SOB!! 4 tires?

[O's Fan Rich]

Getting her inspected today, 13642 miles on the odometer and I need to replace 4 tires!!! What the heck? They tell me the alignment is off and the wear in the front is on the inside!!!! Then the rear are doing the same. Jeez o' flip man. No burnouts, no spinning , constant checks of pressure. I went 40k on the eagles that my 99 Vic had. Guess I'll have to get it aligned every oil change, it'll be cheaper!!!
I'm asking for Michelins now, Lord help me... please, I need to be calm .:alone:

[Long Live #3]

Don't feel to bad Rich. The same thing is happening to my friend.

[MMManic]

Thanks for the warning, Rich. As soft a compound as these tires are I didn't expect them to make it past 20K anyway. I'll have to keep an eye on my alignment. I always thought the front tires looked badly toed out- even took it back to the dealer to have it aligned but they said they had no specs for it???

[Dr Caleb]

Originally posted by MMManic
*snip*
even took it back to the dealer to have it aligned but they said they had no specs for it???

Danger! Will Robinson, Danger! Check to see if they have the adapter for 18" wheels before getting an alignment AND don't let them align it to Grand Marquis specs!

Without the correct adapter, they will scratch your wheels, and you do not drive a Grand Marquis!

See these threads for more info:

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3204&highlight=alignment+specs

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1754&perpage=40&highlight=gauges&pagenumber=1

[Paul T. Casey]

Just got back from my dealer today for free oil change, and lo and behold my front end is out of alignment also! Need two new tires at 125 each, alignment and who knows what else. Called Ford and they said we're only covered for 12 months or 12K miles on alignment. I've got a 1990 that's 160K miles old and still straight. I was a little upset, but what can I do. I went over my records, and the last oil change the mechanic measured 9/32" tread depth, only 4500 miles ago. I don't remember hitting anything that should rattle it loose. I also reported my paint concerns to the Ford Customer Service people, dude there says thay's the most common complaint. Anyway, keep an eye on your alignment people, I don't know what to look for besides tire wear as mine still tracks straight, doesn't pull under braking or accelleration, straight steering wheel... I'll also assure that they use the right tools and specs when I go in next week. Despite it all, I still love this car.

[jwheeler]

I have the same problem with front tires wearing on the inside. I also had the dealer align my car with I first bought it. I have 17,000 miles now and they are about shot. I also warn you guys to check your rear tire inflation. Mine were over inflated and my liberal right foot has just worn the center most tread to the wear bars.

Live and Learn!

-J

[Warpath]

If you car doesn't pull, the steering wheel is straight, and the tires wear evenly, don't get it realigned. The equipment at someplaces is not kept up regularly. They may end up making things worse.

Quick tire wear may be because of "soft" tires and/or the type of suspension. I'm thinking the former if your tires are wearing evenly and quickly. If only part of the tire is wearing quickly such as on the inside, alignment may be the problem.

[JGaignat]

This may be a dumb question........but do we have any other options on tires? I guess with the wheels we have to use the low profile-high performance tires. I have 6300 miles on it now, and I bought this car to drive every day.....about 20,000 miles a year. I hate the thought of this thing eating tires like this

[Murader03]

I'm passing 27K on the car real quick, like this weekend. The front's are starting to show inside wear, but the tires really only have about 23kl on them. I put about 4K on the winter tires. Without pushing to hard on the car, as it's 90% highway miles, I should be able to get through the summer before needing new skins. Dealer get to see the car every 5K for service, and there has been no mention of it being out of alignment. It runs straight and true on the highway,

[TripleTransAm]

I dropped by my favorite alignment shop just now, they've always been great at following my suggested specs to a 'T'.

I asked about the possibility of securing their equipment to my wheels, they of course said no prob. I was curious to see what the problem would be with mounting the traditional type of alignment mechanism, so I watched closely as my favorite alignment tech tried to get the adaptor on the rear wheel. LOL!. Didn't work out too well, and I stopped him as things would have gotten to the point of damaging the rim. Now I understand visually what was the big problem with aligning these rims.

So: my question: what exactly does this MM-friendly adaptor look like? How does it attach to the rim? Where are the contact points? And, if possible, who makes 'em?

Funny how this shop specializes in exotics (they aligned a Maserati and a Porsche 911 as I schmoozed with the techs) but they are unable to deal with this MM-specific 18 inch rim!!

[mtnh]

I have heard that they use steel arms with fingers at the ends of them that slide between the tire and the rim, and also have heard of some sort of device that grapples the whole tire to establish solid footing against the rim. It would make sense to me to use the lug studs in some way, and I could picture an adapter that could do that, but I have not yet heard of that method actually being used.

Mike

[O's Fan Rich]

They removed my wheels, put a different set on, aligned to "MM" specs and now are putting the wheels and tires back on. I had to get the BFG's again, they couldn't get the Michelins till next week.
Ok, I'm worried, should I be?
At least they didn't want to scratch up my wheels!!!

I think I'm going to go tire shopping in a little while. I want a harder compound, this suckdidlyucks, Flanders!!

[jgc61sr2002]

Rich - Was that alignment done by the L/M dealer. Thanks

[Hemlock]

WITH 29,000 MILES I PUT ON 4 NEW BFG .(COULD NOT GET ANY TIRES FROM OTHER MFG. THAT HAD SIZES I WANTED) NOW HAVE ALL TIRES SAME AS REARS WERE . THIS WILL HELP TAKE SOME OF THE CHOPPY RIDE OUT . ALSO DID AS RICH LONG DID , USED FRONT WHEELS/TIRES FROM LINCOLN TO SET FRONT END . MM IS NOW 1 YEAR OLD , STILL ENJOY THE CAR VERY MUCH !!!!!

