Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis Tires/Wheels

fscarano

Any one ever used republic tires? Are they a good tire?

Thank you in advance.

marsha7

that Republic tires are the generic tires made by Goodyear, so I might guess they are almost up to Goodyear standards...perfect if you are selling the car...:):)

jsylvester

I put Kenda Kruisers on my old Mercury. They worked fine. Hard to find (not saying they are worth looking for), but Cooper Tire started some sort of cobranding with them.

fscarano

I have a 2000 MGM. I just replaced the tires and man are they loud. I don’t recall having this much road noise with the Michelin Symmetry OEM.

Any Ideas on a tire that is quieter and smooth ride.

Don’t buy Republic tires

euphonium

Republic tires are a lot quieter than Democrats who hold more hot air, but will always let you down with a blow - out.

marsha7

Sounds good to me...

fscarano: I believe that Republic are the "BrandX" generic tires sold by Goodyear...I would only buy the Goodyear or Dunlop tires...many others are good, too, of course, but I like Goodyear...

joe109

Just passed 5000 miles on my new 2005 GM. Ready to rotate the WSW Michelins. Went to the trunk. The conventional spare was a Pirelli black wall. Took it to the dealer so they could "make it right". They gave me a Michelin black wall and said they couldn't go to the whitewall---Ford policy. No doubt they took the Michelin out of another new car on the lot. Three weeks later and many emails and phone calls to Dearborn still got me nowhere. They did take my complaint. Locally the difference between the WSW and black wall is $3 retail. So much for the "New FMC" we see advertised on TV. So if you want a matching spare with your new GM or Crown Vic you better have black walls on the ground. This was a $120 option I could have done without.

Searching other Mercury brochures I find that they clearly state that the full size factory spare on the Mercury Mountaineer is "non matching". For $63 plus tax I'm going to swap the Michelin in at Discount Tire and get a matching spare. Next rotation will be a 5-way.

jsylvester

If they don't give you a matching spare, why offer a full size spare on any car that comes with WSW from the factory?

Sounds pretty silly to me.

euphonium

With their computer sequential production system, there is no reason whatsoever why they can't install five matching tires on a vehicle.

g45

Thank you so much for letting us know about this incident. It appears, sadly, that Ford continues their asinine behavior.

Is it any wonder they recently had to close fourteen factories! It is unfathomable Ford executives actually are paid a salary to treat customers in this manner. Quite literally, these idiots need to have their heads examined.

You were generous and understanding with them. You gave them the opportunity to put the matter right. Instead of jumping at the opening you very kindly offered them, the jackasses at Ford stonewalled you and treated you like sh--. It boggles the mind.

Only last December, after losing two court cases (the original case and their appeal), Ford finally settled the CV/MGM plastic intake manifold fiasco. This Ford disaster, which emanated from the same kind of Ford arrogance seen in the present incident, impugns all unrepaired CV/MGM vehicles manufactured between 1996 and 2001. They obviously had a serious design problem. But they denied the problem and refused for many years either to change their design or make things right for customers. They did not clean up this design problem until 2002!

Folks we are in an internet age. News travels really fast these days. Consumers are networked to a degree unprecedented in history. Can anybody tell me how Ford expects to get away with these kinds of customer abuse? Stuff like this just leaves customers shaking their heads and running for the rice burners (which I detest . . . because I happen to be an American).

I am retired now, but I used to work for a large Fortune 500 corporation. During my working days we treated customers like Gods. It is because the customers were solely responsible for keeping our business afloat. The customer was always right. But NEVER was this more true than when (as in this incident) the customer actually WAS right.

Ford HAS to know their response in this matter is wrong. If they continue with this kind of customer abusive thinking Ford will fail and go out of business.

A non-matching full size spare tire! How outrageous! Ford executives must have gotten their brains at a discount store. They are deranged.

Just for the record, my own 2005 MGM has the reduced size spare tire. But IF I had ordered a full-sized spare I would simply have ASSUMED it would match my other four tires. I would not have thought to check something like this. It is just so obvious!

If the potentates at Ford do not wake up they are all going to die in their sleep.

euphonium

Forty years ago my 66 Mustang's spare matched. A year later, my 67 Ford Country Sedan's spare matched.

In 1996 I toured the Wixom plant and learned of their "Computer Sequential Production" system which enabled the Lincolns to be built with parts on the premises for less than 24 hours. The spares matched then so what has happened?

