Continental Tire life

[Willie]

Dave:

There are several that meet the specs but most are rather expensive. The only two I've found that meet the specs for a lower cost are made by Continental and Nokian. Some here have chosen to fit tires that do not necessarily meet all the specs.

[Dave H]

Willie, are you in the states or EU? I was considering going to a P215/65/15 standard load. That has a 95 service description, so should carry the load, and there are many tires available in that size. I'm still wondering how the lower inflation pressures would affect the TPMS, though.

I am getting good wear out of the Conti's- especially considering how often they are run underinflated!

[103west43rd]

Hello Dave H. As per the Transit Connect Workshop Manual, "The air pressure calibrations for the system cannot be changed to use lower pressure tires than those originally designed and tested for a particular vehicle. If the tires are changed to a lower pressure, the TPMS indicator will remain illuminated until the vehicle meets the original air pressure requirements." It looks like you will be charting new territory unless another forum member can add their experience.

[Willie]

Dave,

I'm in the U.S.and I was including the ability to inflate the tire to the specified pressure as well as the specified load rating. If you choose to ignore those factors, then I'm sure there are many more tires you could substitute and, who knows, you might be just fine doing that. Good luck with whatever you select.

Edited May 8, 2014 by Willie

[Dave H]

Yeah, I am just musing about some way to get away from the stinkin' Conti's! I have NEVER had tires which picked up this much road debris in 40 years of driving! Plenty of other light trucks running XL passenger tires over hundreds of thousands of miles. Just find the number of flats really annoying and wish there were other people making this size tires. Guess now I understand why the wifes Chrysler with Conti's was equipped with the self-sealing ones!

[Willie]

I picked up lots of little stones but never had a flat. I wish I had 40,000 on my Contis. Mine began wearing really fast at the end and were shot at 22,000. (NFG as we used to say in the Air Force!)

I really can't say, but I suspect that you probably could use passenger car tires so long as you did not haul heavy loads. I choose not to take that chance, simply because I didn't have to. I might have if I had not found a substitute meeting all the specs.

I am pretty happy with the Nokians although others here seem to hate them with a passion.

[Daniel Dow]

At 30K odometer miles, I was experiencing a wobble on the steering wheel at low and high speeds, so I took my TC in to have wheels/tires/struts checked. Sure enough, front left tire was seriously delaminated. Disgusted, I asked for a price to replace the set of 4. (My spare is already a different make do to a blowout at 17K miles) The store had 2 choices in stock for me, either another set of the same ContiPro set that I had before, or Toyo Ultra. The choice was easy. I have never been happier with the way my TC drives now that I have the Toyos. The price was practically the same. The Toyos are 4-ply like the ContiPros. I would have liked to go to a 6-ply for durability but that was not a ready option. I am pleased to report that my TC now drives better than when brand new. It is much quieter at any speed and the constant vibration at highway speed that I took for granted as part and parcel of the TC experience is simply gone. Plus there is no problem with the tread carrying rocks and gravel which was my pet peeve about the ContiPros from day one. I've put about 500 miles on the Toyo Ultras so far with no complaints. Fully loaded or no load the handling has been great. I've only filled my gas tank once since the switch, so it's too soon to tell what difference if any there is to my MPG. After the next couple of tanks I will average them together and post an update.

[Willie]

Dan:

I had trouble finding the particular Toyo Ultra you selected. Could you please post a more specific description, including any other names

[BSUPC]

Voxx MG3 wheels and the Yokohama YK580 tires in a 225/55R16. I love these so far and they are much better than the Conti's.

