When I was having trouble with the coil-on-plug's causing a misfire on my V6 (after cleaning according to manual,) I took it to a local garage (former Ford Tech.) and he hooked it up to a diagnostic tool. When it went through a system test, it ran the hydraulic fan up to full speed. Let me tell you - it was roaring louder than most electric fans I've heard. It is nice to know that it is variable and in 3 years of driving - I've never heard it run that hard until then.
I'm worried about the hydraulic fan lines that were mentioned in regard to failure - can anyone share any details?
I have autumn red paint and the trunk lid seems to be very suseptable to scratches. I just waxed the car last week and it is already showing scratches on the trunk lid.
I figure I'll go to the auto shop and see what they have to say with any suggestions. I don't mind applying a filler, as long as it looks good for a while I can live with re-applying it now and then. I assumed every rubbing compund nowadays would be clearcoat safe, since every new car has one...strange, it doesn't help that this is a black car too. thanks again.
It's good to know that fan can really move some air if it needs to as the LS only has one whereas many cars have two fans side by side. My Intrigue was this way and both always ran together and at most times they were at a lower speed and not overly noisy. But in really hot weather, they would kick into high and I could tell from inside the car when they did as I could hear them when stopped in traffic. While a bit more complex than an electric fan, I'm not too worried as even bone simple electric cooling fans can fail.
Well, my LS got her first maiden voyage(road trip) with me this past weekend. Drove down to Florida for a couple of days to see some friends and also to watch TN give the FL Gators a good whipping. Having a car like the LS really makes an 8+ hour drive a pleasure. While I always said my Intrigue was a pretty good road car, the LS is even better. And with the V8's power, passing is pretty much point and click. My only complaint was I started getting a vibration that I could feel in the steering wheel at about 65 MPH or so. It wasn't very noticeable until about 80 then there was a slight "rocking" back and forth of the steering wheel. At 100+ MPH(yep, I really opened her up) it was pretty nasty. I'm thinking that I may have a tire out of balance as I've had a similar thing happen in other cars. I did have them balanced a rotated before I took the trip, so I was a little surprised that one might be out of balance. Other than that, the driving experience was great. According to the message center, I was averaging about 26 mpg. Road noise at higher speeds was a little more than one might expect in a luxury car, but as someone said before this is also a sport/luxury sedan with performance tires on it so some road noise is probably normal. And as it is, the LS is still much quieter than my Intrigue was. Just curious, anyone know what the top speed for an LS V8 with the sport package is?
You definitely have a tire or possibly wheel out of whack. Were they torqued by hand versus an air wrench when they went back on? It's real easy to warp a rotor or get an alloy wheel out of shape with an air wrench. Driving long haul is a pleasure. At our annual Lincoln meet this year in Detroit, I hit the road back to Dallas at 7:00 am never expecting that 21 hours later I would have driven 1400 miles non stop. Top speed varies from 142 to 145 on the LS Sport.
v8lincoln guy. When the steering wheel turns back and forth, it's called "nibble". The cause is usually an out of balance tire. Out of round tires, or a bent rim can also cause nibble (along with more random vibrations).
I had the same problem on my 2000 LS8. I took the tires to a garage with a Hunter 9800 road force analyzer. This is a balancing machine that checks and balances the tires while applying a force on the tire (a roller) to simulate the tire actually on a car on a road and under load.
After re-balancing the tires on the Hunter, the steering wheel nibble was better but not completely gone. I then rotated the tires to put the 2 tires that had the lowest amount of balancing weight on them (one was 1/4 oz, the other 1/2 oz) on the front of my LS. This completely cured the steering wheel nibble. Since I had unidirectional tires, this ment no more tire rotating.
I read somewhere that BMW is now recommending that you do NOT rotate tires. They were claiming that the radial tires take a set and when you rotate them the cords have to take new set and in the process can cause vibrations and steering wheel shake. This sounds just like the 1970's when radial tires became popular and most tire companies said not move radial tires to the other side of the car, just move them between the front and rear on the same side.
