Zeroing in on having to get a new set of tires for my TC. We use it to transport rescued dogs and cats from shelters to foster homes, and I want to get a quiet ride, and a solid commercial grade tire. What say you?

 

Check out Yokohama YK580....America Tire Company/Discout Tire is the distributor & come with a 60K warranty.

 

Not having to be concerned with load ratings (unless those are really big dogs you carry) you should have no trouble finding a good tire to meet your needs. Just DO NOT get a "directional" tire. I have Michelin HydroEdge's because I do carry the max load (+some). They are awesome rain tires but they roar terribly on this little van. They are driving me batty! I have 50K on them, with another 40K +/- before they'll be worn enough to justify replacement. I'll probably go back to the OEM Continentals. Good luck! Transit Connect and Michelin HydroEdge ........ just don't do it!

Oh, thanks for your animal rescue participation! We have two horses and one dog that are rescues.

 

We just got a 2011 Transit Connect for my wife's business...and I get to drive it The other day, the TPMS amber warning light came on. No flat tire, but when I got home I checked the pressures. They were in the 30's, so I checked the recommended pressures on the stock Conti Pro Contacts: 40 front and 49 rear.

I topped the pressures up to recommended.

Here's the question The stamp on the sidewall of the Conti's says 50psi max. Is it really a good idea to run 49psi in the rears? We don't max the van out weightwise.

 

You have to run pretty close to the recommended pressures or you'll get the light.

 

OK. Got a road trip planned but before we go I'm getting the tries rotated and balanced at the dealer. We'll see if they've got the procedure down for the TPMS reset after rotation.

 

Hankook's are good.

 

My 2012 TC has the factory Centennial Conprocrap and they have picked up at least one nail or screw in each tire. At 9000 miles I have a spare with a patch in the sidewall and plugs in the other 4 tires.I called my local tire guy and asked if there were better (thicker) heavy duty tires and it appears all this size are light car tires. Anyone else having these issues? I know its not the truck and we service lawn sprinklers all around Charlotte, N.C. I guess it just could a streak of bad luck. I'm not even going to rotate them, just replace them soon. On the other hand, since I replaced a gas F350 for a service truck with a TC my fuel bill for that one service truck went from $1000 to $400. It pays its own payment and insurance with the fuel savings and my customers think its cute. Plus , the service man looks and acts exactly like Si from Duck Dynasty.

 

The latest on the tire saga from Vero Beach, FL. Before our road trip up to High Point, NC last fall we took the TC in to get the oil changed and have the tires rotated and balanced. The van had only about 3500 miles on it, but they found they couldn't balance the front tires, so they replaced them. It was free, but it makes me wonder about buying Conti's when it's time.
Also thinking about going to 16" rims.

 

I'm in Charlotte too. My new set is Falken in 215/65R15 and I like them fine. I load it to the max on most Tuesdays a run to Raleigh/Rocky Mount and back. They're economical and ride/handle just fine. I'll get the info off of them or you could even have a look at them if you wish since you're local. let me know.....

 

Just read about a guy the put Yokomaha AT 205-70-15 all terrains on his TC. I put the Goodyear Assure ? on mine for a service man to drive. Anyway, he retired and I'm driving the truck now. The tires have 30,000 miles an them and he didn't take them in to be rotated and now they are cupped and roar like a MF. I don't know if i want to suffer or put on new tires. Im looking for a set of Volvo rims to replace the stockers and if I sell the truck, I will have a set of good tread, roaring ties to put on it. I guess the TC has no sound insulation and if you don't keep the tires rotated you better have a loud stereo.

Operation Adventure Transit - Accessories and Modifications - Ford Transit Connect Forum

 

I've ran both of these tires on my Super Duty and found the Wranglers were simply a better tire and were cheaper to boot.

 

With Transit Connect, as with every other vehicle, you need to install the tires suitable to your use. If you live where there is snow, you will need snow tires. If you don't have snow, and you just drive on pavement, then you can get a less aggressive tread pattern. Some people simply buy whatever the dealership sold the car with. Other people look for the least expensive tires. For me, it's a van which is not going offroad or racing. My only concern is traction in rain. It's a front wheel drive. I am still driving with the OEM tires. They last a very long time on pavement. I will probably buy whatever has a good mileage warranty. I will stay with the OEM size, since I am not convinced that bigger tires will do anything for my minivan. I will have to consider the "out the door" price. Installation can be very expensive.

 

With the support of a major tire retailer, We tested 6 brands of tires on our 2020 connect and found all but one have an over flexing issues. meaning that when the van drives through a curve the tires would flex or fold under the van depending on the direction. This made for some very unsafe driving. The connect has a very tight turning radius and all these tires just wouldn't stick to the road. Several times during the rain the tires did this over flexing and we've slid into curves.


The only brand that did not have these weak sidewalls, was the Nokian G4's and this was one of the best tires we've ever had on an of our cars. This makes the second connect with the Nokian tires and we wouldn't give them up for anything. So if you're in the market for new tires and depending on the size you need I would seriously suggest that you look into the Nokian all weather G4 tires.


So for the past few months after getting these tires, we're still pleased with the over all performance. However with the rain the other day, we hit a slick spot which caused the van nearly went sideways. Checking the tires,, turns out that we're over inflated at the last shop.. as we all know that when the tires get warm the air within the tire expands.. thus for the over inflate. So I've had to scale back the tires from being 44-45 psi to 43-44 psi. Reason for this is because the outer edges of the tires was designed for wet weather and when the tires over inflated this put more of the snow tread in contact with the road. We still like these tire and would not trade them for the world. we just need to dial in the correct PSi