by "Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
Published 03/13/2017 at 10:22
by "Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
Published 03/13/2017 at 10:22
Tags: Ask Oppo
; Help
; Wheels
; Tires
; Rims
; question
; oppopinion
STARS: 1
EDIT: Yes, I know the tire looks like shit and should have been replaced a while ago. I’m an idiot. In my defense, I did take it to a Ford dealership for an oil change and inspection a month or two ago and was told by the Ford tech that the tires may look a little rough but that they were just fine and did not need to be replaced yet. I decided to trust the tire/lube tech’s opinion, but that’s my own fault, lol. As also stated in the comments, I’m just as surprised as everyone else that they let me leave on those tires knowing now just how bad they are. And my guess for why they didn’t try to sell me new tires is because I was the last car of the day on a Saturday and they were ready to close up and bounce.
Also, additional research seems to show that the style I really want, the steelies with big dog dish cover pictured on the Miami-Dade car, are actually 15's not 16's, and are the exact same size as the wheels I have now. So new question: If I go ahead and put new tires on my current wheels, and order the other wheels a little later down the road, would it be ok to swap the tires from one set of wheels to another? Or would that cause more wear to the tires than it’d be worth?
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
This is how I found my tire yesterday morning when I went out to my car. Luckily I didn’t have to drive anywhere. But it’s a problem. I was not expecting to need tires just yet, and was waiting to find a set of the black P71 police issue steelies and put tires on those instead. They’re a little bit wider (225 or 235 depending on the year, versus the 215 I have stock). Since I’ve had issues with traction in the rain, I figured going a bit wider on the wheels would help, as would new tires, lol.
I really would prefer the 225s because they’re “period correct” since my car is a ‘97. Basically, it would look like this (minus the police lights and decals of course):
If I end up going with the more common 17" wheels that came on the later models, it’d look like this:
Obviously getting the larger size means tires are going to a be a little bit more expensive, but I’ve come to accept that. My questions are as follows:
Would there really be a significant difference between the 225s (16's) versus the 235s (17's)?
Does anyone know where in the hell I could even find the 16's to begin with? eBay and Craigslist have come up short. As has the local pick-a-part, for either of those wheels.
For either size, what affordable tire would you recommend? I’m trying to keep it less that $120 a tire, which I know is difficult, but I’m trying not to throw a whole bunch of money at this thing. It’s just my daily.
And the main reason I’m doing this is because I’m not a fan of how the stock wheels look, so they’re getting replaced no matter what. But I don’t want to put brand new tires on them if I’m already planning on replacing them. Then that’s two sets of tires I’ll have to buy, and I don’t want to spend that kind of money. Hell, that cost would probably equal the value of the car itself, lol.
Stock wheels when they’re clean:
Anyways, thanks in advance for any/all info/advice. Here’s a Pinto wagon I found in the junkyard yesterday for your time.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
03/13/2017 at 10:32, STARS: 0
Are these close enough?
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
03/13/2017 at 10:33, STARS: 4
Foreign object in sidewall = not repairable.
Also, those tires are WAY gone. It was time to replace them a while ago.
Match the bolt pattern and size, should be pretty easy to find some steelies for cheap online if you don’t mind the look.
"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
03/13/2017 at 10:36, STARS: 1
See, that’s what I thought too. The sidewalls were cracked for God’s sake. But I took it in for an oil change and inspection about a month or two ago, and the guy at the Ford dealership said that they only looked rough but were still in good condition and didn’t need to be replaced yet. That’s what I get for listening to the dealership then, right?
"CalzoneGolem" (calzonegolem)
03/13/2017 at 10:39, STARS: 3
These tires should have been replaced like ten years ago based on all those cracks in the rubber.
"CobraJoe" (cobrajoe)
03/13/2017 at 10:41, STARS: 0
A Vic can handle pretty wide tires on all 4 corners, so you only need to make sure the outer diameter of the tire matches pretty close to the stock size to keep the speedometer correct. There are plenty of online calculators that can do that pretty quickly. It’s now I went to 235 wide tires on my vic back when I owned it.
Those are Cragar D-window wheels 15x8 I believe. They did rub a bit over bumps, but it was a great look I was happy to live with.
You don’t need to look for Crown Vic specific wheels, it is a Ford standard 5x4.5in. Not all Fords use that pattern, but it is popular with most older RWD cars. Plenty of Vic guys on CrownVic.Net use Mustang wheels to get the look they want.
"Noah - Now with more boost." (antriebverliebt)
03/13/2017 at 10:43, STARS: 0
hmmm yeah like others have said, it’s good thing this tire went, tread depth looks pretty sketchy! Until recently I was rocking nearly bald all seasons like that, pretty dangerous. $120 per tire for the cheapest option at either size sounds right. IMO you might want to just search for your bolt pattern in general if you need wheels ASAP
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
03/13/2017 at 10:45, STARS: 0
I’m not convinced a wider tire will help with rain traction. Larger footprint, more water to displace, less pressure to displace it with per square inch, longer displacement paths... probably better overall to have a narrower tire if the siping is the same.
I’d be tempted to try getting junkyard wheels and to spend some time IDing related models with the same wheel, if any - but keep in mind that with CVPI style center caps latching on the lugs, there’s no particular reason you *have* to have a Ford OEM steelie, and as long as it has the right offset, etc... possibilities should be out there.