Jaguar likewise recommends that you not rotate tires. It isn't even mentioned in my XType manual. I called Jaguar of North America and asked for the wheel nut torque. They asked why and I said I thought I would rotate the tires and they just said "don't do it." They did give me the wheel nut torque however.
My 2000 LS V8 has almost 45k on it and I'm looking at an extended warranty. I've been offered an additional 50k with what seems to be full coverage from Continental Warranty for $1046 and $100 per incident. Has anyone had any experience with them? Is anyone using any others that have a reasonable cost and service. Thanks
When I drove fast,up to 80mph or more, in my new 2001 LS,less than 200o miles, I had the vibration and noise problems. I took it back to the dealer and they re aligned the car. They claimed that the factory settings, toe in etc, were way out of spec. I never had the problem again after they made the correction. Advice is to take it back to the dealer and make it his problem.
LUAS: Usually this is a transportation issue, than a factory issue. As the vehicles are transported on the truck beds, they are chained up rather crudely causing the issue you mentioned which is quite common.
AIUTO: Try Ford's ESP, it's more comprehensive and since it's an in-house warranty, it's less of an issue do deal with if issues arise, than a 3rd party warranty service.
Have a 2004 LS base with about 1,000 miles and love the car except for a couple of items. 1. I am use to a lot of lumbar support and even with the adjustment all the way out my seat still feels almost concave. Is there any way that the dealer or an upholstery shop could increase the amount of lumbar support?
2. This car would look much better with larger tires and wheels as on the V8 model. Has anyone gone to a larger wheel and/or tire on the base car? Would a step up in size cause any problems with the computer etc.?
I'm not qualified to debate the benefits of NOT rotating tires, but you will be replacing the rear tires prematurely on an LS if you don't. Mine tends to wear the centers of the rear tires faster than anything else. A Lincoln suspension engineer told me this was typical of RWD high performance cars with independent rear suspension. And, no, I don't overinflate my tires. 30 psi, all around, all the time.
crockersmith, I know a few people who have gone to 18s, one who has 20 inch wheels and tires. You will have some speedometer error, otherwise no problem. Or you can switch to the 17" Sport package wheels and tires with no speedo error; they are almost exactly the same outside diameter. If you go bigger, watch out for tire rubbing, and be aware the LS wheels have a lot of offset. Buy wheels from a reputable dealer that knows how to match wheels to the car. I might suggest lowering the car to achieve the look you're after, but so far the only aftermarket springs available for the LS are for the V8 models only.
It's not really the IRS that causes uneven tire wear on today's RWD cars but the lack of real LSD. The less loaded right rear tire loses traction first and wears faster, especially in the center of the tire which is essentially over-inflated compared to the left rear tire. Lack of real LSD is an industry-wide problem today.
That's got to be the biggest crock that I've heard in a long time. Blaming uneven tire wear on the lack of a limited-slip differential in a street car(when did the term LSD come into vogue anyway?) is like saying that your brake pads wear more because of ABS.
According to your theory, only one tire would wear abnormally. On my LS BOTH rear tires wear in the center. Every LS owner I've talked to (and that's a LOT) has the same wear pattern as me. Now, I don't pretend to be a suspension expert but, I suspect the reason for the center wear is because of the rear toe-in and relative lack of camber during highway situations. I keep my tires at 30 psi, btw.
Aiuto: I lot of talk in my area - Cincinnati - of EW's not being valid due to EW companies going bankrupt or dealer not turning in paperwork. Don't know a thing about Continental. At 48,000 miles and 47 months on my 2000, I've thought of doing same thing, but now feel I could get screwed twice - EW & repairer. So I'm limiting my losses to one.
I highly recommend the Ford ESP, which you can buy anytime before your factory warranty expires, as long as you're the original owner. (Maybe, even if you're not the original owner, try it.) It covers more stuff, and is quite easy to work with since your dealer just has the file on it. Pay your deductible, and everything else is covered. Much easier than trying to get pre-authorization from some other company, while your car sits down.
I agree this would be the way to go if you want an extended warranty. However, there are three different ESP plans. Basic, ExtraCare, and PremiumCare. You pays your money and takes your choice but the different coverages should be investigated.
