[bergeron]

With apologies to Arnold, here is my problem. I recently bought an 05 f350 PSD King Ranch 4X4. I remember thinking what a sorry set of tires to put on a truck like this but since I generally replace factory tires with a more aggressive tread it didnt bother me. Prblem is,when I go to replace them, I can not find any. On top of this I got charged a $250 dollar upcharge for ALL TERRAIN tires. The truck came with 275 70 R18 Continental Contitrac TR tires.Everything I can find refers to these tires as Highway All Season, Not the All Terrain I got charged for. When I questioned the dealership about the situation, they informed me that the Contitrac is the only tire available in that size. I know I could change tire sizes but I dont want the problems associated with that. Also, even if I did go to a 285 60 18 Toyo, I dont believe they come in an E rating which I need. So here I sit with a big 4X4 truck with street tires and no way to correct the situation that I can think of. Any suggestions?

 

[mikeym]

dont let the E or D rating throw you off. check the actual load rating of the tires when comparing. all terrains and mud terrains are just startin to take off for bigger wheels like 18s, and most sizes that are out now are 33" and up. id imagine a size that will work for you should hit the market pretty soon...

 

[05superdutyTJ]

3086 lbs per tire (285/60-18 toyo.

With a 7000 lb rear axle rating, that sux.

I hate these continentals, but...what to do...wait...wait...wait.

 

[big_poppa_pump]

Why don't you get something like the Toyo Open Country M/T?

33x12.50R18 E/10 2910 lbs
35x12.50R18 E/10 3415 lbs

I got the 35's on my F250. Girly man tire problem solved!

 

[bergeron]

Will those Toyo tires fit my stock 18 inch rims?

 

[bergeron]

And if they dont fit, what are the ramifications of going to a different rim? By the way, ford admitted to me today that they at least owe me the $250.00 back. I told them I wanted what I paid for, that being 18 inch all terrain tires and that $250.00 was not going to get the job done. I aso asked them if they were going to stop selling the continentals as all terrain tires..no responce..

 

[big_poppa_pump]

The 33's require a minimum 8.5 rim width, the 35's require a minimum 8in rim width. I don't know what yours are.

If those don't work you might look at metric sizes like 305/315 etc.

Here's the link to toyo's website. A buddy of mine has the Open Country A/Ts which are pretty cool looking also. A little more *girly* than the M/Ts but still very aggressive as compared to other A/Ts.

If you hit the Tech Specs for the tire it will give you a range of rim widths for each size. First is the minimum, the second in bold is the measured where they are giving you the diameter, tire width, etc, and the last is the max. As long as you are in the range between the min and the max you are ok.

http://toyo.com/tires/tire_lines/off_road/

btw the 35's rub a tad on the front inner plastic fender liner at full lock, but they don't hit sheetmetal at all even in bumps so far for me yet. I have a 3inch leveling kit on the front.

I have heard of stockers running 35's on this board with no problems either. 3" spring hanger leveling kits are pretty cheap and easy to install and won't affect your ride at all.

 

[fredvon4]

The 2005 rims are 8" wide
The Continental tire is the only 3640LB rated tire that fits these rims (right now)
I had to accept the rebate of $250 for "option descrepency".

Some of the larger diameter options will really tick you off with sticker shock! Especially after shelling out 40 large for a new truck!

On the other hand I picked up a complete set of Continental Tires and Factory Rims for my KR for $250 I have seen other sets go for $400-$500 still a very good deal if you have no off road needs.

Many folks have gotten the Dealer (NOT FORD) to comp a set of all terrain tires (lower weight rating) but in each case it was a customer good will move and not mandated by Ford.

We have been bitching about this since Aug last year. Especially us King Ranch owners that need both the High Tow Haul capacity of a F350 and the off road capability of a 4x4 truck. The continetals are an OK road tire but they are worthless off road in grass, mud, or gravel.

Be sure to get a set of inner rear wheel well liners if you take these tires down a gravel road as they pick and sling gravel very badly!

 

[bergeron]

I suggested an all terrain in a D load rating and could have gone that route but it was brought to my attention that their could be legal ramifications that wouldnt be pleasant. So, unless I want to raise my front end, buy wider rims,or go to a lower weight range, none of which I want to do, I am stuck...literally and figuratively. I am seriously considering legal action or whatever options their are in that regard. I travel up north in the winter and the truck is useless to me as it sits.

 

[fredvon4]

If you do go the legal route do some extensive searching here in the new buyer forum and each of the others forums.

Then do the same at Fordtrucks.com Better known as FTE

There are hundreds of these threads and a very large group of us torqued off about this.

