What Tires Are You Using?

[Jeff]

I've just been looking around at different tire manufacturers web sites and there seems to be a derth of options for the OEM tires on our Bad Boys.

[jgc61sr2002]

Stock BF Goodrich

[Interceptor]

At the Tirerack the factory tires are on sale for $91 for the front and $85 for the rear.

[engine23ccvfd]

At the Tirerack the factory tires are on sale for $91 for the front and $85 for the rear

Absolutely amazing price to me considering how much tire there is....

[03MERCMARAUDER]

about how long are the stock tires supposed to last? especially since you cant rotate them

[mdmarauder]

I've got uneven wear on the rear tires at 15,000 they need to be replaced. The centers are almost to the wear bars. The fronts are maybe 1/4 worn.

[BillyGman]

15000 miles? Have you been doing burnouts???

[prchrman]

Originally posted by mdmarauder
I've got uneven wear on the rear tires at 15,000 they need to be replaced. The centers are almost to the wear bars.

too much air pressure...back tires at 30 or below for even wear...

[mdmarauder]

No burnouts whatsoever. Car is a daily driver however.

[darebren]

there's really only a few options. try to look for same make and model tire with the rears being 5% taller than the fronts.

actually, 245/55/18 is only the goodrich.

alot come up if you drop down in height to 255/45/18 rear and 255/40/18 front.

[mdmarauder]

I'd like to go with the 255-50-18 Pirelli but it's a little pricey at $250.00 plus a tire. Tire rack does not have any other tires in that size.

[White Knuckles]

I have just topped 25,000 miles on my MM. It has had regular service and maintenance. At 15,000 the dealer noted unusual tire wear ----- inside cupping on fronts and center wear on rears. He said I needed new tires and an alignment. I protested the premature wear , since he did all the maintenance. How did it go from "all fine" to worn out tires and an alignment in one maintenance cycle? When I asked for the alignment to correct the uneven wear-------he said "sorry" we can't do an alignment on the Marauder yet, because we are waiting on the alignment specs.

Finally, this past week I bring it in for the "alignment" (I'm still running the "worn out" tires) and when I pick it up----they tell me the alignment was within spec. How can that be when the tires wear unevenly? After a long conversation with Service Manager, he promises to speak with Atlanta Area Ford Rep.

Service Mgr left me a message yesterday:mad: . He said Ford Rep said 15-20,000 mile life is the norm because the MM is a high performance car and the tires are designed for performance and not mileage.

THIS IS A PROBLEM-------I'm not done with this.

[JGaignat]

I went into NTB the other day to get a slow leak fixed in one of the back tires. It ended up I had TWO roofing nails in the tire. The guys told me that if I got 30-35K miles out of the tires........that was good. At least they weren't an arm and a leg for the tires. Around $100 each.

[SergntMac]

Originally posted by White Knuckles
Ford Rep said 15-20,000 mile life is the norm because the MM is a high performance car and the tires are designed for performance and not mileage.

This is one of the rare times I agree with the factory rep's opinion. Every problem we associate with launching this car, is also a wear and tear issue when stopping it. It's 4200 pounds, every corner turned, (high speed or not) every brake episode (hard or soft), results in increased wear at an accelerated rate. Add to that a rigid and unforgiving suspension (compared to other cars) and the tires become the soft spot that bears the load. I fully expect tires and brakes to wear out sooner that what would be considered "normal," it goes with the territory.

This does not diminish the problems White Knuckles describes. That kind of tire wear is tire damage and should be pursued.

IMHO, BFGs don't wear very well to begin with. The Pirelli P-Zeros on my MM don't have a stellar rep for longevity neither. Seems like all the tires that come in our sizes are performance grade compounds which means stickier. Sticky to go and sticky to stop, I'd expect any tire for our MM would not last (safely) over 25K. Absent the abnormal wear of the front tires as WK describes, I'd shrug and go shopping.


Originally posted by mdmarauder
I'd like to go with the 255-50-18 Pirelli but it's a little pricey at $250.00 plus a tire. Tire rack does not have any other tires in that size.

Pricey yes, more so when the BFGs are under 100 bucks each. But, if you like driving your MM as I do, and you appreciate that road hugging stop on a dime response, there no better tire to drive on than the P-Zero. Anyone local to me is welcome to try them out. I'm expecting 25K miles at the most, and those are miles well worth the money IMHO.

[Jeff]

This is exactly the discussion that I was looking for with this question. Thanks guys! :up:

[darebren]

ah, so you baited us to get the info, rather than dig it up yourself. Very good. the force is strong with this one.

[TAF]

I personally like the BFG's that came with my car. And at 15K clicks...I just have normal wear (BTW, I run 35lbs at all 4 corners which I experimented with and found to be the best for my personal ride, handling and mileage)

Would I LOVE to have a set of those Pirelli's on here...maybe. Would I rather go through 2 changes of the stockers every 20-25K or so for the price of once with the Pirelli's...yes.

Plus...I've always LOVED the feel of fresh tires on a car...maybe it's the NASCAR fan in me (for you LL3)...but there is a GREAT feeling when you drive away from the shop with a fresh set after running on an older set.

And, with the price of the BFG's...I don't have a problem with a switch at 20-25K...now if THEY were $250/each...different story.

Just a couple of pennies from me...pick'em up or let 'em lay.

[TAF]

BTW...just checked @ TireRack...Full Set of BFGs $394 delivered to my door...

Is this a GREAT country, or what?

[White Knuckles]

As you can probably tell, I'm not too happy with my dealer. I still have not received a reasonable explanation why my tires wore so unevenly----if the alignment was in fact correct. I can accept the 20000 mile life, but feel the uneven wear shortened the life considerably. I think Ford's spec is wrong and may be an indication of tire problems others may experience. High Mileage guys like myself are the early warning indicators for any abnormal wear and tear issues MM owners may face.

[mdmarauder]

I'm with you White...nobody understands that the tires have been properly inflated and not spun and they are worn in the center. I think the align. specs are wrong if I had to guess

[JGaignat]

YIKES........At the rate I'm driving this........I'll need a new set of tires every year !!! At least they're not to out of reach. I'm not crazy about spending 400 clams every year for new skins. I guess if I play........I gotta pay....

[Hemlock]

WITH 28,000 MILES IM CHECKING OUT REPLACEMENT TIRES . GOODYEAR EAGLES ARE LOOKING LIKE MY ANSWER FOR NOW .(PLUS THEY ARE U.S.A. PRODUCED) NOT FRENCH AS BFG .

[mdmarauder]

Hemlock..

Goodyear Eagles in what size? I have not been able to find any tires that are not alot shorter than stock yet.

[Hemlock]

mdmarauder... TRYING TO MOVE UP ONE SIZE ON BOTH ENDS , DO NOT HAVE IT WORKED OUT YET .(CHECKING CLEARANCES ETC)