Are you sure you're inflating the lumbar air bladder? Try holding the switch forward. After a few seconds, you should feel the bladder inflate. I can push myself forward until my upper back is no where near the seat back. If holding the switch to the rear inflates the bladder, it may have been installed backward.
LACK of camber?? My 2000 LS-8 has negative 1.4 degrees of camber on the left rear and negative 1 degree on the right. (This is within factory spec.... -1 degree +- .5 degrees)
Many times in the past I've complained about the lack of adjustment so I could equalize those settings, but any more camber and the tires would be almost on their sidewalls! Stanny, as well as a number of others, have complained about center tread wear. Large amounts of camber, either pos. or neg. will cause EDGE wear, not center wear.
By the way, an LSD would be a welcome addition to the car...especially for those of us who live in the snow belt.
Like I said, I'm no suspension expert. I'm trying to think of the geometric differences between an open live axle and an open independent rear suspension regarding road/tire interface. To me, the only geometric differences are caster, camber, and toe. Caster should have no effect on rear tire wear. Like you said, large amounts of camber will cause edge wear so I assume small to zero camber will cause either even or center wear, depending upon inflation. Toe should just amplify the effects of the camber due the tire constantly scraping the road instead of rolling parallel to the rotating axis. Perhaps it is as simple as inflation. I know it is recommended to run 30 psi, so I do. I also have center wear, which I'm told is normal for this type of suspension. I'm willing to accept any plausible answer but, the lack of a locked differential doesn't cut it. If all you're concerning yourself with is exaggerated wear due to burnouts, fine. You still will only see that wear pattern on ONE tire with an open diff., not both, as is the case here.
And yes, a limited slip diff. WOULD be quite welcome. I feel very limited by the open rear end in the LS when exiting corners at high throttle and cornering forces, also during full throttle launches. The car would go around a track much faster with a LSD.
I run 30 lbs.(cold) in my summer tires and 32 lbs.(cold, ha-ha)in my snow tires. I would also have to mention that I have the 16" tires. I don't know if the others that are having center wear problems have the 16" or 17" tires. My tires are wearing fairly evenly across the tread surface.
I have a manual lumbar support (2004 V6 base). There is a plastic wheel on the front of the seat and it is all the way out. I have been very disappointed in this feature and have a hard time getting comfortable when I go on long trips. I will ask my dealer about this on my first service visit or I may talk to an upholstery shop. Let me know if you have any other suggestions.
I was referring to general tire wear and not so much the center wear, but I experienced more wear, general and center, in the right rear. Since my LS was the MTX model, I think wear is accelerated by the increased shock loads of a manual car. The result was incresed right rear wear, typical of a car with a open differential. I'm sure there are other factors like the IRS set-up in general, tire pressure and even the fact that there is no passenger weight on the right side. The stock Firestones lasted 26k and center wear was minimal. But the Bridgestone SO-3 Potenzas lasted only 12k and while they were corner killers, they exhibited unreal center wear on both sides in the rear only. I chaulked that up to too high tire pressures compared to the front. I remember Jonathan's advice at Mania 1 to keep the rear pressures lower to limit the "tail happiness" we were experiencing. I brought my own compressor and guage that day and rear pressures over 36 lb seem to diminish the grip.
You must really do some serious cornering in your LS if your Firestones were gone by 26K. Mine has 27K now and quite a bit of tread left on the tires. We'll see how much longer they last now as I like to bend a car into a curve. And the LS is a very willing partner. The Goodyear Eagle RS-As that my Intrigue had were pretty much bald by 35K whereas some more conservative drivers have reported getting nearly 50K on those tires.
Local dealers are advertising new 03 base LS for under $25k! One dealer advertised last weekend for $20880! Didn't see any 'small print'. What a screaming buy. If I were in the market now, I would be test driving the car with serious intent of buying!
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
I am by no means any kind of engineer, but I try to think I understand most car stuff fairly well. However, the talk about one tire (the right rear) wearing faster than the other rear is confusing to me. I am not sure why the lack of LSD would cause one tire to wear faster. This isn't NASCAR--I am happy to left AND right, so I assume this isn't a turns issue.