[JET]

What causes wear on the inside only of the front tires?

I have 20k+ on my MM. I always moniter tire presure and the alignment is fine. What cause this type of wear.

On another note high performance tires wear quickly. The 18" goodyears I had on my 740il lasted only about 10-15k and they where prone blowouts on also.

[TripleTransAm]

Negative camber will eat up the inside of the tire. Perhaps positive caster might also do a number on the inside during hard cornering.

[O's Fan Rich]

The dealer is doing the alignment, Its a Ford dealer, but their sister shop is LM. This is a brand new shop (opened last week in this new building) they have a brand new alignment rack, so, we shall see. I'm picking her up in the morning.

[White Knuckles]

I posted on this problem a few times. I've had the same inside wear problem on the fronts and center wear on rears. Problem first showed up at 15k. Regular maintenance was performed by L/M dealer. At each Oil Change I stressed that they check the tire wear since these cannot be rotated. At the 15k mark I went from everything looks fine to "your alignment is off and you need 4 new tires". I was not a happy MM camper:( .
I told dealer to correct alignment, but he said he couldn't at that time because he didn't have the "alignment spec for the Marauder". He told me he would call when they could do alignment. I figured I would run the bad tires until car could be aligned ( no point in ruining another set with bad alignment).-------------Well after 10,000 more miles and switching my regular maintenance to pro-mod Ford dealer, I get a call from my L/M dealer that he's ready to do the alignment. Well, as you can imagine my tires are pretty narley by now. L/M dealer does his $69.95 alignment and proclaims my Marauder's alignment is correct ( not corrected----but already correct as in didn't need alignment, but thanks for the $69.95 anyway) and for $675 he can replace my tires.
At this point my patience is a bit stretched. Alignment is correct and tires are wearing unevenly. The Service Manager calls his Factory Rep (a week goes by in this phase) and proclaims that 15-20,000 mile tire life on this type performance car is normal and the fact that I've gotten 25,000 I should be happy. BULLS***!! I can accept a 20,000 mile tire life if the tires wore evenly.
Center tire wear was apparantly a pressure issue-----overinflated(by the dealer) and now should be at 30psi. Fronts are a big question mark. Extreme inside edge wear would indicate an alignment issue which are supposedly in spec. FLASH---Spec is wrong! Suggested that to Service Mgr and he looked at me like I questioned the POPE.
I would think that the evidence shown in this one thread would confirm that something is wrong. Do the L/M people ever look at this board? Might learn something.

[Paul T. Casey]

note to 03 Murader, that's what I thought, about 25K of my 28.5K miles was highway. Mine is also still "straight and true",and also do the 5K maintainence. I don't think they actually check alignment unless you ask. This don't seem right, my fronts look almost new on the outside, definitely pushing way harder on inside. Dealer agrees with me as much as he can, he is a Ford employee after all and probably must watch what he says.

[the fat bastid]

does brake-pulling mean a garunteed bad alignment? my mm does the whole 'stop and have the steering wheel turn' kinda thing.

marauder2306: you get my pm?

[RF Overlord]

fat:

If you step on the brakes and your car pulls to one side, that is most likely NOT an alignment problem, you may have a stuck caliper...there was another thread that discussed this issue...I'll try and find it... BRB

It's here (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3684&highlight=caliper)...

Also, be sure your tire pressures are good...having one low tire can cause pulling as well..

[Mark McQuaide]

Just took a look at my tires, finally....at 12,200 miles, rears are almost bald in the center, front insides are wearing fast. I've kept the tire pressure at 32-35 PSI since it was new, and it tracks straight with no wiggle in the wheel at speed.

This most definitely sucks. I'm going to blast the dealer and Mercury Monday.

[GarageMahal]

After 16k miles on the Marauder, and at least 10k on the BFGs (was wearing winter boots for a bit) they still look like new.

I noticed however that the tires do have an ansymetrical tread pattern which leads me to believe there is a right and wrong way for them to be mounted on the rims.

The easiest way to see what I am talking about is to look at the grooves that run all they way around the tire. One side is straight, the other is wavy. Mine are mounted wavy side in. Any chance yours are mounted wavy side out?

jta

[sailsmen]

7,750 miles and my fronts appear to be wearing evenly. Tire pressure checked every week and maintain 35lbs in the front.

[Glenn]

Most L/M Dealers are now offering free tire replacement with the only requirement to have them check every 10,000 miles and rotated/alignment at the dealer. I got the warranty on paper. I guess someone at Ford forgot to exclude the MM. What a deal! You may want to check with your L/M Dealer. I was told it is a Ford sales offer for all new cars.

[schuvwj]

My tires are fine. Rotate every 5,000 miles. 32 psi is too much for rears, my measurments show they wear down the middle if over 30 psi. 32 in front tires seams to be ok!

[jgc61sr2002]

Glenn - Thanks for the heads up. Is that within the warranty period 3 Yrs or 36,000 miles?:up:

[TripleTransAm]

Originally posted by GarageMahal
I noticed however that the tires do have an ansymetrical tread pattern which leads me to believe there is a right and wrong way for them to be mounted on the rims.


I was recently told the side with the large tread blocks should go on the outside, this due to enhanced cornering ability of said blocks.