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Don't laugh--->I will be the first to admit I know NOTHING about cars other than a) where to put the gas and windshield washer fluid and b) take it to the gas station if the low gas idiot light comes on, and c) take it to the auto shop if any of the other idiot lights come on. (And thanks to Ford I can also turn my interior dash lights about 348374173 different colors lol!) Which is why I turn to you who hopefully know a lot more about cars than I do.
I have a 2007 Mustang. Just the basic V6 grocery-getter. Well Ford saw fit to pretty the packaging of an otherwise average grocery-getter by sticking some fancy upholstery that says "Mustang" under your backside (which is impossibel to keep clean in light beige by the way) and throwing on these big 18 inch tires on it.
Well the tires Ford had on the car are absolute junk IMHO. Falken. I have just turned 16,000 miles in the car, and the "low tire pressure" idiot light came on. So I went to Discount Tire to have them check the tires. They told me they were DRY ROTTING and needed to be replaced ASAP. Less than 2 years after I got the car? At first I suspected it had something to do with the fact I live in a desert where it not infrequently can top 110'. Everyone I talked to who has lived in the desert much longer than I have said they never ever had this happen or heard of it happening. I can see the little like cracks and stuff so I suspect the Discount Tire guys are right tho.
Do I have any case to rant to Ford about the carpy tires?
That said, the tires on it now are 255/45/18. And to replace them is ridiculously expensive. What really warrants like $300 or more for a big piece of black rubber shaped like a doughnut on a grocery-getter pretending to be a sports car?????
I need a car to get to the grocery store and my 10 mile commute to the office. I dont need fancy tires. I dont plan to drive a million miles an hour or race. I have no desire to "trick out" my car. (Do not ask why I bought it in the first place-it was a rash decision made too quickly because my other brand new car that hadnt even had its first oil change yet was totalled when I got rear-ended by an ARMORED TRUCK less than 3 months after I got to Phoenix. Right around the holidays. So I wasn't too choosey.)
Are there any other tire sizes I can fit without having to replace the rims (or whatever it is called that the tires go on lol!)? Or would it be cheaper altogether to replace the rims back to the factory 16 inch (which is standard for the grocery getter Mustang I believe)? Or do I just have to choke it up and spend a fortune on brand new tires?
Mucho thanks!
Last edited by ivanabacowboy; 11-02-2009 at 05:28 PM..
Don't laugh--->I will be the first to admit I know NOTHING about cars other than a) where to put the gas and windshield washer fluid and b) take it to the gas station if the low gas idiot light comes on, and c) take it to the auto shop if any of the other idiot lights come on. (And thanks to Ford I can also turn my interior dash lights about 348374173 different colors lol!) Which is why I turn to you who hopefully know a lot more about cars than I do.
I have a 2007 Mustang. Just the basic V6 grocery-getter. Well Ford saw fit to pretty the packaging of an otherwise average grocery-getter by sticking some fancy upholstery that says "Mustang" under your backside (which is impossibel to keep clean in light beige by the way) and throwing on these big 18 inch tires on it.
Well the tires Ford had on the car are absolute junk IMHO. Falken. I have just turned 16,000 miles in the car, and the "low tire pressure" idiot light came on. So I went to Discount Tire to have them check the tires. They told me they were DRY ROTTING and needed to be replaced ASAP. Less than 2 years after I got the car? At first I suspected it had something to do with the fact I live in a desert where it not infrequently can top 110'. Everyone I talked to who has lived in the desert much longer than I have said they never ever had this happen or heard of it happening. I can see the little like cracks and stuff so I suspect the Discount Tire guys are right tho.
Do I have any case to rant to Ford about the carpy tires?
That said, the tires on it now are 255/45/18. And to replace them is ridiculously expensive. What really warrants like $300 or more for a big piece of black rubber shaped like a doughnut on a grocery-getter pretending to be a sports car?????
I need a car to get to the grocery store and my 10 mile commute to the office. I dont need fancy tires. I dont plan to drive a million miles an hour or race. I have no desire to "trick out" my car. (Do not ask why I bought it in the first place-it was a rash decision made too quickly because my other brand new car that hadnt even had its first oil change yet was totalled when I got rear-ended by an ARMORED TRUCK less than 3 months after I got to Phoenix. Right around the holidays. So I wasn't too choosey.)