If your spare is one of those little doughnut tires, replace it with a full size, for safety sake. We lost a tire North of Kelowna, BC and our full size spare was a Godsend.

turbo301

Hmmm, I like the sound of a 5-way

Seriously, though, I'm really amazed at how animated everyone is getting over the idea of the spare tire being different from the regular tires. I mean, it's a SPARE, it's there for emergencies, who cares what it looks like? I believe that a tire rotation should only involve the four on the ground anyway; throw one brand new tire into the mix, and you're asking for squirrley handling, uneven wear, and all the rest of it.

My CV's factory spare is not only a different tire, but on the police-issue steel wheel - no fancy aluminum for me (does Ford give an aluminum wheel to you GM buyers?). Imagine the look of THAT 5-way :confuse:

When you buy a new set of tires for your car, do you buy a new spare too? I'm assuming that everyone answers a resounding, "No, why the heck would we?" Thus, as soon as you get new tires, your spare won't match anyway, so give the Ford boys a break. a.) Be happy that there is still a car that offers a regular, full-size spare, and b.) Ford has much bigger issues to worry about... like why my CV didn't start this afternoon, after only 300 km after my 40,000 km service! :sick:

euphonium

When the brand new vehicle has a matching spare, tire rotation would include the five tires. After they have all worn out, keep the least worn of the five as a spare and buy just four new tires. Would not running the first five tires equally enable the tire mileage to increase at least 20%? It works for me.

turbo301

[quote]Would not running the first five tires equally enable the tire mileage to increase at least 20%? It works for me.[/quote]

It depends on whether or not your tires last long enough to get four tire rotations, which I highly doubt would happen. Factory tires don't seem to last very long, even if you do drive nicely (although I'm hoping to get 80,000 km out of mine - that's still only two or three rotations). The whole five-tire rotation schtick never made sense to me, even back when almost every car had a conventional spare. The best way to ensure even wear is to only involve those tires that already have wear on them. How do you determine which tire gets replaced by the spare in the first rotation (or subsequent rotations, for that matter)? Judging wear is too subjective. Do you go by the most worn tread, the most rounded corner, the most cracks? With all four originals on the ground, you don't have to make that judgement.

Now, on the other hand, one good reason to involve the spare is that, after 20 years, it's hard to trust that your spare, whether it's used or not, is still good! Using it up with the rest of the tires prevents you from finding out the hard way.

fscarano

I purchased a set of Uniroyal tiger paw touring. The tire rides like a dream I’m confused about the tire pressure. The installer placed 38 psi in each tire. I told them ford recommends 32 psi. They told me never to go by what the auto maker recommends go by what the tire manufacturer recommends’. Now I can’t find any thing that tells me Uniroyal recommends 38 psi. The installer also told me that tires have changed since 2000 and the plate in my door jam is not to today’s standards. If the sticker on my door jam is incorrect wouldn’t Ford have to update all G/M owners? I’m curious what the 2005-2006 G/M tire pressure is? If any of you have tire experience and could assist me I would be grateful.

euphonium

The maximum air pressure is printed on the side of the tire. 32 = comfort; 35 = economy; 38 = sport (& increased mpg)so get out the magnifying glass & take a look.

What was the previous tires brand? Michelin?

fscarano

yes Michelin I keep 32 psi in them.

euphonium

As US Royal makes a very good tire and because you choose to replace Michelins with them, which in your opinion offers a better or more comfortable ride? I'm starting to look at new tires to replace our Michelins & am leaning towards Michelin's Symnetry. Thanks for your reply.

fscarano

I hade Michelin's Symmetry OEM I replaced them do to the age 5 years. The uniroyal rides like a dream, quiet I was confused on the 38 psi vs ford recommended 32psi no other tire installer recommends this so hence my confusion. Still no light shed on the subject.

Have a great day.

edwin10

If you think Ford is the only one that treats customers
that way, where have you been.

They all do this the Asians, Europeans, and Americans.

I had an expensive Asian car, and had some problems
with it, they stone walled me over, and over again
because they could not figure out how to fix it.

g45

You wrote:

"If you think Ford is the only one that treats customers that way, where have you been."

Read my post again and tell me where I say Ford is the _ONLY_ company which treats its customers poorly. Nowhere did I write that.

Your faulty interpretation of my writing is solely your own affair. Words have meaning; mine were carefully chosen.

While I do not dispute your assertion that other manufacturers are sometimes abusive of their customers, be aware my post spoke only of treatment by FMC of FMC customers, one of whom was in this case the OP.

I was sharply critical of Ford's idiocy, and I stand by that criticism.

