Need advice with replacement tires. [Archive]

LoneWolf

07-13-2011, 05:43 PM

Just got my 2004 Silver Birch Marauder about 2 weeks ago. The rear BFG's are worn to the wear bars in the middle w/ the inner and outer treads at about 6/32". The front BFG's are worn evenly to about 5-6/32". So, I definitely have to get the rears replaced and I'm not too keen on getting another set of BFG's @ $200 each what with their lousy wear performance. I've been looking at every possible tire combination and manufacturer out there trying to find something that will be a close approximate to the OEM set-up and work alright with the T/C. I'm kinda leaning toward General G-Max AS-03 (Ultra High Performance All-Season) which rank well in the Tire Rack survey and aren't too bad price-wise. I'm thinking of the size combination of: FR 235/50ZR18 and RR 235/55ZR18. There's about a 1:1.03 RPM ratio difference (1:1.05 OEM BFG). Does that combination sound do-able? I may leave the stock tires on the front and get the rest of their life outta them but then I'd have to put different rear tires only on and the tread,etc. would be unmatched... not sure i want to go that route.

http://mercurymarauder.net/forums/images/misc/progress.gif

MM2004

07-13-2011, 05:46 PM

Read this thread and look in my sig for what I am running...

Nitto 555 Extreme -
Front - 255/45/ZR18
Rear - 265/50/ZR18

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=71954&highlight=nitto

Mike.

crouse

07-13-2011, 06:26 PM

What he said. A 235 on the rear is too skinny.

crouse

07-13-2011, 06:32 PM

BTW. You've got lots of miles left on those tires. They are about half gone.

DOOM

07-13-2011, 06:52 PM

SC Cheesehead

07-13-2011, 07:08 PM

Stay away from tires with an H speed rating.

Lotsa folks here running Nitto 420S.

I'm presently running OEM fronts and 255/55/18 General Grabber UHPs in the rear.

LoneWolf

07-13-2011, 07:25 PM

slickster

07-13-2011, 07:27 PM

Do not do a oem size front with 255 55 420s rear so much bounce and sway you will have a hart attack every time you switch lanes at 60mph plus

capt512

07-13-2011, 07:39 PM

Look at the Nitto NT850 and NT850+ as well. I am stuck between the NT850 or 555. The NT850 tires are a pretty good price point (150ish ea) but I have had a rough time finding them. It seems the forum says the NT850 is a better tire for a DD? And the 555 is a better performance tire than can also be used on a DD? The 555s have some comments on bad performance when wet, yet others have no problems when wet? The 555s IMO look better than the 850 though. So just some things to consider as well.
My tires seem in the same spot as yours. Rears are worn to almost slicks in the middle, but fine on the edges. The fronts are 5/32 or so even. However I plan to replace all 4 of mine at once if I go with something other than OEM (very likely).

fastblackmerc

07-13-2011, 08:10 PM

Look into Hankook Ventus tires.

This place usually carries them.

www.eastcoasttires.com

MOTOWN

07-13-2011, 09:20 PM

If your looking at nittos 555 i would get the 255/45 18 fronts, and the 265/50 18 rear thats a sweet looking set up, and the 265/50 18s looks great on the stock width wheel.

pandemicz

07-13-2011, 11:13 PM

If your looking at nittos 555 i would get the 255/45 18 fronts, and the 265/50 18 rear thats a sweet looking set up, and the 265/50 18s looks great on the stock width wheel.

Would there be any rubbing with that set up, and would traction control be good with those tire sizes?

MOTOWN

07-13-2011, 11:31 PM

Would there be any rubbing with that set up, and would traction control be good with those tire sizes?

No issues at all, quite a few members are running that setup and love it

03mmmonroe

07-14-2011, 01:53 AM

Thanks for all the solid, first-hand knowledge here... good stuff all. I'll be taking a closer look at the Nitto's. One tire set I've been considering is Continental ExtremeContact DWS Ultra High Performance All-Season
FR: 235/50ZR18 RR: 255/55ZR18. These are pretty pricey tires but they surveyed #1 in their class on TireRack.com and have a better wear rating than the OEM BFG's.