[windguy]

At 30K odometer miles, I was experiencing a wobble on the steering wheel at low and high speeds, so I took my TC in to have wheels/tires/struts checked. Sure enough, front left tire was seriously delaminated. Disgusted, I asked for a price to replace the set of 4. (My spare is already a different make do to a blowout at 17K miles) The store had 2 choices in stock for me, either another set of the same ContiPro set that I had before, or Toyo Ultra. The choice was easy. I have never been happier with the way my TC drives now that I have the Toyos. The price was practically the same. The Toyos are 4-ply like the ContiPros. I would have liked to go to a 6-ply for durability but that was not a ready option. I am pleased to report that my TC now drives better than when brand new. It is much quieter at any speed and the constant vibration at highway speed that I took for granted as part and parcel of the TC experience is simply gone. Plus there is no problem with the tread carrying rocks and gravel which was my pet peeve about the ContiPros from day one. I've put about 500 miles on the Toyo Ultras so far with no complaints. Fully loaded or no load the handling has been great. I've only filled my gas tank once since the switch, so it's too soon to tell what difference if any there is to my MPG. After the next couple of tanks I will average them together and post an update.

nice report Daniel. thanks

any issues with the TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system)?

please keep us posted

[windguy]

Voxx MG3 wheels and the Yokohama YK580 tires in a 225/55R16. I love these so far and they are much better than the Conti's.

great looking van

[Poorwilly]

Just got told my Conti Original tires were at 3/32 after 14,000 miles and should be replaced. Had two flat tires already. Anyone else had these problems??? Sorry, 2014Transit Connect Van

[windguy]

Just got told my Conti Original tires were at 3/32 after 14,000 miles and should be replaced. Had two flat tires already. Anyone else had these problems??? Sorry, 2014Transit Connect Van

If you want to stick with Conti's I'm sure a decent tire place (or Ford dealer) can get you a proration on those tires since the wear is well below the rated mileage. Worth checking into to see how much credit you can get. Below is a link to Ford's Tire Warranty Guide. Good luck!

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2015-Tire-Warranty-Guide-version-4_tirtw_EN-US_02-2014.pdf

[Willie]

Actually, my Ford dealer had some very good prices on new Contis. That was year ago though, and I wanted to try a different brand. Worth checking into.

[tombright]

Eight flats in 40,000 on the OEM Contis. Had to pay for 3 tires, one by one, as the punctures were outside the first groove and Ford's service spec calls those unrepairable. Even the tires that did not go flat lost a few pounds every week or so. Too bad, since they cornered as if on rails and stuck like glue in the rain. (Of course, lately in California rain is no longer a concern.)

Noise as high as 109 dB on California's crummy pavement, so I wear earplugs religiously and buy 'em by the box of 200 pairs. After I got my TC, one of my clients tested one for his 9-truck fleet and, shocked at the noise, chose Datsun’s similar-size NV200 Compact Cargo van instead.

Each flat tire took a couple of hours at the Ford dealer, with recurring pressure sensor issues, and every other time it cost me $150 for a new tire. Hated to waste the mechanic’s time on nickel and dime stuff.

I talked with the senior guy at the Les Schwab Tire store in Elk Grove. That store maintains the set of premium highway Toyos on my ranch truck. He said he'd had calls for TC replacements — would I be interested in trying set of car-format tires from a Taiwan brand called Federal?

We put them on, and I spent two weeks with them. Cushy and really quiet, but squirmy. Applying the brakes on offramps, the back end came RIGHT AROUND on me a couple of times. Got my attention, recalling boy-racer days in the 70s.

The tire guy spent some time on the phone with his area rep, and we swapped out the car tires for the store’s first set of Federal’s Conti clones. An EXACT copy, looks like. Rides and handles the same, wet or dry.

ZERO flats in 25,000. None. Maybe one mpg less, from 24 to 23 mpg. Just as noisy. They hold air as well as Michelins, losing only a pound every couple of months.

Federal may revise the price upward, but this first set was 30% cheaper than the real Contis. Les Schwab stocks TC Continentals too, now, as of about October 2014.

Tire guy does NOT suggest aftermarket wheels because of the heavy load rating the TC requires. The big new Ford Transit Van is also designed with small-diameter, high-pressure tires, as pioneered by Mercedes on the Sprinter.

Edited June 11, 2015 by tombright

[G B L]

Alot of great information and great pictures.

As the wheels get bigger and the sidewalls get shorter and road maintenance is defered or not done the tire problems will increase.

Here is a review of a tire that I have had great luck with . They are not the longest lasting, but have been a great choice.

And they have the right load rating for the TC.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/culture/commuting/are-all-weather-tires-a-good-compromise/article16190526/