Are there any other tire sizes I can fit without having to replace the rims (or whatever it is called that the tires go on lol!)? Or would it be cheaper altogether to replace the rims back to the factory 16 inch (which is standard for the grocery getter Mustang I believe)? Or do I just have to choke it up and spend a fortune on brand new tires?
Mucho thanks!
I would do that you could find some used 16 or 17 inch stockers pretty cheap and throw them on and then sell the 18's on craigslist or e-bay. also the stock tire size is 215/65-16 and with pony pkg is 235/55-17 not 18's so there must be aftermarket rims on your car. not even the GT's came with a tire width of 255 stock they came with 235/50-18 from the factory.
You might be asking yourself what all these numbers even mean, so Ill explain it. We'll use a size 245/45-17 as an example. Now the first number (245) is the width of the entire tire. Some confuse this as the width of the tread, and thats not right. It is measured in millimeters and should be coordinated with your rim size as to how wide of a tire you buy. The second number (45) refers to the tires aspect ratio. This means that the sidewall height is 45% of your tire width, so this tire's sidewall is 45% of 245 millimeters. This number is extremely important in keeping your stock tire diameter in the same general size. By not keeping the same total tire diameter, it will throw your speedometer off, and not look correct. The third number is the size of your rim, so in this case the "17" refers to a 17" wheel.
I'd get a second opinion, unless the tires are older than the car they are probably not dry-rotting.
That said, you can almost certainly find a good set of factory alloys, used, from a junkyard, and go with a 16" tire, probably will work out better for you.
I'd get a second opinion, unless the tires are older than the car they are probably not dry-rotting.
That said, you can almost certainly find a good set of factory alloys, used, from a junkyard, and go with a 16" tire, probably will work out better for you.
Question is, did those uprated rims also come with uprated brakes? Will factory 16-inchers fit over them?
When I was looking at Costco for tires, only one Mustang came up with the 255/45/18 as original equipment. Or where would Ford have gotten the rims and stuff they put on it? I dont think the dealer would do aftermarket or would they? Maybe they would, who knows. When I was looking at tires on Costco's website just to get an idea, there is only one 2007 Mustang that listed that size tires. The fronts on the Shelby GT500 lol! How they put the same thing on my car is beyond me-I would assume (again knowing nothing about cars) that you cant just swap out tires and rims like that? My car certainly isnt a Shelby GT. Like that other "pieces" would need to change or something?
I think a clueless female complaint call to Ford is in order and I will have them look at the tires for a second opinion since they put them on the car. And I just had the car in at Ford for regular maintenance at 15K. I dont think my tires would have just gotten so damaged in like 1000 some miles-that Ford would have had to have seen something if the dry rot is what is going on? I will ask them the question about the brakes too-I have no idea how to even figure out what brakes are on the car. I will let you know what they tell me.
Well the tires Ford had on the car are absolute junk IMHO. Falken. I have just turned 16,000 miles in the car, and the "low tire pressure" idiot light came on. So I went to Discount Tire to have them check the tires. They told me they were DRY ROTTING and needed to be replaced ASAP. Less than 2 years after I got the car? At first I suspected it had something to do with the fact I live in a desert where it not infrequently can top 110'. Everyone I talked to who has lived in the desert much longer than I have said they never ever had this happen or heard of it happening. I can see the little like cracks and stuff so I suspect the Discount Tire guys are right tho.
Even in the desert, 2 years is a short time to dry rot. If you can really see the cracks in the sidewalls of the tire, ok. I'd have a second place take a peek at them. But I'm not aware of Ford using Falken tires as original equipment. (Though they do have a relationship of sorts in motorsports). Do you know if you have OEM Ford wheels, or did the dealership you bought the car from put some aftermarket wheels on them? Can you post a picture?
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Do I have any case to rant to Ford about the carpy tires?
Not really. Tires are consumable items on the car, like brake pads or such things their nature is to wear down and need replacing from time to time. Some car manufacturers will allow a warranty on things like this for a very short time i.e. 12 months, 12K miles. But you could go to the Ford dealer and plead your case. Read your owners manual and warranty booklet first.