Can someone explain what I am missing here. (I will then hide in shame in what is likely a "right in front of my nose" answer).
My theory with the center wear (rear tires only) is that the center of the tires bow outward under high speeds. The front tires may do the same, but, the rears are driving the car forward, so that increased friction, caused by the powertrain's push of the car in a forward direction, is all borne by the center of the tire at high speed. The basis for my theory is that, when the tire and wheel assembly is removed from the car and you look at it, the worn center tread area is actually concave and not even touching the floor under no load. I am running around 35 psi on my rears now, since replacing them early this year. My theoretical remedy is that the higher pressure will help the sidewalls pull the tread bottom tighter and lessen the chance of centrifugal standout of the center of the tread at high speed. Time will tell. I also run snows in the winter, with most of the same driving styles, and the snow tires don't show any sign of centerline wearout.
Ok to start with (not sure if I've mentioned it earlier), as your vehicles are being transported on the car-carrier's, they are restrained rather harshly. That in itself can cause issues with the alignment/balancing of the tires. What I usually do is right after I buy a vehicle, change the oil within the first 100 miles, and check balance/alignment (A few bucks, but a great start).
As for tire wear, it's such a broad field of issues to take into account, that is up there with brake pads. There's 4-5 different type of pavement which each texture can contribute to varied tire wear. Heat/ice (temperature change) is also a major factor take into account. These 2 factors alone contribute more tire wear than the common cornering forces/or aggresive driving.
On the LS look to have them replaced around 30K if your a "moderate" driver. 40-50K if your gentle with your vehicle. 20K if your aggresive as I am.
20K? Yes...I'm on my 5th set of tires already, I switched to Michelin though, they seem to handle better on wet roads. Just imagine doing a U-turn on a wet street that's rather narrow. Turn your wheel slightly, turn off your Anti-Skid control system, slam your gas and let go, Voila! 180 degree turn. You can't try that on FWD
The LS' have an anti-lift, anti-dive geometry suspension which helps divert forces and bearing loads away from the front wheels. Which is why your not seeing THAT much tire wear from the front tires, yet seeing more from the rear one's. Although this again, depends on the driver just as brake pads, so there's not much that can be done about it.
In an open differential the torque goes to the wheel with the least traction. (Ever see a vehicle with one wheel off the road in mud or ice and that one wheel is spinning like crazy and the one that's on dry pavement isn't moving at all? That's an open differential). If one wheel gets more torque (and especially if you accelerate hard and break that wheel loose a lot) it should wear faster.
If you drive very conservatively you probably won't notice a difference. But 'conservative' and 'Stanny1' are two words that aren't often mentioned together!
I see these tow statemants as contradicting one another:
"As for tire wear, it's such a broad field of issues to take into account, that is up there with brake pads. There's 4-5 different type of pavement which each texture can contribute to varied tire wear. Heat/ice (temperature change) is also a major factor take into account. These 2 factors alone contribute more tire wear than the common cornering forces/or aggresive driving.
On the LS look to have them replaced around 30K if your a "moderate" driver. 40-50K if your gentle with your vehicle. 20K if your aggresive as I am"
By the way, what are your qualifications supporting the statements you've made on this board?
I don't see how they contradict each other, but to clarify. I'm stating there's other factors involved, and THOSE 2 contribute to greater tire wear, than regular driving.
BUT aside from the 2 mentioned, a persons driving habit might also be a factor, BUT to a lesser degree than the 2 I mentioned previously.
"By the way, what are your qualifications supporting the statements you've made on this board? "
I can't state them because I could face serious charges. All I can say is view some Ford Future products forums, and you might be able to piece it together.
All vehicles tend to wear the shoulders of the front tires and the centers of the rears. This is because the front tires do the steering and have to deflect during cornering. This is particularly true for FWD cars, where the front tires do most of the work and the rears just kinda follow. All things being equal tire wear rates on RWD's are about the same, front to rear. FWD it's about 2 1/2 times faster on the front than the rear.
