Tire replacement questions 08 LTD (18" Rims)

[pjw73nh]

Greetings,

I am starting to shop for replacement tires for my 08 LTD (18" rims). I have the BF Goodrich with the cracked sidewalls. I like the tires overall. (Quiet, long lasting, nice handling) but don't like the cracks in the sidewall. From what I've researched even the new ones get the cracks after a while, well before their tread is worn.

I use the car primarily for commuting (short) and pleasure approx 6500 miles per year. I also tow a 5300 lb travel trailer with it about 1800 miles per year.

Looking at tire selections I am somewhat limited in what is available. Mostly because of the 18" rims. I was thinking about buying a 17" rim/tire package, and thus going forward would have a far easier time ( and much better selection) of tires. I would sell my 18" rims on the used market. My current rims look very nice, but I am not about looks. I am about functionality and comfort.

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions on this? Good idea? Bad idea? Anything I should know about before doing this?

Thanks.

 

[thebrakeman]

Which BF Goodrich tires do you have?

The BFGoodrich LongTrails were the best bang-for-the-buck when I was looking for my '06, which is why I went with them. We put them on in the fall of 2009 (just after we bought it used), and they have been great. I have not noticed a bit of sidewall cracking. We put about 8000 miles a year on them.

PS - We also tow a 5000+ lbs camper with the Mounty. Small world!

 

[pjw73nh]

Brake,

Yes, I have the Long Trails. and I DO like them as far as everything except the cracking goes. Several folks on this forum and others have said that BFG says that they're not dangerous, but they have (for customer relations reasons) offered pro-rated exchanges on them. I am torn.

I bought the car in 2011 with 63k on it. I am not sure if the tires were original, new or had been replaced somewhere in between. I found the date coded on a couple of them and they were 2009. (I think the car has been in an accident before I got it and had some front end work done. May or may not have included tires).

Anyway, have a look-see here at a couple of pics. All of my tires look like this, and the cracking goes all the way around each tire.

https://picasaweb.google.com/pjw73nh/ExplorerTires?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNz2kZPowKeuRQ&feat=directlink

As you can see, there is still lots of tread life left in these tires. I hate to buy them prematurely just because of the cracks. I live in an "inspection" state, and I am often rejected for the cracks in the tires. I try and explain, but it's of no use. It depends on the "inspector of the day".

BTW, Yes, I have scangauge 2 also. I have it set for Volts, Water Temp, Trans temp and instant MPG. How do you set yours?

Thanks..

Paul.../NH

 

[Divemaster191307]

I run Firestone Destination A/T on my '07 in 265/70-17, and I love them. They are available in 18". They are a bit on the aggressive look, being A/T, but they've served me well. I can't tell you how noisy they are, I run a pseudo dual-exhaust that's quite loud. However, they feel solid in all weather.

 

[thebrakeman]

I'll have to look at my tires again. I wasn't looking that close to the tread. Have there been premature tires failures? I got the replacement certificates on mine from Discount Tire.

I have my Scangage set for:
1 - Gear Ratio, so it's easier to tell if it's in 5th or 6th
2 - Trans Temp, important while towing (usually around 195-200F while towing)
3 - Engine Load (%) - downshift and/or convertor unlock occurs at 100%, so I can use this to avoid downshift (increase fuel economy), by staying below 99%
4 - Convertor Lockup (shows rpm-difference between input & output shafts) - at or near zero means convertor is locked (increased fuel economy and decreased trans temp). I had to email with customer support to get the right code for this one.