I have to confess; I'm a bit peeved and underwhelmed at how Mercury put all Marauder owners in this ridiculas tire size conundrum. How on earth did they arrive at the conclusion that it would be ok to design the car around a solitary manufacturer with exclusive tire sizes?

The DWS was quoted by Discount to me also. Great tire I have them on my wife car but I would make sure on the 50 k warranty that rotation side to side they will give you replacement if you do not make the 50 k. For the money I would hope they do. I have nitto 420 255/55/18 for over two year and still better than 50% tread on the rear with 20K. Good luck.

SC Cheesehead

07-14-2011, 04:29 AM

Do not do a oem size front with 255 55 420s rear so much bounce and sway you will have a hart attack every time you switch lanes at 60mph plus

The DWS was quoted by Discount to me also. Great tire I have them on my wife car but I would make sure on the 50 k warranty that rotation side to side they will give you replacement if you do not make the 50 k. For the money I would hope they do. I have nitto 420 255/55/18 for over two year and still better than 50% tread on the rear with 20K. Good luck.

Russ, what size you running on the front, and are they Nitto 420S?

jstevens

07-14-2011, 08:55 AM

I've read that the Nitto 555 get a little loose in the rain.

I'm running stock OEM front and 420S Nitto in the rear. Have a little bounce but I attribute that to the higher sidewall. They are very loud when spinning. I've had'em up to triple digits with no issues.

Vortech347

07-14-2011, 05:55 PM

If you are going all season...

NT850+ hands down. The car is whisper quiet.

jstevens

07-14-2011, 06:01 PM

I couldn't find a dealer for the 850's near me or I would've.

tremblay

07-14-2011, 09:38 PM

If your looking at nittos 555 i would get the 255/45 18 fronts, and the 265/50 18 rear thats a sweet looking set up, and the 265/50 18s looks great on the stock width wheel.

Another combo for the Nitto 555s (what im running)
235/50/18
265/50/18

couldnt be happier...

DOOM

07-15-2011, 02:15 AM

Another combo for the Nitto 555s (what im running)
235/50/18
265/50/18

couldnt be happier...

Now that sounds like a winner!

Vortech347

07-15-2011, 08:07 AM

I couldn't find a dealer for the 850's near me or I would've.

Go to tirebuyer.com

Go all the way to checkout when it askes for your zip code.

tremblay

07-15-2011, 11:45 AM

Now that sounds like a winner!

Here are some pics:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/ad96/tremblaysi/GEDC0009.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/ad96/tremblaysi/GEDC0008.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/ad96/tremblaysi/GEDC0007.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/ad96/tremblaysi/GEDC0006.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/ad96/tremblaysi/GEDC0003.jpg

BTW saw your latest video for "Showing off at Captain Dan's Crab Meet (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=72463)". Your car is so BADASS and you drive it like it was met to be driven :burn:

BirchMarauder

07-15-2011, 02:54 PM

Do not do a oem size front with 255 55 420s rear so much bounce and sway you will have a hart attack every time you switch lanes at 60mph plus

Can you use oem front size with the 265/50 without pooping yer pants from dramatic lane changes??

bigmerc'03

07-15-2011, 07:34 PM

try these http://www.treadepot.com/sizes/prst2.html
this is what im running now and they handle preety damn good and a great price
Fr-255 45 18
Rr-255 55 18
the 280 ETQG rating for the 255 45 18 is wrong the right rating is 420 just like the rears

capt512

07-15-2011, 08:02 PM

Bigmerc - any pics of those tires installed?

bigmerc'03

07-15-2011, 08:17 PM

no but i been running with toyo proxes st's for some years now the last set lasted for about 4 years i drive about 10000 miles a years with occasional bunouts

QWK SVT

07-19-2011, 12:06 PM

I had Falken Ziex S/T Z01 tires (F:235-50-18 R:255-55-18), but after a blowout I found that the rear size had been discontinued. I am not a fan of mixing tread patterns (had a bad experience in the past), so I replaced all 4 with Yokohama Advan ST (F:235-50-18 R:255-55-18).

The Yokohama Advan ST is a performance truck tire, that holds up well to pushing the weight of the Marauder around. I've since sold the car, but with a couple thousand miles on the tires I can say that traction was good, both lateral and hard acceleration from a dead stop. Wet performance was better than stock, but RWD + rain is what it is. Tire wear was very good, for my limited use. Just before winter, the tires were on for light flurries - not good. Had to baby it around, but it wasn't as bad as I expected... For a (relatively) budget friendly option, I would highly recommend them...