BTW most tire wear occurs during the cornering mode, when the tire is required to develop a slip angle to produce the forces necessary to change the direction of the vehicle. Slip angle = wear. Which is why minimal toe in is very important for long tire life.
Pavement does have an effect on tire wear. Florida, for example, using "young limestone" in its concrete - you can readily see the shells - and in new concrete roads, the edges of the shells tend to slice rubber off the tire, rather than grind it off.
I suspect that if there is one corner that is experiencing rapid or unusual wear patterns, that there is an alignment problem with that corner. Also possible that that "driving style" might also be a factor. In the US, right hand turns are generally sharper than left hand turns, and the way one individual deals with these differences might cause some difference in tire wear.
You didn't mention if you have the Firehawks, or if you live where it snows but, if you do, expect some trouble this winter. I've had three sets of Firehawks, like them a lot, but they lose their wet and snow grip pretty dramatically after about 25k miles, even if the tread looks like it will go 40k+. Actually, all the tire's performance goes downhill long before they look worn out. I replaced the originals on my '00 V8 Sport at 30k miles because winter was near. Thought I was throwing away tires with plenty of life left, but the difference in ride, quiet, steering, and grip with the new ones was amazing. I hadn't realized how far the performance had deteriorated, since it happened gradually.
Disclaimer: I'm hard on tires. I drive twisty roads daily, and with enthusiasm. My second set of Firehawks got autocrossed a couple times a month and still gave good service for almost 30k miles.
I live in TN so snow is not a big issue, but we do get some from time to time. While a moderate to large snowfall will shut the city down(i.e. I don't have to go to work), I do want to be able to get around a little if there is a light snowfall. This was a concern for me when buying the LS as my FWD Intrigue(which had stability and traction control) was excellent in the snow. I'm hoping with the traction and stability control on the LS, I can still drive if there is light snow on the ground. As for wet weather traction, I have noticed that if I take a sharp curve at a high rate of speed(intentionally) when the pavement is wet, the rear of the car wants to fishtail. The advancetrack will quickly kick in and hold things in place, but this is something my Intrigue never did. Not sure if it is the tires or simply a characteristic of the LS being RWD. Potential winter weather driving aside, I don't think I'll ever go back to FWD. I'm impressed every time I nail the gas while making a turn and the steering wheel does not go in it's own direction. When the times does come to replace the tires on my LS, what would you recommend? Remember, mine has the sport package and the 17" Firestone Firehawks. So far I'm impressed with the tires. While some have complained they are noisy, they are no where near as noisy as the badyears on my Intrigue were.
What pressure are you running the tires at? If you run them at 30 PSI, it should reduce the fishtailing tendency. I have a Word document which I have compiled lots of tire postings into one document. If you want a copy, drop me an email at lobsenza@rose-grp.com
Some people don't like them (I wonder how much of it is knee-jerk anti-Firestone), but the Firehawks are hard to beat for a compromise between performance, comfort, and winter use. The Lincoln suspension engineers say there is no better tire for the '00-02 LS. They're out of production but you can still buy them, generally around $125/per, a good price for that size. If you don't care much about snow performance, there are many good choices. Nobody doesn't love Michelin, the all-seasons they're using on the '03 Sports are great, but bring your $$$$.
I think you're feeling the rear get away in the wet because your tires are worn. I know, the tread still looks good and you can probably run them 40k miles and beyond before it wears out, but they will not grip in the wet like good tires.
I know the Firehawk has never had a documented failure problem, and wouldn't cause a rollover anyway I suppose. But I just couldn't buy a Firestone tire right now, regardless. I'm protesting their denial of responsibility over the Wilderness issue I guess.
Don't have it on mine and thought it was a gimmick until we had the opportunity to drive a flooded course during our annual get together back in Michigan. everyone drove the course successfully with it on and few completed it with it off.
Just wanted to second scott8's comments. I got my 2000 LS in the middle of winter. With the brand new Firestone Firehawks I had no problems in the snow. However the following winter with less than 15K miles on them my LS had become somewhat difficult to handle in the snow.