Many of my personal posts on this are about how I fought to get my $250 back.

When ever the subject turns to class action I am the detractor because all of them I ever have seen or been a part of the "class" the lawyers all got rich, the company was not seriously motivated to really fix the issue, and the recipients usually get a very small percentage of the proceeds (if they ever get anything three to ten years later)

Now if some one wanted to find a Lawyer and track down most all the 05 King Ranch owners and splitt the lawyer bill I would be IN.

Why just King Ranch?.... we are the set of owners that did not have a 17" wheel option.... the 18" rims were mandated and thus to get the full Rated F350 tow/haul capacity are forced to a tire that does NOT meet our off road/bad road needs.

 

[Scott B]

I am having the same issue with the Continentals. I am considering going to the Harley 20" wheels and tires. I believe they have the corect load rating for my F350, can anyone verify this please??

 

[mikeym]

[ QUOTE ]
Will those Toyo tires fit my stock 18 inch rims?

[/ QUOTE ]

35x12.50x18 toyo mts will fit on the factory f350 rims, and will not rub at all, even if you try to scrub em. it seems like we are putting 35s on every 4wd 05 superduty our ford place sells now...

 

[bergeron]

Thanks for the info. I cant believe that this situation has existed for so long without someone doing exactly what you propose. In my opinion it is very clear that we were not sold what the window sticker spelled out. Continental clearly refers to these tires as highway all season. Ford differentiates clearly in their brochures between all season an all terrain so surely they know the difference. My mistake was that I didnt notice that I was paying for the upgrade tire when I purchased the truck. I probably would not have even brought up this issue if it werent for the fact that when I went to replace them with an all terrain tire I found out that there were none available in that size and load rating. It would appear that all of us in this situation would have some firm legal footing. What is also amazing is that ford, now obviously fuly aware of the problem is still charging people $250.00 for these tires. Are their any legal eagles out there who would like to chime in on this?.

 

[bergeron]

These toyo tires were rerred to in an earlier post. Personally I would like to stay with the same size tire as original but for others it may be an option. For everyone who says that oversizing to this degree causes no problems you can find someone who has had some issues. Obviously speedometer and odometer recalibration would have to be addressed. The whole thing thing is a moot point however because according to my local supplier that tire is on national backorder. I guess your dealership scooped them all up. Damn smart TEXANS.

 

[bergeron]

Not wanting to belabor this point..I just got a call from the parts and service director at my dealership who is trying to come up with a solution to this problem and he said he was checking his lot for other trucks with this problem and found that on f250 KR trucks the continentals are a $650.00 option. Go figure.

 

[mikeym]

i know this doesnt help any, and isnt meant to be offensive, but i dont understand how someone can fork out nearly 50K for a truck, and turn around and complain about not getting a couple hundred bucks back for tires. your dealer would have to be a major jackass to void your warranty if you were to run 35s, he should even offer to recalibrate your speedometer, i know they do it here for up to 35s and dont even charge. hell, my truck has a 9" and 40" tires with chip, propane, and the works. im over my 36k mile warranty by 200 miles, and need a new transmission, and a ton of motor work done. i took the truck in minus the chip, and everything is still being covered- despite all the stuff done to the truck, and being outside of the warranty mileage!

 

[bergeron]

I can not find any 35s. Nittos BFG are all on national backorder, or so my suppliers tell me. The $250 is not the issue. They have allready offered it to me. As far as the dealer would have to be a jackass..are we then to assume that there are no dealers who are jackasses? That in another town at another time I might might not find one who is a jackass? That as Ford sinks deeper into the financial quagmire that they are in that they might all become jackasses? And doesnt it bother you just a little that Ford is still charging people for a tire that does not exist? They have known about this situation for some time. At least they could have stopped charging for all terrains.If you are happy with the situation then I am happy for you I believe an old saying might be in order cocerning FORD MOTOR COMPANY. If you have integrity,nothing else matters;If you dont have integrity,nothing else matters. ANON

 

[CaboWabo1]

I suffered through the same thing when I got my truck. I finally put Toyo Open.....they're in my signature. They fit fine on the stock rims.

 

[mikeym]

well theres no reason for a dealership to adamantly deny a warranty, theyre getting paid regardless, either from you or fomoco. as far as paying for a tire that doesnt exist, how many people actually pay full sticker price? when i was told i could buy a 46k sticker truck for 38 and some change, i said thank you. i wasnt trying to save another 400 dollars or whatever because of an option that wasnt entirely as advertised...

 

[05superdutyTJ]

I think it was a typo.
They meant "All Season"
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