This picture gives you an idea of the tread pattern, and how they look on the car:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/5875966984_914c2164c2_b.jpg

BODYMAN

09-10-2011, 07:22 AM

Look into Hankook Ventus tires.

This place usually carries them.

www.eastcoasttires.com

Hankook's are great tires. My friend runs them on his termi handling,traction is excellent. Do you run the Hankook's Jim? If so what size combo? Iam going to be lowering my SB and want a good combo that looks appealing and handles well. If I was a huge fan of Nitto's I would do just like my 03 was 255-45-18 FRT // 295-45-18 rear That to me was about the best tire set up Ive seen on a Marauder. However Iam wanting to go with something other then the Nitto's. Iam thinking about a set of Hankook's EVO's 255-45-18 frt & 295-45-18 rear What do you guys think?s Iam really wanting to do Hankook after reading a ton of reviews on diff sites they always rated the highest..

Mebot

09-04-2013, 10:06 AM

Another combo for the Nitto 555s (what im running)
235/50/18
265/50/18

couldnt be happier...

Sorry to bump an old thread here but for ^^^^^this particular combination will there be any T/C issues?

I only need to replace my rear tires but my fronts are OEM 235/50 size. I'm looking for the largest size rear tire without widening my rims and without having to turn T/C off. (I currently have Hankook Ventus 295/45 but no issue with T/C.

Granddaddy Marq

09-04-2013, 10:20 AM

You have 03's with no traction control on then or does that blue one have it.

Mebot

09-04-2013, 10:23 AM

both are 300b and both have T/C. My question is in regards to my black Marauder.

sent from a Samsung Galaxy far far away..

Granddaddy Marq

09-04-2013, 11:47 AM

Just put some 245/45/18 on the front and 245/55/18 on the back of my 04 with no traction control problems at all. Had a blowout and put one of the wife's 235/50/18 spears on the back with no problem. Wait a minute, it's stating to sound like my traction control isn't working.

Mebot

09-04-2013, 11:47 AM

Never mind found this in a different thread:

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/reviews/showproduct.php/product/47/cat/18/page/1

answered my question

fastblackmerc

09-04-2013, 01:03 PM

Hankook's are great tires. My friend runs them on his termi handling,traction is excellent. Do you run the Hankook's Jim? If so what size combo? Iam going to be lowering my SB and want a good combo that looks appealing and handles well. If I was a huge fan of Nitto's I would do just like my 03 was 255-45-18 FRT // 295-45-18 rear That to me was about the best tire set up Ive seen on a Marauder. However Iam wanting to go with something other then the Nitto's. Iam thinking about a set of Hankook's EVO's 255-45-18 frt & 295-45-18 rear What do you guys think?s Iam really wanting to do Hankook after reading a ton of reviews on diff sites they always rated the highest..

Only have Hankooks in the rear for now. Will be going with 295/45/18 in the rear and 255/45/18 in the fronts.

Hankooks wear like iron.

fastblackmerc

09-04-2013, 01:04 PM

Sorry to bump an old thread here but for ^^^^^this particular combination will there be any T/C issues?

I only need to replace my rear tires but my fronts are OEM 235/50 size. I'm looking for the largest size rear tire without widening my rims and without having to turn T/C off. (I currently have Hankook Ventus 295/45 but no issue with T/C.

IMHO... 295's on a non widened rim = trouble.

Mebot

09-04-2013, 01:09 PM

IMHO... 295's on a non widened rim = trouble.

Yes i've been hearing that a lot. Hence the reason to switch to a 255 or 265 size tire

Black Terror

09-04-2013, 02:16 PM

I have run Original Tires, Goodyear Tires(Stock Size in front, 255/55/18 in the rear) two different Models and rear wear was a problem with all of them until I went with 40 pounds of air in the rear tire.
I am presently running Nitto Motivo in Stock sizes on the rear and Goodyear Stock size in the front with no problems. Will go with Nitto Motivo in stock size on the front and run same model tire front and rear in stock sizes.
SantaMarauder runs the Nitto Motivo's all around, also.