I also agree with scott8 about tire deterioration. Tires are like beer and not like red wine. That is red wine improves with age. Beer and tires are their best the day they come off the production line. It's all down hill for them after that, time is their enemy. Tire rubber starts hardening the day after it was made. Heat and ozone speeds the aging process. A tire can have pleanty of tread left, but if it is 5 years old, that tire is most likely a has been and should be replaced.
Don't know if any of you saw the tire failure news story that ran on both NBC & ABC a week or 2 ago. The news story was pushing for clear date coding on tires. It said pretty much the same thing that I just typed about tire aging. It also added that even if a tire has never been used, but just sat around in a warehouse for 10 years it should be thrown out and never used because of the deterioration in the rubber. IIRC they also said that some European countries have laws that do not allow the sale of tires that are more than 7 years old.
They also said in that story that it included your spare tire(if you have a real one). I have many times run cars 4 yrs on the original tires and then purchased 3 new ones and used the spare as the 4th since it probably had never been on the ground. Bad decision I guess. They didn't mention the donut spare which never leaves the trunk except for emergencies. I suppose it should be considered "aged" too but who would bother buying a new one of those?
slunar makes a good point about new tires that have been in a warehouse a while. My last set of Firehawks was purchased last October, and they didn't seem to have the grip the first two sets had. I suspect it's because, since they've been out of production for awhile, the tires are actually a couple years old. I replaced them with some Kumho KH-11s for the summer but the Firehawks are going back on before the first snow. We'll see how they do this winter. Much as I like them, these will be my last Firehawks because you can't buy new ones that are actually new.
My 2001 LSV8 came equipped with the Bridgestone Turanza 235-50/17 tires (Canadian thing, I guess). Same experience as most, in that they were fine the first winter. I noticed a significant deterioration in wet performance over the next summer, to the point that by autumn I knew there was no way to make it though the next winter safely. They came off the car November, 2002, at 40K kilometers and approx. 35 - 40% tread left. They are in the garage to be remounted prior to turning the car in next spring. With guidance from this group, they were replaced with Michelin Pilot A/S 245-45/17 rubber. All I can say is that those tires are a perfect marriage with the LS, and are worth every penny. I have put an additional 25K kilometers on the car, and believe to have experienced substantially less roll-off of wet performance through the summer, although memory may be kind. I do know that I am not at all concerned about tackling the impending winter on the same tires. Time will tell, and I'll keep you all posted regarding my experiences.
Although I do not drive my LS as hard as some of the regular contributers, I am far from gentle with it. I love the twisty bits, the freeway on and off ramps, and the stop-lights. There are many a humbled BMW driver in my area, let alone young folks with major investments in their Honda Civics, etc. (more engine and suspension, less stereo investment recommended). ;-) Having said the, there has been a lot of discussion regarding tire wear lately. I have always run 32lbs. all around, for both sets of tires on the LS. I have not experienced any center wear on the rears at all; they are as even across as the day they were put on. The only uneven wear I have noticed is that the tread shoulders on the front mounted Bridgestones rounded off a bit during their time on the car. The Pilots are not even showing this, despite what I believe to be even more spirited driving. The roads in my area are generally fairly good, and the base material is limestone, which may be a contributing factor to the even wear. I look forward to your comments...
Comments
I'm worried about the hydraulic fan lines that were mentioned in regard to failure - can anyone share any details?
I have autumn red paint and the trunk lid seems to be very suseptable to scratches. I just waxed the car last week and it is already showing scratches on the trunk lid.
Driving long haul is a pleasure. At our annual Lincoln meet this year in Detroit, I hit the road back to Dallas at 7:00 am never expecting that 21 hours later I would have driven 1400 miles non stop.
Top speed varies from 142 to 145 on the LS Sport.
I had the same problem on my 2000 LS8. I took the tires to a garage with a Hunter 9800 road force analyzer. This is a balancing machine that checks and balances the tires while applying a force on the tire (a roller) to simulate the tire actually on a car on a road and under load.
After re-balancing the tires on the Hunter, the steering wheel nibble was better but not completely gone. I then rotated the tires to put the 2 tires that had the lowest amount of balancing weight on them (one was 1/4 oz, the other 1/2 oz) on the front of my LS. This completely cured the steering wheel nibble. Since I had unidirectional tires, this ment no more tire rotating.
