Please help

[SamuraiV8]

Hello, I have just become a new member here!
I am an owner of 2004 Marauder in Japan, maybe the only Marauder owner in this country because this model was never officially introduced here.

I became an owner a few months ago, and recently got a flat tire, so I tried to replace it with a new one. (Actually I tried to replace all tires with new ones.) However, ones with the rear size (245/55ZR18) are never available here. I called the distributer of BF Goodrich, but they say they cannot supply ones.

I emailed some US retailers like tirerack.com and wheelsnext.com, but they never answer back. It seems that they never ship international orders.

Somebody please let me know which retailer on the net ship tires to Japan. My search has been unsuccessful so far.

[FordNut]

Ohio gozaimasu

Glad to hear one of the Marauders made it to Japan!
I suggest trying some of the ebay sellers for OEM size tires.

Some people are using non-standard sizes, they seem to be easier to find. Just make sure to maintain the size differential (larger tires on the rear) so the ABS doesn't get confused.

[Sheepy]

Anything 255/55/18 in the rear is just fine. :)

Much easier to find and they tend to last longer too.

Welcome to the site and please post a picture of your car. I think we'd all love to see it.

[merc]

Dude you are killing me. Most of the performance tires made in American have a Japanese parent company. So you want to ship a tire to japan made in japan. :lol:


http://www.toyo-rubber.co.jp/


Establishment of NITTO JAPAN CO., LTD., a new sales subsidiary to market Nitto Tire brand products in Japan (15,Dec,2005)

Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. (President: Yoshio Kataoka) announces the establishment of NITTO JAPAN CO., LTD., a new sales subsidiary to market Nitto Tire brand products in Japan, effective November 1.

In the North American market, the Nitto brand has been enjoying a high reputation for its product originality, especially in the area of high performance tires for passenger cars and SUVs, and sales have grown steadily. The newly established company will roll out sales and marketing activities in a highly creative manner, aiming to emulate Nitto Tire’s North American success by rapidly establishing a strong brand foothold on the Japanese market.

Going forward, Toyo is committed to further strengthening its brand power in the domestic market, in pursuit of an effective combination of and balance between the Toyo and Nitto brands.

[ctrlraven]

Welcome and what part of Japan? I have a few military friends over there right now and they are into the car scene.

255/55-18 would be easiest size to get as a rear tire.

[Mr. Man]

Welcome to MM.net. What color MM did you get? 255's will work well on the rears.

[RR|Suki]

おはようございます

Glad to hear one of the Marauders made it to Japan!
I suggest trying some of the ebay sellers for OEM size tires.

Some people are using non-standard sizes, they seem to be easier to find. Just make sure to maintain the size differential (larger tires on the rear) so the ABS doesn't get confused.

Missing a few letters there boss ;) fixed for you :D

Seriously though OP just get some 255/55/18 size tires, they'll work fine. Good luck.

[SamuraiV8]

Hello,

Thank you, thank you very much for such quick replies!
All messages help me a lot.

As for 255/55R18, I researched some Japanese tire manufacturers, and found that the following brands come with the both sizes(235/50R18 and 255/55R18).

Michelin Latitude H/P
Bridgestone(Parent company of Firestone) Dueler H/P

Both are designed for SUVs, but are they OK with Marauder?
Which brand is more recommeded?

My marauder is a black one and I will post some photos soon.
I live in Yokohama.

[Mr. Man]

Duelers are truck tires so I'd stay away from them unless you use your MM for offroading.
Look for 255's that will fit large sized sport sedans. Tirerack can give you a few options then go to your local tire place and see if you can get them.

[ctrlraven]

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 255/55/18
Yokohama AVID ENVigor (H&V) 255/55-18
Kumho Ecsta STX KL12 255/55-18

These are three good rear tire options as they are for street/sport truck and they are all-season radials.

I just looked this up on tirerack.com just to give you an idea. You want to look for Street/Sport Truck tires, as they will have a better performance aspect about them than regular truck tires.

[fastblackmerc]

You can even go to a bigger tire like 295's. You also need to keep the same speed rating or higher as the original tires.

Y 186 mph (300 km/h)
W 168 mph (270 km/h)
V 149 mph (240 km/h)
H 130 mph (210 km/h)
U 124 mph (200 km/h)
T 118 mph (190 km/h)
S 112 mph (180 km/h)
R 106 mph (170 km/h)
Q 99 mph (160 km/h)
P 93 mph (150 km/h)
N 87 mph (140 km/h)
M 81 mph (130 km/h)

[fastblackmerc]

Duelers are truck tires so I'd stay away from them unless you use your MM for offroading.
Look for 255's that will fit large sized sport sedans. Tirerack can give you a few options then go to your local tire place and see if you can get them.

At a 255 size and higher your into light truck / SUV tires.

[Hotrauder]

Go Nitto. Been running 245/45/18's front and 295/45/18's rear on widened rims for 4 years with no problems. I run them on the street, road course and drag strip and with great results on the road and road course, not enough rear grip with the Trilogy at the drag strip. Have fun
Dennis.... any of those listed by others will work better than the stock tires everywhere. :2thumbs:

[bawazir]

歓迎、
略奪者は素晴らしい車である。

[merc]

Go Nitto. Been running 245/45/18's front and 295/45/18's rear on widened rims for 4 years with no problems. I run them on the street, road course and drag strip and with great results on the road and road course, not enough rear grip with the Trilogy at the drag strip. Have fun
Dennis.... any of those listed by others will work better than the stock tires everywhere. :2thumbs:

Plus 2 on the nitto recommendation.

[Sheepy]

The "truck" tires are the best tires I have ever put on the car. They have lasted forever. After 10,000 miles they still look new. After 10,000 miles of the factory ones they looks pretty bad. Get the "truck" tires. They are good well past 130mph. ;)