Police P71 Steel wheel tire opions??

[drj02]

Hello All...
So my 2004 SB is up for sale on this site...however I am having some reservations on selling as I really hate to part with her honestly.
In the event I should keep, I wondered what my options / pro's-cons would be for switching the factory wheel tire combo to the P71 steelies with Goodyear RS/A's. I was only thinking about this because the BFG factory tires can be really hard to come by and the these tires may not be easy to find the next go around when I need them. It's my understanding that BFG only manufactures once in awhile. Once they sell that run out at distributors, distributors may be out of stock for an indefinate amount of time until BFG goes back up on the production side. I also heard that tire manufactures are only obligated to produce our exact tire size for 10 years. Given we have an odd set-up with the whole 2 tire size deal, and that these tires were only intended for our 03-04 Marauders, etc. I am a bit concerned for the long run.
Having said that, I always liked the black steelie/chrome center cap look. On SB, may look sweet!
I saw an ebay ad for an 18" set of steelies but didn't think the Police Interceptors ever had the 18's. Will the 16" or 17" P71 steelies work with our 2004 Marauders? Do we have tire sensors or any other issues to worry about by switching over to the steelies? How can I calibrate speedo if I go with the 16 or 17 wheels? Any advise is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

[Ms. Denmark]

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[RF Overlord]

I don't think the 16s will clear the calipers, but there are several (or more) member who use(d) the 17s for a winter wheel combo.

I agree with Paula, though, that steelies on a Marauder are not a good fashion statement.

[RubberCtyRauder]

Various NItto tires are available with the sizes we need, so are Cooper RS3A, Firestone Wide Oval, Hankook, Yokohama, Toyo. The BFG really are not that great and neither are RSA's..RSA are hard rubber compound and are sort of slick when it comes to rain etc..The cops haev them becasue goodyear got the contract and they take a beating from curb running and having a trunk full of gear. They are expensive as well

They did not make 18"police steeleis for the CV. yes you can run 16" or 17" if you have stnadard brakes (Wilwood, or Baer, then no) You just have to use a tire size that is very close to the original size in diameter. You will have more sidewall flex adn the car will feel a little mushy in the curves.

Personally, i wouldn't make a Marauder look like a police car..If you like black rims then powder coat them or at least plasti-dip them for an easy way to see how you like,

[RubberCtyRauder]

I don't think the 16s will clear the calipers, but there are several (or more) member who use(d) the 17s for a winter wheel combo.

I agree with Paula, though, that steelies on a Marauder are not a good fashion statement.


16" will clear, i had a set on mine when my rims were being re-finished on my old marauder

[gdmjoe]

drj02 ... I saw an ebay ad for an 18" set of steelies but didn't think the Police Interceptors ever had the 18's.
-CORRECT- (FoMoCo did not ever have)


Will the 16" or 17" P71 steelies work with our 2004 Marauders?
YES (either 16" | 17" will work as long as you have OEM calipers). note: 15" will not.


Do we have tire sensors or any other issues to worry about by switching over to the steelies?
NO


How can I calibrate speedo if I go with the 16 or 17 wheels?
YES Easiest way is to select tire sizes that have the same (or near) diameter as the Marauder's. e.g. 235/55x17 corresponds to 235/50x18
.

[RF Overlord]

(either 16" | 17" will work as long as you have OEM calipers). note: 15" will not.Thanks for the clarification, joe.


Easiest way is to select tire sizes that have the same (or near) diameter as the Marauder's. Bear in mind that if you get a 16" tire with the same diameter as the stock Marauder, it's going to have a pretty tall sidewall and that will reduce handing.

[drj02]

Thanks for the great advise everybody. I was not aware that there were so many tire options with the factory wheel. I took a look at the Cooper RS3A's...not bad and seem to have great reviews. Having said that, if I were just stay with the factory wheel, may I segway this thread into what is the best tire opinion for the OEM Marauder wheels? Thanks again!

[J-MAN]

I installed the RS3A Coopers on the front of mine. Seems like a great tire so far. Better ride, less noise than the BFG's. Will install the Coopers on the rear when the BFG's get thin in the middle.

Have had the Cooper's on the wife's VIBE for some time with no complaints.

[mrjones]

If you go up to a 255/55 on the rear, there are plenty of options, and it looks great on the car as well. It's only a half inch taller.

[larryo340]

Thanks for the great advise everybody. I was not aware that there were so many tire options with the factory wheel. I took a look at the Cooper RS3A's...not bad and seem to have great reviews. Having said that, if I were just stay with the factory wheel, may I segway this thread into what is the best tire opinion for the OEM Marauder wheels? Thanks again!
As others have said steelies all year around will definitely make it look like a Vic, but I do have a set of 16's for the winter 225/60/16 front 235/60/16 rear.
I also I'm running the Cooper RS3A's on all fours. They were on the car when I got it (they looked to be new) and have since put on 20k, and they're still looking very good.

[capt512]

Huge fan of the Coopers myself. Have the RS3As on my Marauder and Cooper Zeon LTZ's on my Suburban. Very happy with both. Ride smooth, seem to last decent, handle well, and look good. Part I like best about the RS3As is if the back end does come loose on you it seems to do so with more control, and regain traction with more control. As in your neck doesn't snap back at either point. Only tire that I've run that does that. Snow wise, I have no clue, as I used 16" steelies and a larger tire for winter...now I just drive the suburban instead. Here is a picture with the steelies http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=77995

[larryo340]

Huge fan of the Coopers myself. Have the RS3As on my Marauder and Cooper Zeon LTZ's on my Suburban. Very happy with both. Ride smooth, seem to last decent, handle well, and look good. Part I like best about the RS3As is if the back end does come loose on you it seems to do so with more control, and regain traction with more control. As in your neck doesn't snap back at either point. Only tire that I've run that does that. Snow wise, I have no clue, as I used 16" steelies and a larger tire for winter...now I just drive the suburban instead. Here is a picture with the steelies http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=77995

I like it, it looks sinister...what size tires were you running?

[capt512]

235/70/16 and 255/70/16. They are big tires, but gave me an extra inch clearance in winter. Speedo was off by around 5 mph at 60?.