Tires - HELP PLEASE!

[flescher]

I have to replace at least the rears. I'm not happy (have never been in the past) with BFG. Would like to change to a better tire, and believe that since I don't race I would like max. wet traction. Can anyone PLEASE (pretty please) tell me:
1. If they have been successful at using the same size front and rear
2. What have you found that has excellent wet tracksion.
Thanks
H

[Mike Poore]

Dunno if this will work ...or not; but it's worth a try. Go to the Tire Rack website and look for the best tire, by rank, then, check their chart for 17" in that brand, and has nearly the same outside diameter. I did that successfully a few years ago when replacing the rears on my '97 Cobra, with Firehawks. :)

[MMM2003]

I have to replace at least the rears. I'm not happy (have never been in the past) with BFG. Would like to change to a better tire, and believe that since I don't race I would like max. wet traction. Can anyone PLEASE (pretty please) tell me:
1. If they have been successful at using the same size front and rear
2. What have you found that has excellent wet tracksion.
Thanks
H

Please see my sig for details.
I'm very happy with the Bridgestone (Pole Position S-03) tires and will use the same setup again, when I have to replace the rear tires (after 60k miles). I only rotated the tires front to back one time to get the above life out of them. Wet and dry traction are great in my opinion. Please compare to similar tires on tirerack.com and you will find them to be highly regarding by a lot of people.

Good luck!

Peter aka MMM2003

[jimlam56]

Please see my sig for details.
I'm very happy with the Bridgestone (Pole Position S-03) tires and will use the same setup again, when I have to replace the rear tires (after 60k miles). I only rotated the tires front to back one time to get the above life out of them. Wet and dry traction are great in my opinion. Please compare to similar tires on tirerack.com and you will find them to be highly regarding by a lot of people.

Good luck!

Peter aka MMM2003
No ABS issues?
Pictures please?
Thanks, Jim

[SergntMac]

I have to replace at least the rears. I'm not happy (have never been in the past) with BFG. Would like to change to a better tire, and believe that since I don't race I would like max. wet traction. Can anyone PLEASE (pretty please) tell me:
1. If they have been successful at using the same size front and rear
2. What have you found that has excellent wet tracksion.
Thanks H I like the Pirelli P Zero in the rain.

LOL...This question is back, but here it is again, only days after being answered.

Yes, you can use the same size on all four corners, but try to keep the tire height the same. Both ABS and Traction control sensors count revolutions, so, if there is a remarkable difference in revolutions, the computer will detect it as skidding or sliding, and invoke recovery.

Right now, I'm using 225/60-17 on all four corners, and I have no ABS light at all, and my Traction Control doesn't throw an alarm until above 50 MPH, or when making a sharp turn. It goes away when the "slipping" stops, and the ABS light (if you get one) goes away when you shut off the car, so, no harm done. Hope this helps...

[MMM2003]

No ABS issues?
Pictures please?
Thanks, Jim

No ABS issues. I'll have to check at for some pics I can post.

I had a bunch in the old Gallery. Not sure if they can still be accessed.

Thanks,

Peter

[wchain]

Keep in mind that 03 300As did NOT have traction control, which most 300B and ALL 04s have, so going to a tire of the same size is going to mess with the ABS computer. See related threads when dealers that are clueless rotate tires on 300Bs and 04s with TC

[flescher]

That is exactly the reason I bought the first 03 in FL. Hate traction control; it does all the wrong things. Like limited slips.
Don't understand why the use of bigger tires up front would have anything to do with ABS. The ABS sensors identify locking wheels, those not spinning within the "locked rpm" window and release pressure on the brakes. Bigger tires are only going a little slower so I don't think this would be seen as locked wheels.

[flescher]

Why is everyone giving be sizes for 17" wheels? My Marauder has 18" from the factory. Is there a difference around I don 't know about?
H

[wchain]

The cars that are equipped with ABS AND TC are equipped with the Bosch System all speed traction control, which is controlled by the ABS Brain and PCM.

