Snow Tires

[Dave-T]

Hey Guys. I am a new MM owner. Thinking about what is best for winter driving for next year. What are you all doing for winter wheel and tire packages? Also what is the best OE replacement tire. Are the BFG's the best? It seems like the rear tires are hard to find.

[jdando]

Welcome Dave!

There are lots of options for winter tires. The only problem is they tend to cost more money than we want to pay.

If your car is stock you can run 16", 17" or 18" wheels and tires.

If you have bigger brakes you options are limited.

I run Hankook Ice Bears on the stock wheels, 235/50 in front and 255/55 in the rear. They work great, but are not cheap.
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/3/1/0/2/snowtires.jpg

Some people run 16" steelies, others 17" wheels from the GM or Town Car (I think).

Enjoy the ride!
jeremy

[SergntMac]

Here's what works for me...

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/showimage.php?i=763&c=3&userid=392

Those are '05 Lincoln Town Car wheels with Michelin Pilots in 225/60-17, same size tires the CPD CV/PIs use in police service, and in snow. They fit a stock MM just fine, and don't disrupt the ABS at all. If you have Traction control, you'll have to shut that off over 50 MPH. You'll also need to replace the MM lug nuts with standard acorn nuts to use the center caps, this is no big deal, and your spare will work in an emergency.

My friend Leo has two sets of 4 left, 400 bucks per set. These are legit take-offs from a L/M dealer, e-mail me at SergntMac@aol.com for Leo's number. First come, first serve.

[jgc61sr2002]

Dave - Welcome aboard. :D You came to the right site, good info. and nice folks.

[rayjay]

Dedicated snow tire/wheel package is the way to go, IMHO. I'm not going to destroy my MM OEM wheels running them in the winter. tirerack will have a package available next fall. Get them early as it sells out pretty quick. The police steelies and winterforce tires mounted/balanced was $472 to my door. Proper sizes if you have TC are 215/65/16 front, 225/70/16 rear. I live in a snowbelt, in the hills and have not had any problems with this setup. I will most likely go with studded rears next time around as backing into/out of my driveway can be a challenge on ice (steep hill).

[Skiordie53]

I'm runnign 05 towncar rims with dunlop wintersport m3 tires in 235/70/17 front and wintersport m2 tires 255/65/17 rear.

[Dave-T]

The police steelies is something I may be interested in. Where did you get that package from? Was it the tirerack? I just spoke with them and they did not mention having those rims. Do you have a pic of the steelies. Who makes the winterforce tires?

[rayjay]

The police steelies is something I may be interested in. Where did you get that package from? Was it the tirerack? I just spoke with them and they did not mention having those rims. Do you have a pic of the steelies. Who makes the winterforce tires?

Yes, tirerack. They will be sold out this time of year. You need to get them early in the fall. 03 CVPI wheels will fit. Look at any CVPI to see what they look like. Center caps will work with these with the proper lug nuts as SgtMac stated. The WinterForce tires are from Firestone. If I remember correctly the wheels were $200 for 4 brand new. You can probably find these else where if you need them now. There are alot of tire options available. I chose the Winterforce for their aggressive snow tread design, something else may work for you if you do not have alot of snow to drive in. The Winterforce are NOT a high performance tire as some other options are.

[jdando]

The police steelies is something I may be interested in. Where did you get that package from? Was it the tirerack? I just spoke with them and they did not mention having those rims. Do you have a pic of the steelies. Who makes the winterforce tires?
Here is a picture of 16" steel wheel on a 300A. Sorry no pictures of the entire car.

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/3/1/0/2/snowboots.jpg

jeremy

[merc6]

basicly what he got ;) I almost got the chrome rings but settled for black magic gel. After parking next to another mm I realized the combo sits me 1.6 inches lower than stock. The Xcal2 was needed to recalibrate revs per mile. Tires are the same cause 300A aren't crippled by TCS.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/7/web/2179000-2179999/2179965_10_full.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/7/web/2179000-2179999/2179965_15_full.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/7/web/2179000-2179999/2179965_35_full.jpg

[Dragcity]

I went WAY bigger with my tires on the CVPI wheels. My wheel wells are FULL to the max. I sit 2" higher then stock and have not recalibrated the speedo (to keep miles down) My car runs 7.5% faster then the speedo shows, and travels 7.5% further than than the odo shows.

I'll go get some pics...http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/4/0/3/8/P2210130_thumb.jpg (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/showimage.php?i=1633&c=3&userid=4038)

Don't change the channelhttp://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/4/0/3/8/P2210131_thumb.jpg (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/showimage.php?i=1634&catid=newimages)

[jdando]

Aye Carumba Joe!

What size tires do you have on that beast?

jeremy

[Dragcity]

Let's just say you can't get any bigger on a Marauder unless you install a lift kit and chop the rocker pannel.

They are Firestone - Winterforce 235/70-16 in Front and 265/70-16 in Back. The size difference works perfectly with my TC and ABS. Another benefit with these monsters is I did not sacrafice too much tire width, so they are still good in the rain and dry roads.

Trust me, you cannot go any bigger.... I guess it is my Winter Hoopdy Doo car.

[Dave-T]

Why do certain tires disrupt the ABS? And why do you need to turn off the TC.

[Sully008]

Why do certain tires disrupt the ABS? And why do you need to turn off the TC.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but because our tires are different sizes front/back, the ECM is calibrated to see the difference in diameter. If it doesn't, it thinks the back wheels are slipping and engages the TC. The 300As without TC doesn't have that problem. So, in order to get around the TC, you need to have that size difference front/rear, or turn off the TC. I'm running Pirelli Scorpions on 16" CVPI wheels. 215-65-16 front, 215-70-16 rear, with no TC problems.

[Dragcity]

I just figured the percent difference between front and rear and searched for that same number in a combination of other tires. I wanted to go taller, so found my sizes to work out best. I had no idea how tight it would be. When I picked up the tires set-up on the wheels, I didn't think they would fit. They did.

Just make up an Excel spreadsheet. If you need help, lemme' know. I think I deleted mine, but I can re-do it.