire calculator tool
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html

[duhtroll]

The difference between the 2 sizes - rears only leaving stock fronts - is 0.9 MPH at 60 MPH.

-A