Hence forth, when slippage is detected, the ABS Computer will apply the brakes to the slipping wheel, and in extreme cases, reduce power to the engine.

Now, the ABS Computer uses number of rotations to detect slippage.
IN this case, a stock Mercury Marauder that is equipped with factory sized tires, has a front tire circumfrence of 85.6" and a rear circumfrence of 89.9".

Rotations of 1 mile would equal 740 rotations for the front, and only 705 rotations on the rear tire. So, the ABS and PCM modules know this and have acceptable range of limitations programmed in, compensating for tire wear, inflation pressures etc.

So, if you put 4 tires of the same size on, or swapped the front tires to the rear, that would be out of the acceptable limitations to the computers, and driving at low speeds will cause the traction control light to flash, and the brakes to apply, attempting to drive faster will cut fuel on the car to the point it will die.

[Marauderjack]

Wes,

Is there not a way to get around all of this TC/ABS stuff??:confused:

It would seem that if SCT and others can make the transmission work in an acceptable fashion they could surely turn some of this other stuff OFF??!!:argue:

It wouldn't bother me so DAMN much if the Ford engineers had selected a tire size that was made by a number of companies but the BFG's are worthless...Let me correct this......THE REARS ARE WORTHLESS!! I took my fronts off at 32K and they were still in very good shape....Probably go another 30K?? What is it with the rears....cheap price.....not available....don't last....MADDENING!!!:mad2:

Marauderjack:burnout:

BTW.....It looks like the Nitto NT-555's might go 50K both front and back!!:bows:

[wchain]

Sure, push the TC button when you start the car.

[Marauderjack]

Smarty....then the yellow light stays on all the time!!:rolleyes:

My DiabloSport Tuner offers the option to turn the TC off but I think it only works on Mustangs....Anyone know??:confused:

Marauderjack:D

[Romo53]

I had tc and abs on my corvette and I have changed tire sizes to to three different times, for various reasons and never had a problem with the abs or tc. Software is obviously different but if a car company has a program that can detect a single aspect ratio change, then I would hate to put a different grade oil in the damn thing let alone a new tire size. :)

[SergntMac]

Keep in mind that 03 300As did NOT have traction control, which most 300B and ALL 04s have, so going to a tire of the same size is going to mess with the ABS computer. See related threads when dealers that are clueless rotate tires on 300Bs and 04s with TC You're right, Wes, but I have an "almost" to add.

When dealers mess up and mount our rear wheel/tires on the front, and vice-versa, it's not just a "different size" situation. The difference between front and rear size is not just a bit off, its doubled. The normal 2.28" offset programmed into the computer counting rotations, is now 4.46" The tire circumfrence deemed acceptable at 7.17" offset front to rear, is now 14.34" Yep, these numbers will lock up everything and immediately too.

Installing the same size at each corner is not as drastic a change when the right size is installed, and the plan works without disturbing ABS at all. My "new to me" #3 marauder is a 300B with Traction Control, and my experimentation says that Traction Control will not trigger an alarm until 50 MPH, or, in sharp turns. The alarm goes away immediately, either by slowing down, or, shutting of the Traction Control, which I presume you do not need over 50 MPH.
Why is everyone giving be sizes for 17" wheels? My Marauder has 18" from the factory. Is there a difference around I don 't know about? Yes. Winter tires.

Actually, most of us who have purchased winter tires setups, have installed 16" wheel and tire combinations. I was lucky to find a wheel tire combo in 225/60-17 from a Lincoln, with Michelin Pilots, the tire and size used on most CV/PIs. As said in "The Blues Brothers", I got "cop tires", and if they can push a 4400 pound CV/PI through Chicago snow, they should work for me.

While many of us shopped carefully to respect the front to rear offset ratio, I didn't have that chance. But, as long as the size you select is within a specific range, you should have no problems with ABS at all, and only selective problems with Traction Control. Here's a handy calculator to help you select sizes, it will give you the 411 you need to work with.

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireMath.dos