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Author Topic:   T-Bird tire dilemma: What to do?
Rico
unregistered
posted January 15, 2001 03:37 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Here's my situation: I have a 95 T-Bird LX with 33K miles and (believe it or not) the original Firestone FR680 tires. They're getting close to the wear indicator bars and I know I should replace them but I'm thinking of selling this car for something smaller and more practical in about 4 months.

Should I bother putting new tires on a car I'm going to sell in a little while? Would I recover even part of my investment in new tires, or should I just let the new owner worry about it?

And what would be a good replacement for these horrendous tires? I've read good things about BFG Touring TA SR4, but they're a bit pricey. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

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Sluggo
unregistered
posted January 15, 2001 07:00 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I was in the same fix as you and I decided to run the worn out tires for a few more months till I got rid of the car...well I had to replace it a lot sooner then I wanted to. I lost control in the wet and put it up and over the median strip. My advice would be to buy new tires even if you get the cheapest tires you can find. Anything with tread may save you a lot of trouble.

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Helpful
unregistered
posted January 16, 2001 08:25 AM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Perhaps try some of the local tire merchants to see if they have some used or new takeoffs at a good price. Maybe you just need something with a little more tread that will see you through.

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Jay
unregistered
posted January 17, 2001 02:02 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I remember my roomate in college saying he was going to wait a bit to replace the tires on his VW GTI even though the wear indicators were starting to show. Three weeks later he totalled the car into a guardrail in a rainstorm! He was okay fortunately! I agree with the above posts - and believe tires are cheap insurance. You may think you won't get 100% of your investment back, but think about standing there trying to unload a car w/balding tires! The buyer is likely to want to be compensated for the fact that new tires will be necessary. Having good tires also tells the potential buyer that you keep the car in good shape and fix or replace things when they require.

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Rico
unregistered
posted January 17, 2001 09:29 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Thanks to all -- you've told me pretty much what I expected.

Now for a question that might be even dumber than my first: Would anybody buy Firestones at this point? I've shopped around and found that some of my local retailers are offering good deals on FT70C, which I hear is a decent tire. The way I look at it, everybody makes a bad tire once in a while and the Wilderness/AT thing is probably being blown out of proportion. But then, I wonder...

What do y'all think?

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donfromnaples
unregistered
posted January 18, 2001 05:47 AM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Firestone has been in the business for many, many years. They are unlikely to have another "bad" tire episode. I would not hesitate to buy another Firestone if it was what I was looking for. The tires you mentioned are very basic, cheap tires but will do the trick for you before you sell your car. Just wondering why you are going to sell your T-Bird.

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Rico
unregistered
posted January 18, 2001 09:26 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Why sell it?

A) I now have a very short commute to work in stop-and-go traffic, and the Bird just seems too big and clumsy for my purposes

B) The doors, which I didn't mind when I was a little younger, weigh a ton. I'd really like a 4-door

C) I live in upstate New York and I'm tired of watching my neighbors in their Saturns, Tauruses, Malibus, etc. zipping in and out of their hilly driveways while I spin my tires

D) Just once, I'd like to change cars while the old one is still in decent condition and not because I "have to" (i.e., the old one is broken down).

But then, if it's in such good condition maybe I should just keep it and live with its faults. ;-)

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laqn
unregistered
posted January 18, 2001 10:32 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I would not buy Firestone. And if you asked a family member of someone who crashed their Explorer, they would not buy Firestones either. The US loses a few sailors on the USS Cole and we're ready to pounce on the terrorists with a thousand Tomahawks, but Firestone tires kill over 130 unarmed, innocent civilians, and the US govt. does nothing...Osama bin ladin is not the terrorist to worry about. Firestone is the real terrorist!

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Craig
Member
posted January 19, 2001 06:33 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Craig     Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
lagn,
Lets not forget that the faulty tires were an accident. Firestone didn't deliberately set out to kill people nor did the investigation turn up any evidence that Firestone cut corners which caused the poor quality tires. They did discover a difference in manufacturing at one plant that seems to be the culprit and they have corrected it. It was a terrible and unfortunate situation but to call Firestone terrorists is not only unfair it is rediculous. Do you not also think that Ford had some responsibility for this since they were intentionally running the tires in question below the recommended minimum tire pressure?

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laqn
unregistered
posted January 21, 2001 10:32 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
You're right, it was not intentional. But what frustrates me is their refusal to take all of the blame. In any case, I have Bridgestone tires, and I will assert my right as a consumer and boycott Bridge/Fire-stone tires.

As for Ford running the Wilderness at 24psi on the Explorers, as far as the load rating on the tires is high, there shouldn't be a problem. The maximum pressure is on the sidewall, but I never heard of a recommended minimum, either on the sidewall or in any warranty literature.

BTW, my '94 Camry's owner's manual suggests 26psi if there is only driver and one passenger onboard.

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Craig
Member
posted January 22, 2001 06:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Craig     Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I work in manufacturing, not in making tires. I am in plastics, but I see that the whole picture here is a very complicated one. We have a tire that seems to be of lower strength than it should be, but it is only when you couple that with heavy loads, highway speeds and hot Summer heats that the tires heat up enough to come apart. I am not trying to take up for Firestone. I don't owe them anything, but it was not a defect that just jumps out at you. They did recall the tires. Firestone has been a great American tire company for many years. I hate to see people come down on them harder than maybe they deserve. Just my opinion. I'll respect yours if you respect mine.

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DaveB
unregistered
posted January 22, 2001 10:11 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Does anyone remember the Firestone 721? (twenty years ago).

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laqn
unregistered
posted January 22, 2001 10:55 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Agreed, Firestone has been a great company, but it can't rest on its laurels. A defective product is a defective product, and consumers these days are very tough and demanding. This is also just my opinion, and of course I respect your opinion...I wouldn't bother to answer your posts if I didn't respect what you had to say in the first place.

Anyway, as far as Ford's responsibility in all this, I think we need to know more. If these Wilderness tires were not the ONLY oem tires that Explorers used, how come those other oem tires did not experience tread separation? Did Ford just specify the 24psi for Firestone oems ONLY? Or did it recommend this low pressure for ALL tires on the Explorer?

If Firestone is truly the great company, in addition to its recall efforts, it should settle all customer lawsuits.

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Craig
Member
posted January 23, 2001 06:18 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Craig     Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
I agree. As far as other tires having a problem I don't know. I am not saying that the tires were not deffective, neither am I saying that it is Ford's fault. I am just saying that it was not something that could be easily detected and it could have happened to any of the tire makers. But it didn't. It happened to Firestone and they should make good on it and I think they are. They just had to do a little research to make sure that it was truly a tire problem.

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donfromnaples
unregistered
posted January 26, 2001 06:35 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Don't forget that Henry Ford and Firestone were good friends back in the 1920s. That's how far back their partnership goes.

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