I read somewhere that BMW is now recommending that you do NOT rotate tires. They were claiming that the radial tires take a set and when you rotate them the cords have to take new set and in the process can cause vibrations and steering wheel shake. This sounds just like the 1970's when radial tires became popular and most tire companies said not move radial tires to the other side of the car, just move them between the front and rear on the same side.
Thanks
AIUTO: Try Ford's ESP, it's more comprehensive and since it's an in-house warranty, it's less of an issue do deal with if issues arise, than a 3rd party warranty service.
1. I am use to a lot of lumbar support and even with the adjustment all the way out my seat still feels almost concave. Is there any way that the dealer or an upholstery shop could increase the amount of lumbar support?
2. This car would look much better with larger tires and wheels as on the V8 model. Has anyone gone to a larger wheel and/or tire on the base car? Would a step up in size cause any problems with the computer etc.?
crockersmith, I know a few people who have gone to 18s, one who has 20 inch wheels and tires. You will have some speedometer error, otherwise no problem. Or you can switch to the 17" Sport package wheels and tires with no speedo error; they are almost exactly the same outside diameter. If you go bigger, watch out for tire rubbing, and be aware the LS wheels have a lot of offset. Buy wheels from a reputable dealer that knows how to match wheels to the car. I might suggest lowering the car to achieve the look you're after, but so far the only aftermarket springs available for the LS are for the V8 models only.
I'm curious who tough is it? where does it go, etc.
Please let me know if you have any info.
thx!
Ace
The less loaded right rear tire loses traction first and wears faster, especially in the center of the tire which is essentially over-inflated compared to the left rear tire.
Lack of real LSD is an industry-wide problem today.
Many times in the past I've complained about the lack of adjustment so I could equalize those settings, but any more camber and the tires would be almost on their sidewalls! Stanny, as well as a number of others, have complained about center tread wear. Large amounts of camber, either pos. or neg. will cause EDGE wear, not center wear.
By the way, an LSD would be a welcome addition to the car...especially for those of us who live in the snow belt.
And yes, a limited slip diff. WOULD be quite welcome. I feel very limited by the open rear end in the LS when exiting corners at high throttle and cornering forces, also during full throttle launches. The car would go around a track much faster with a LSD.
the front of the seat and it is all the way out. I have been very
disappointed in this feature and have a hard time getting comfortable when I
go on long trips. I will ask my dealer about this on my first service visit
or I may talk to an upholstery shop.
Let me know if you have any other suggestions.
Since my LS was the MTX model, I think wear is accelerated by the increased shock loads of a manual car.
The result was incresed right rear wear, typical of a car with a open differential.
I'm sure there are other factors like the IRS set-up in general, tire pressure and even the fact that there is no passenger weight on the right side.
The stock Firestones lasted 26k and center wear was minimal. But the Bridgestone SO-3 Potenzas lasted only 12k and while they were corner killers, they exhibited unreal center wear on both sides in the rear only.
I chaulked that up to too high tire pressures compared to the front.
I remember Jonathan's advice at Mania 1 to keep the rear pressures lower to limit the "tail happiness" we were experiencing.
I brought my own compressor and guage that day and rear pressures over 36 lb seem to diminish the grip.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
Can someone explain what I am missing here. (I will then hide in shame in what is likely a "right in front of my nose" answer).
Mike in NH
As for tire wear, it's such a broad field of issues to take into account, that is up there with brake pads. There's 4-5 different type of pavement which each texture can contribute to varied tire wear. Heat/ice (temperature change) is also a major factor take into account. These 2 factors alone contribute more tire wear than the common cornering forces/or aggresive driving.
On the LS look to have them replaced around 30K if your a "moderate" driver. 40-50K if your gentle with your vehicle. 20K if your aggresive as I am.