FMC falls easily within the topic set of this forum. My post was on topic and spoke directly to the matter raised by the OP.

When I want to comment on OTHER manufacturers' actions, I will offer those comments in the appropriate venue.

Regardless what others do, Ford needs to clean up its act and treat customers with respect. The sooner they face up to their failings in this regard, the more successful they will be.

Period.

fscarano

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/rulings/TireReserve/OriginalDataShortVINs/Fo- rd/Appendix%20A_Mercury%20Grand%20Marquis,%20final-NoVINs.xls

marsha7

My 2004 CV LX Sport came with Goodyear Eagle LS tires, rode smooth...after 47000 miles, time to replace...

Three weeks ago, I bought 4 of the new Goodyear Comfort-Tred Kevlar or Carbon tires, supposed to be Goodyear's best...

Did not work for me...smooth as glass 0-40 mph, from 40-65 mph the seat shook like the rear tires were out of balance, and then from 65-80 mph, steering wheel started to shake...

Took them back, they rebalanced them (did not see if they were out of balance) and I drove away, same exact problem at the same exact speeds...

This morning I exchanged them for Regatta tires, a proven tire that I put on my Sable 3 year ago...drivers seat continues to shake on a smooth road, and the steering wheel shakes above 60 mph...

Even with poor tread, the Eagle LS tires ran smooth up to 85 mph, the car ran true, so I do not believe it is wheel alignment, as the car continues to run straight on the hiway...

Before I complain to Goodyear about these tires, any thoughts on what this could be???...I hesitate to think 2 sets of defective tires would land on my car, altho I do feel that Murphy and his Law are close friends of mine...

harmar2

Last fall, I had to replace a Michelin (original equipment) on the front, because of a nail on the edge of the tread near a sidewall, so bought two Bridgestone Turanzas (I refuse to buy Michelin till the French act as if they like us Americans). For years, I used Turanzas on a Mazda Protege and loved them. These new Turanzas, however, had a rhythmic "flap, flap, flap" to them that made me wonder if they had not been balanced properly. Took 'em back and they rebalanced them. No better! Had them rebalanced, at my expense, by the Ford dealership that services my GM. No better! They "flap" worse when cold, and improve as they warm up, but don't completely quit "flapping." Likely a tire composition matter that no rebalancing will solve.

At 72,000 miles, I decided to replace the other two Michelins, but with Yokohama Avids (well rated by Consumer Reports). I put the Turanzas on the rear where their "flapping" isn't as noticeable. The Avids are terrific! Quiet, tri-tread pattern for all season handling (not yet run in MI snows, though), and less costly than GoodYear or Michelin.

Years, ago, also, we used to balance tires while the rims were mounted on the vehicle. A strobe light measured how they spun while mounted, which took into account any balance problem that resulted from the wheel/tire interaction with the suspension. They don't use that method anymore, but could there be a connection there with yours?

Incidentally, I wanted to buy GoodYear, but don't like the looks of the tread pattern on any of their models. I realize "eyeballing" a tread isn't scientific, but since GoodYear's AquaTread, I've been skeptical of those patterns.

Good luck solving your dilemma.

euphonium

Our '94 Town Car has a set of Michelin X tires with 70k on them with a lot of tread left.

Our '95 T Bird has a set of Michelin Symetrys with 48K on them with NOT a lot of tread left.

Both sets of Michelins have always run smooth and quiet.

bigunit67

I do not own a CV or GM, but have put a set of these tires on my 98 Buick Regal. Yes, they are highly rated and rode smoothly when new. However, they are a disaster for me. I've had them rotated every 5k miles (30k on them total) and will have to get two of them replaced soon as they are vibrating me to death between 45-65. Above 70 it seems to lessen out. I have had them Hunter Road Force balanced and that has not made a difference. No rim troubles, no other suspension problems. Friend told me that some customers are finding that their experiences don't add up to those of what tirerack will tell you

bertha9292

Its not the tires I have a 92 Grand marq with the exact same problem. Bought the car a year ago with 92000 km and replaced the old michelins because of wear and a little shake. New tires did not solve the shake but emphasized it. I had the balancing redone and that solved nothing. I had the drive shaft and front end inspected and nothing was wrong. I realligned the car and nothing changed. I am turning my attention now to the transmission and the uni joint in the rearend in general, because the shaking starts under the seat. I was told that a very expensive Ford designed tranny fluid (maybe the synthetic mentioned in another thread) is used in a lot of the cars to solve "shudders" in the car when changing gears at slow speeds. If that doesn't work I'm at a loss. I wonder if a mod to the handling package suspension might work. :confuse:

