MediumWilly22

I'm going to make an exception in your case. You work for Costco, who is no doubt a sponsor of this forum, thats why youre a moderator. Youre trying to change my message just like CD3 did a year ago (another sponsor) and turn me into the bad guy for speaking my mind. If you're going to boot me for that then so be it. I can sleep at night.

This guy obviously works for Costco.

Blah, blah....blah

All I'm saying is that there are different variations of the same tire model though-out that model's lifetime. Costco sells a certain type, and Tire Rack sells a certain type. I'm not claiming angone is doing anything wrong. It's just how it works. I've said what i have to say, I speak my mind how I wish, and I dont argue with people online, its stupid.

Pretty sure my statement is true friend. I never specified that Pilots were club tires. They are not. And I have seen with my own eyes and was trained to spot club tires at a former place of employment by referencing serial numbers. My statement was intentionally fairly general and pretty much true from my experience. Thanks for the one-upmamship tho. Thats really cool of you!

For the record. I'm a Michelin guy and have been for 20 years. I have Pilots on my Linc and have no complaints. Costco offers tires at low prices because they are indeed of lesser quality. These tires are called "club tires". Big box stores have deals with the manufacturers to produce large amounts of tires specifically for sale at discount prices to these stores. Differences are generally nominal and are hard to notice. They may have slightly differing tread patterns and speed ratings, or treadware ratings while still carrying the tire model name of the higher quality tire it was based on. Look closely and compare the specs and tread design of a Michelin passenger tire from Tire Rack to the specs of the "same" tire for sale at Costco. Serial numbers will tell all, if you have the means to look them up. On the other hand, vehicle manufacturers do the same thing. That Michelin purchased at Tire Rack can be for any car. The Michelins a manufacturer provides on their cars when purchased new, may be specifically designed for the vehicle to optimize performance. Once again, they carry the same model name as the tire they were based on, but generally perform better on your specific car and usually cost a little more. Ever wonder why the tires on your new car last 80,000 miles but the direct replacements only last 60,000? I buy from Tire Rack or Discount Tire. I want a quality tire, but I don't necessarily need to pay dealer prices. That tire with the cracking sidewall likey is either defective or was stored improperly before sale. Probably the former if the tire is only 2 years old.

I very carefully slide a razor blade under them then pinch with my thumb and pull. A hot day in the sun helps, or a hair dryer. Mother's cleaner wax will remove any residue. I would not recommend solvents.

Condolences friend. It's not just a car. It's countless hours of research and planning, hard work and busted knuckles. It becomes a source of comfort and pride. Almost a family member. But, unlike a family member, it's just metal and rubber. The end of one great vehicle, can be the beginning of another.

I have experienced this issue. It was a sticking caliper slide. Lincoln makes an updated rebuild kit that hopefully will prevent this pattern failure in the future. I'm not 100% sure, but this most likely will apply to all models regardless of power train.

Sounds like a sticking caliper slide.

Guess I should have watched the second video before I shot my mouth off. The first video was so long though. Yeah, that sucks...

Ok. I get that. The cover is hollow and deforms over time so the lug wrench doesn't fit anymore. Seen that hundreds of times. Ford has been using the same lug nuts since I was a tire jocky in the nineties. Ha! I thought that was the dealer's explaination of the spinning lug nut. My bad, different people... The stud is probably spinning. It's rare, but over-tightening or cross-threading can possibly spin the stud in it's hub seat stripping the splines. This would probably manifest itself the next time you remove your wheels after the offending service. This can be tough to fix in your driveway. I've extracted the nut from the stud in this situation by applying pressure to the back of the stud with a large prybar. Sometimes a little more hold is all you need. If that doesn't work, I've used an angle grinder to lop off the head of the stud from the back and it should pop out, maybe with a little coercion from a hammer and punch. Once again gentlemen, drilling out a lug nut and stud from the front is a painful way to approach this type of problem. And certainly damaging to your rims. BTW, I use aftermarket lug nuts myself. Currently sporting a nice quality set of Rays.

I've never heard of swollen lug nuts. Can someone inform me how in the world that might happen?

The brace nearly fits like it was supposed to be there. It does stand a little tall. The corners of the brace just kiss the hood insulation leaving little one inch divits. I was slightly concerned that this may effect the hood vs. fender gaps over time, but I've had it installed for about 4 months with no issue. Due to the minor angle change of the hood strut, the hood opens a little quicker and takes just a little more force to close. It also stands taller when open. I like it, it's trick. Besides that, the hood latches and releases just like before. The strut even parks itself perfectly clear of obstacles when the hood closes. I was actually pleasently surprised at how well this setup works. Steering feels ever so slightly lighter and more precise. It does what you would expect a strut tower brace to do, for those of us that have had them before, but it's the sum of the parts right? I'm thinking of trying the front sway bar. I haven't done any homework on that yet though. If anyone else digs any info up on that, I'd like to know too.