20K? Yes...I'm on my 5th set of tires already, I switched to Michelin though, they seem to handle better on wet roads. Just imagine doing a U-turn on a wet street that's rather narrow. Turn your wheel slightly, turn off your Anti-Skid control system, slam your gas and let go, Voila! 180 degree turn. You can't try that on FWD
The LS' have an anti-lift, anti-dive geometry suspension which helps divert forces and bearing loads away from the front wheels. Which is why your not seeing THAT much tire wear from the front tires, yet seeing more from the rear one's. Although this again, depends on the driver just as brake pads, so there's not much that can be done about it.
If you drive very conservatively you probably won't notice a difference. But 'conservative' and 'Stanny1' are two words that aren't often mentioned together!
I see these tow statemants as contradicting one another:
"As for tire wear, it's such a broad field of issues to take into account, that is up there with brake pads. There's 4-5 different type of pavement which each texture can contribute to varied tire wear. Heat/ice (temperature change) is also a major factor take into account. These 2 factors alone contribute more tire wear than the common cornering forces/or aggresive driving.
On the LS look to have them replaced around 30K if your a "moderate" driver. 40-50K if your gentle with your vehicle. 20K if your aggresive as I am"
By the way, what are your qualifications supporting the statements you've made on this board?
look for the word 'new'. if you can't find it, it probably isn't, or it's a loaner, rental, etc.
BUT aside from the 2 mentioned, a persons driving habit might also be a factor, BUT to a lesser degree than the 2 I mentioned previously.
"By the way, what are your qualifications supporting the statements you've made on this board? "
I can't state them because I could face serious charges. All I can say is view some Ford Future products forums, and you might be able to piece it together.
BTW most tire wear occurs during the cornering mode, when the tire is required to develop a slip angle to produce the forces necessary to change the direction of the vehicle. Slip angle = wear. Which is why minimal toe in is very important for long tire life.
Pavement does have an effect on tire wear. Florida, for example, using "young limestone" in its concrete - you can readily see the shells - and in new concrete roads, the edges of the shells tend to slice rubber off the tire, rather than grind it off.
I suspect that if there is one corner that is experiencing rapid or unusual wear patterns, that there is an alignment problem with that corner. Also possible that that "driving style" might also be a factor. In the US, right hand turns are generally sharper than left hand turns, and the way one individual deals with these differences might cause some difference in tire wear.
Disclaimer: I'm hard on tires. I drive twisty roads daily, and with enthusiasm. My second set of Firehawks got autocrossed a couple times a month and still gave good service for almost 30k miles.
I think you're feeling the rear get away in the wet because your tires are worn. I know, the tread still looks good and you can probably run them 40k miles and beyond before it wears out, but they will not grip in the wet like good tires.
I also agree with scott8 about tire deterioration. Tires are like beer and not like red wine. That is red wine improves with age. Beer and tires are their best the day they come off the production line. It's all down hill for them after that, time is their enemy. Tire rubber starts hardening the day after it was made. Heat and ozone speeds the aging process. A tire can have pleanty of tread left, but if it is 5 years old, that tire is most likely a has been and should be replaced.
Don't know if any of you saw the tire failure news story that ran on both NBC & ABC a week or 2 ago. The news story was pushing for clear date coding on tires. It said pretty much the same thing that I just typed about tire aging. It also added that even if a tire has never been used, but just sat around in a warehouse for 10 years it should be thrown out and never used because of the deterioration in the rubber. IIRC they also said that some European countries have laws that do not allow the sale of tires that are more than 7 years old.
Although I do not drive my LS as hard as some of the regular contributers, I am far from gentle with it. I love the twisty bits, the freeway on and off ramps, and the stop-lights. There are many a humbled BMW driver in my area, let alone young folks with major investments in their Honda Civics, etc. (more engine and suspension, less stereo investment recommended). ;-) Having said the, there has been a lot of discussion regarding tire wear lately. I have always run 32lbs. all around, for both sets of tires on the LS. I have not experienced any center wear on the rears at all; they are as even across as the day they were put on. The only uneven wear I have noticed is that the tread shoulders on the front mounted Bridgestones rounded off a bit during their time on the car. The Pilots are not even showing this, despite what I believe to be even more spirited driving. The roads in my area are generally fairly good, and the base material is limestone, which may be a contributing factor to the even wear. I look forward to your comments...