"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
03/13/2017 at 10:45, STARS: 0
Close, but Tire Rack has less than 4 in stock. Also, if I’m understanding my research correctly, the slots should be elongated. Looks like this I believe:
"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
03/13/2017 at 10:46, STARS: 1
See other comment: Thought same. Took car to dealership for oil change. Ford tech told me tires = just fine. Fail = me trusting the dealership.
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
03/13/2017 at 10:48, STARS: 2
Interesting that the dealership didn’t try to sell you new tires. Most shops will begin recommending a replacement tire when the tread reaches 1/8" or less or when there is uneven wear / cupping or other abnormalities. I’m guessing you didn’t put 20k miles on the car in a month?
If you’re looking for a budget option, consider painting or powdercoating your current wheels. It’s not everyone’s thing, but it might work out. Some online tire shops (discount, tire rack, etc) will also offer budget steel wheels, if that’s your thing.
"Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies" (jordanwphillips)
03/13/2017 at 10:49, STARS: 1
As pointed out already, the traction issue is probably down to the dry tires.
"CalzoneGolem" (calzonegolem)
03/13/2017 at 10:52, STARS: 1
Wow ... I can’t believe they didn’t try to sell you new tires. I’d suggest never going back to them.
"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
03/13/2017 at 11:12, STARS: 0
I was surprised to. Maybe it was because I was the last car of the day and they were ready to leave? Idk.
And see my edit at the top of the post. I think I might have found a different option.
"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
03/13/2017 at 11:13, STARS: 0
See post edit and replies to other similar comments. I made the mistake of listening to the dealership.
"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
03/13/2017 at 11:15, STARS: 1
I was kinda surprised as well. But as I told someone else, I’m gonna wager a guess that it was because I was the last car of the day and they were ready to leave. I don’t know. It does worry me though knowing now that they let me roll on out of there with tires that were unfit for use any longer.
"Rico" (ricorich)
03/13/2017 at 11:17, STARS: 1
If you’re posting on Oppo you shouldn’t need a dealership to tell you your tires are completely bald and cracking. Just looking at them should tell you that.
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
03/13/2017 at 11:18, STARS: 1
If I go ahead and put new tires on my current wheels, and order the other wheels a little later down the road, would it be ok to swap the tires from one set of wheels to another? Or would that cause more wear to the tires than it’d be worth?
Probably little/no harm in swapping tires to new wheels, apart from the cost of having to mount & balance twice. Easiest option would be to avoid this if possible, but I can’t imagine it being bad.
"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
03/13/2017 at 11:19, STARS: 1
Criticism I take in full stride. That was my fault for trusting the dealership over my gut instinct.
"Rico" (ricorich)
03/13/2017 at 11:21, STARS: 1
I feel you, I’m just glad that you are doing something about it before something bad happened like a spin out in the rain.
"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
03/13/2017 at 11:22, STARS: 2
True. But time/money/desire to modify causes this whole big mess. Time is of the essence, but my budget is limited. So finding stuff fast does not equate to finding what I want within my budget. At this point, I think I’m gonna go with the most logical and responsible option and just put new tires on the wheels I have and wait until later for new wheels. Thanks for all the input / advice!
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
03/13/2017 at 11:25, STARS: 1
Sound decision, and that’s the one I’d choose. If it’s a daily driver and/or you need it now, go for new tires. Good luck and post an update!
"Hammerdown" (hammerdown32)
03/13/2017 at 11:30, STARS: 1
Check craigslist for the wheels you want with tires on them. You might get lucky and find somebody who took some decent tires/wheels off and is looking to dump them.
Example: I got 17 Mustang wheels for my Vic with some nice Pirellis for 500 bucks a couple years ago.
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
03/13/2017 at 11:30, STARS: 2
On your post update - should be fine to swap the tires to the new wheels later on. No real harm to only one extra mount cycle with a tire.
"JGrabowMSt" (jgrabowmst)
03/13/2017 at 11:39, STARS: 1
So, I will just say that the tread is far more important than the section width.
Just like in snow, wider isnt necessarily better, but the correct compound and tread pattern will make a huge difference.
I will say you dont necessarily need to go to a wider wheel to run a wider tire, I run 235 section tires on a 7.5" rim up front and 255 section tires on my 9" rims in the back. You can check on manufacturer websites for what they recommend, but in many cases tires fit a range of wheel widths, not just one width, and it can still be a proper fit without bulging or stretching the sidewall.
"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
03/13/2017 at 12:05, STARS: 0
Will do. Thanks again!
"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
03/13/2017 at 12:06, STARS: 0
Yeah, I’ve been checking Craigslist occasionally, but nobody ever seems to be dumping the police wheels. They’re just selling dubs, lol.
"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
03/13/2017 at 12:06, STARS: 0
Perfect. I think that helps make my decision then. Thanks for the input!
"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
03/13/2017 at 12:19, STARS: 0
Mount a new set of tires and grab yourself 4 cans of plastidip, and some armor all. Coat the rubber well with tire dressing and dip the wheels black for now. You can even topcoat with a glossifier or some other dark metallic color that is glossy. Then if you go to sell the wheels off, you can peel off the coating. Should be less than $50
"Hammerdown" (hammerdown32)
03/13/2017 at 12:57, STARS: 0
Seems like you solved your problem then!!! Just need to order a lift kit to clearance those dope wheels.