"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
07/24/2015 at 17:43 • Filed to: Spinout, 180, wet, Crown Vic, Panther, tires
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"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
07/24/2015 at 17:43 • Filed to: Spinout, 180, wet, Crown Vic, Panther, tires | 1
| 7 |
(Not my car, but an exact match)
So I recently acquired a ‘97 Crown Vic as my daily work. My grandfather bough the car semi-new (it was a corporate demo) and kept it as a spare car through the subsequent vehicles he’s purchased. About 2 months ago, he passed it on to me so that my wife could have our ‘12 Ford Fusion as we only had one car and she had the kids all day while I was at work. The car has run beautifully and hasn’t given me a single issue, until today.
As I driving up a 270* on-ramp right after a light rain, the rear-end began to slip and I could feel the imminent drift coming on. I managed to keep that under control, but the front tires clipped the 4” concrete curb and threw me around 180*. Thankfully I managed to keep the car from backing in to the guard rail or hitting anything (or anyone) else. Scared the absolute crap out of me, but nothing was damaged and no one was hurt so I’m just counting my blessings.
Once I got back to work, I checked the rear tires and found they had plenty of tread on them. But, the rear tires are some cheap off-brand and appear be whatever the cheapest tire that could be put on was whenever they were changed out. They are Epic Tour Radial LL700’s. After a quick online search, I found them for $56/tire....
Obviously these need to be replaced ASAP, because it rains A LOT where I live. I need tires that will actually hold traction in the rain. And that’s the part that confuses me. The front’s are Michelin HydroEdges, which from the sound of the name and how the front stayed pretty planted during the spin, are good tires for wet weather. Does anyone, especially you Panther drivers out there, have any recommendations as to what tires to replace these with? I haven’t had this car long and haven’t had the chance to do much research, so I don’t know what tires work best on this platform.
Captain of the Enterprise
> Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
07/24/2015 at 17:48 |
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Don't buy Kelly Explorer tires unless you like sliding all the time
ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
> Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
07/24/2015 at 17:49 |
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Rotate tires until you find some replacements?
For any car drive type, it is more important for the rear wheels to have the better tires.
Boxer_4
> Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
07/24/2015 at 17:57 |
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We ran HydroEdges for a while, and they are excellent in the rain. The tread pattern does a great job of channeling the water out from under the tire.
Both cars we had them on (99 Camry, 01 Passat) were front wheel drive, however. I seem to recall the tread wear was excellent, but they used a harder rubber compound. They weren’t the greatest in snow. I also seem to recall that they are directional tires. I heard a few stories of people installing them backwards, with less than stellar results.
Tire rack probably has highlighted what the best rated tire is for the Crown Vic is.
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Boxer_4
> ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
07/24/2015 at 18:06 |
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HydroEdges are directional (IIRC), which must be kept in mind when rotating. They should be rotated front to back, not left to right (as long as they are installed correctly in the first place).
itschrome
> Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
07/24/2015 at 18:27 |
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not a panther but I love my Pirelli Cinturato P7 all seasons on my caddy. not the cheapest nor the most expensive but the boat loves em and they do well in wet/slush and snow.
VonBelmont
> ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
07/24/2015 at 19:43 |
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Why rotate them when they already rotate on their own? :P
MM54
> Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
07/25/2015 at 14:54 |
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I have Firehawk PV41s on my interceptor, and when there was still tread on them they were fantastic in the rain (crap under ~30 degrees F though). Now the rears are bald on the shoulders with about 1/16 tread in the middles (they were on the front last year with a bad alignment and autocross), they’re not so great in the rain anymore. They’re going away next time I take them off.
For snow tires I strongly recommend Firestone Winterforce, if you’re somewhere that gets a reasonable amount of snow.