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That said, the tires on it now are 255/45/18. And to replace them is ridiculously expensive. What really warrants like $300 or more for a big piece of black rubber shaped like a doughnut on a grocery-getter pretending to be a sports car?????
There is an astounding amount of research, development, and technology in tires. It does not come cheap. But even if you aren't looking to "trick" your car don't skimp on tires. Keep this in mind: you've got a mediocre set of tires on the car that lasted a short amount of time. Buy another crappy set, have same results soon enough. Plus, they are the only part of the car that touches the ground. They really are important to any driver.
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Are there any other tire sizes I can fit without having to replace the rims (or whatever it is called that the tires go on lol!)? Or would it be cheaper altogether to replace the rims back to the factory 16 inch (which is standard for the grocery getter Mustang I believe)? Or do I just have to choke it up and spend a fortune on brand new tires?
Mucho thanks!
You should buy the correct size tires for the car for a few reasons. One is potential safety hazard. Another is the wrong size tires can make your speedometer read incorrectly. Can you please read the tire size for us in three places: Front tire, rear tire, and in your door jam there should be a little sticker that will show tire size and what PSI to inflate them to. That will solve the mystery on the size and let us help you pick a good tire.
GTOlover, I dont have the pony in the barn grille or foglamps. I do have the stripes tho. Do 18 inch tires go on 17 inch rims (remember I have no clue!)-because my tires are definitely 18. Which then leads me to another question-I wonder what size my spare is. If they gave me a spare that wont even fit my car? Which the worst time to find out would probably be...if I needed to use it.
yovanilla, I don't know how to tell if it is OEM or aftermarket. I bought it new at a Ford dealer, would they install aftermarket on their own inventory vehicle? If I can this afternoon I will try to take a picture and post it.
I suppose you are probably right about possibly repeating this whole deal again in another 2 years if I get equally as carpy tires. And I'd rather be safe than having to worry about my tires falling apart. And I suppose if the good tires last twice as long even tho they cost twice as much, would even out in the end.
I don't think the info on the door tag is the tires that are on the car-I think it is for the 16 or 17 inch tires. Most likely meaning the dealer did this of their own accord, maybe one of their technicians had a little bit too much free time one afternoon and decided to make a transformer-bot out of my car sticking pieces on it from other cars. I will read it when I go out today and post back. I do know all 4 of my tires are the same size on front and rear.
Any idea how much it would cost if I had to replace all the pieces parts needed to go back to 16 inch tires? I would assume a lot more expensive than the 18 inch tires? (Keeping in mind I cannot do it myself and would have to depend on the guys at Discount Tire or Ford-obviously lol!)
Thanks! I love this place. I can find people who know about these type of things who arent looking just to make a buck out of me (like Ford lol!).
I'm guessing you may have some aftermarket wheels, that's why I'd like to know the tires sizes from both the tires and the door sticker. But a picture of those wheels should solve the mystery, or any kind of name on that wheel. The centercap should have a manufacturer name, sometimes there's a name cast on the edge of the wheel at the rim (near where the tire starts).
To get a whole new wheel as well as a tire will be more expensive, you are right. But there's ways to cut the cost. I'm sure you could find a used set of the original equipment Ford Mustang wheels from a private party or a junkyard for a decent price (Maybe you'd get lucky and they'd have good tires on 'em already!) Then you sell the ones you have and recoup some cost.
Discount Tire shows 23 different tires in that size. They range from $162 to $397 (runflats).
Kumho makes some very decent tires and most are inexpensive. Another new and very good tire is the Yokohama S.Drive.
For longer wear you might consider the Continental ContiExtremeContact DWS. I don't have experience with that tire but the DT reviews are very good and it carries a higher treadwear rating.
On the spare....The spare has its own wheel. So it will fit your car regardless of what size tires are on it.
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Which is why I turn to you who hopefully know a lot more about cars than I do.
Less than 2 years after I got the car? At first I suspected it had something to do with the fact I live in a desert where it not infrequently can top 110'. Everyone I talked to who has lived in the desert much longer than I have said they never ever had this happen or heard of it happening. I can see the little like cracks and stuff so I suspect the Discount Tire guys are right tho.