bruneau1

Your tire dealer is an idiot/

frank06

I bought a 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis LS Ultimate in April 2006. It has the Chrome Wheel option, and Full Size Spare Wheel option which added $695 and $80 respectively to the MSRP. Not only was it a surprise, but also, in my opinion, deceptive marketing, to not include the information that the full size spare would not be on a matching chrome wheel, but also that the spare tire would not match in name and would be a blackwall and not a matching whitewall tire. Also the fact that the factory puts the wheel balancing weights on the outboard side of the wheel instead on the inboard side, especially on a chrome wheel shows a obvious lack of judgement or outright lack of concern for customer satisfaction. One other comment on a lack of reasoning in the marketing area. On the Mercury Grand Marquis, whitewall tires come as standard equipment, but if you order the handling package, they are replaced with blackwall tires instead of the same size and if you had bought the Ford Crown Victoria which does not come with whitewall tires as standard, you would pay $80 for the whitewall tire option. Not only is the customer that wants the handling package paying $695 MSRP for it, but in reality giving back to Mercury the $80 they would charge on their cars to upgrade from blackwall to whitewall tires.

frank06

I bought a 1994 Crown Vic Lx new in July 1994 and in April 2006 bought new a Grand Marquis Ls. The safisfying experience with the 94 Vic, brought me back to consider and buying the 06 Grand Marquis. I kept my 94 because it still rides and looks great. My 06 Marquis, I hope will be as good a choice as the Vic has been. Wish they had kept the inside gas door release, bigger gas tank, under hood light, cassette player(not available with 6 CD in dash option) and the old instant fuel economy displays that came with electronic dash option on the Vic. I do like the passenger side air bag that auto dis ables in certain seating situations on the Marquis. I like the added option of front seat side air bags not available on the Vic in 94. I do like the laminated side glass option on the 06 that was not available on the 94, this laminated side glass is marketed as a safety feature, but an additional improvement in my opinion is the better insulating of the interior from outside noise and temperature extremes. Other than normal scheduled maintenance, oil, filters, brakes, tires, and replacing of original factory battery(that lasted 8 years, the only weak feature on the 94 has been the need to replace all four windown track assemblys,,but only one window motor, have replaced the serpentine belt at about 80,000 miles. Appearance wise, on the Marquis, I am so glad they eliminated the awful, cheap looking exterior radio antenna and have it embedded in the back glass. I still prefer the front door interior lights of the Vic over the un-lit reflectors on the Marquis.

euphonium

For 80 bucks you got a much better spare than the usual donut supplied in most new cars. The real full size tire is very much worth the cost and is not chrome like the other four because it is a spare and not intended to be rotated with the other four. It is just a very good spare.

As for mounting the wheel weights - I agree with your observation 100%. Few of us care enough about such things as the majority of drivers just don't care.

jsylvester

I too moved from a 1994 to a newer one - a 94 Grand Marquis LS for a 2002 Grand Marquis LSE. The newer one handles better, but the older one had better road isolation.

The window regulators were a weak point on the older Grand Marquis - the only weak points on the newer ones is the cost cutting in certain areas by Ford - the bugs have been worked out for the most part, so you should get good service for years from the newer one.

jwlundy

What about installing 16" rims on a 91 Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park Wagon? Factory rims are 15". I want to run a larger tire than the std. Ford spec tire.

Standard tires for Ford Crown Vic and Mercury Colony Park Wagons are 215x75x15. Have run 225x75x15 on Crown Vic Wagon.

Cannot buy Michelin HyroEdge tires 225x75,70,or 60 x15. If 16" rims will work I could buy Michelin HydroEdge 225x60x16".

I installed heavy duty Moog springs and Heavy Duty Bilstein shocks on a Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park Wagon. Wagon now sits up higher and 215's look way too small.

I think the rims will fit. Height clearance should be okay. Turning clearance?

Anyone have any comments or suggestions?

euphonium

Considering the subject vehicle is over 15 years in age, my economic approach would be to install 225 Michelins on the factory wheels because I don't know if 16" rims are compatible with the brake system and are you considering making the adjustments in your speedometer and odometer?

Is there a 235 75 X15 Michelin out there you could use?

fordenvy

I replaced them because they wouldn't hold pressure worth a darn, but I found out it improved other things to. Such as the way it handled at high speeds, steering wheel was easier to turn and no jerky freeway curves, you know those jerky corrections. Also the took bumps better and quieter. I thought michelins were good tires, and these tires weren't even wore out. With 43000 miles and 3 years old. You think it was an isolated pair of michelins that were bad or do you think it is in general. I always thought the car was that bad of quality, but these new tires turned my entire belief around. It's like 200% better in all those categories. And I also keep 32 psi in my tires, because that is what I recommend not because Ford recommends it.

pewe

Can anybody please help me out on how to go about adapting 2003 wheels on my 2000 Crown Vic. Thanks

euphonium

Are they not interchangable, considering the bolt patterns?

Remember to update the spare if you go to the larger wheels.

deangelotl

I currrently have a 1994 Mercury Grand Marquis in am wondering if 22" wheels will fit on the car without a lift kit

cobrass

I have a grand marquis 1996 LS The Optional one with the nice rims (Grilled) screen shape.

and I was wondering if I can get something as nice as those for winter, I don't want to rowan them in salt The tire says P225/60/16 I think.

The bolt pattern is not common so Canadian tire dose not carry any Alloy rims for it
Unfortunately.

I'm going to contact the dealership for similar ones to see if they still have them.

Any suggestions/recommendations? I don't want to spend a whole lots of money and at the same time I don't want to order/ship from outside.

Thanks alot
sam,

dj7trypp

Best tires I have found are toyo touring 800 ultras. I'm running 225/75r15 on aftermarket saltflat wheels. They have good noise reduction and so much traction on dry pavement I can't burn the tires at all unless I'm going around a corner. If you want to go american, BFgoodrich or mickey thompson all the way. If you want your car to do CRAZY things around corners thicker stabilizer bars, Bilstein or eibach springs, kyb gas-a-just shocks, neg-roll control arms and a set of falken blades will do the trick.

My project is a maroon '90 CV with 54x18.5in boggers and a 24in lift though. I will post pictures as I go.

family_man1

On my '97 Grand Marquis LS, the tires that are on there now (same ones when I bought the car a little over a year and a half ago) are low on tread, but should be ok until income taxes come in..... Anyway, the current tire size on the car is a 225/70R15..... The two tires that I'm looking toward is either the Michelin Hydro Edge or the Good Year Assurance Triple Tred. Where I live, it rarely gets cold enough for ice to form on the roads, and when it does, it doesn't hang out long. It pretty much is quite a rare occasion for it to snow, whenever it does snow though, seems like everything shuts down so people down here can enjoy it, so as far as the winter hardiness of the tire goes, it's not as important as other factors. Rain, we get a bit of it from time to time, and when I nice storm comes through they are usually compared to a small hurricane.... We still have a few dirt roads down here, but when they are wet, I try to avoid them. So, any suggestions? I'm not sure what the mileage rating for the Good Year is, but the Michelin is listed to be a 90k warranty on it....

family_man1

Well, after finally using a different web browser, I managed to check sizing, ect on the tires..... The Good Year tires that I have listed is the only one out of the two that come in the current size that's on the car now..... The also have an 80k warranty.... So I guess the answer to the above question should be an easy one now, though I still would like to know if anyone here has these tires or not, and if so, what do you all think of them?

euphonium

Our Town Car came with Goodyear 225 X 15's & they lasted 60,000. I replaced them with Michelin X and they lasted 90,000 and 12 years. I just replaced them with Michelin Symmetrys and they ride the best.

Our T Bird has had Hydro Edge tires for over two years and no complaints.

If you have 225's you probably have dual exhaust and the "touring" suspension. Some Ford products call it the "handling package". If your Merc rides stiff and you feel the cracks in the pavement, I'd recommend the Symmetry Michelin. You could even drop down to the 215 X 70X 15 & have a White wall if you wanted to do that.

family_man1

assuming that these are the original sized tires on he car, how would I be able to tell what packages this cars has? It only has single exhaust and I would not say that the car has a firm ride. I used to work as a correctional officer, and have driven he police edition Crown Vic a few times, and that car had a stiff ride to it, but it would get on down the road a bit easier to, lol. I don't have the window sticker that came with the car, and the people who I bought the car from inherited the car from their parents when they passed, so... Once I get the new tires on it, I would like to turn my attention a little more to the performance side of the car, due to the fact that the 4.6 in it, just doesn't seem to be all there..... I know it's not a Mustang, but I figure it should do more than it does.... I would love to have a Marauder, and there was one being sold not too long ago at the local Ford dealer, but heck, not many of them made, and this is a daily driven car, so the Marauder would end up getting some miles on it.... Anyways, thanks for the mentioning of the tires euphonium, I'll look into them.