BobsZ Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 Hello. I am in the market for new tires for my 2018 3.0T AWD with 19 inch wheels. Has anyone run the Bridgestone Quiet tracks yet? The factory Mich's are extra load and are very noisy and give a rough ride, plus only lasted 21k miles. Do I need extra load tires or can I use a standard load ? Looking for smooth and quiet and long lasting, over handling. Thanks for any help, I have already looked on tire rack and in this forum related to the Quiet tracks on the Z with 19s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, BobsZ said: Hello. I am in the market for new tires for my 2018 3.0T AWD with 19 inch wheels. Has anyone run the Bridgestone Quiet tracks yet? The factory Mich's are extra load and are very noisy and give a rough ride, plus only lasted 21k miles. Do I need extra load tires or can I use a standard load ? Looking for smooth and quiet and long lasting, over handling. Thanks for any help, I have already looked on tire rack and in this forum related to the Quiet tracks on the Z with 19s. Hi BobsZ and welcome to the Lincoln MKZ Forum. You have outstanding taste in cars! What color exterior/interior? Drivers Package? ? My reply will be in several sections. First, this will be the fact section of my reply: If you check the OEM Michelin Primacy MXM4's, it seems our cars came with one of two tire load ratings. One is a 94V, the other a 98W (my 3.0T AWD has the 98W). So there seems to be some variation in the OEM load ratings. Not sure why the difference. So my first advice would be to call The Tire Rack and ask one of their fitment specialists about the load rating question. Better to ask the experts than us anonymous Internet mooks. ? Now, on to the hypothetical opinion and discussion section ? There are generally two schools of thought on this. The first school of thought...That the factory tires are the minimum load rating Lincoln/Ford requires for the MKZ 3.0T. A lower load rating (and therefore a less stiff sidewall) could lead to increased danger of damaged wheels, due to the already low profile sidewall of our tires. Therefore, you need to use a tire with the equivalent load rating as the factory OEM tires. The second school of thought...You can go lower and essentially any tire recommended by a respected source like The Tire Rack will be okay. Especially since our 3.0T AWD's seem to come with either a 94V or 98W load rating OEM tire. My opinion? I prefer Michelin (won't bore you with more of that opinion?), but since The Tire Rack recommends the Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack (with a 94 load index rating), you should be able to use them. But calling and speaking to them directly would be best. Just as an FYI though...a noisy or rough ride has little to do with load rating and more to do with tire pressures, tread pattern, tread/rubber composition etc etc. Then lastly...all the usual advice: Keep tire pressures at the Lincoln recommendation on the drivers door placard (38PSI), rotate regularly, have an alignment performed once a year (later in springtime after the hard winter, is the general consensus best time), etc. etc. Let us know how you make out and good luck. Edited August 11, 2020 by bbf2530 Robert Iggy Cerami 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobsZ Posted August 13, 2020 Author Share Posted August 13, 2020 Thanks for the information. My car is Magnetic grey with black interior, and it does have the 98W extra load Michelins in 19 inch. It appears the 2.0T and hybrids with the 19 inch wheels come with the 94V standard load tire...hence my question of why do I need extra load tires? Is it simply for better handling with a more powerful engine? It is an amazing engine upgrade to the 3.0T. Impresses me every time I need to hit the gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 (edited) 10 hours ago, BobsZ said: Thanks for the information. My car is Magnetic grey with black interior, and it does have the 98W extra load Michelins in 19 inch. It appears the 2.0T and hybrids with the 19 inch wheels come with the 94V standard load tire...hence my question of why do I need extra load tires? Is it simply for better handling with a more powerful engine? It is an amazing engine upgrade to the 3.0T. Impresses me every time I need to hit the gas. Hi BobsZ. Nice choice...?...My 2018 3.0T AWD is also Magnetic Gray with the Black/Touring White interior. Concerning your question: First...Did you call The Tire Rack and ask them? Next...Unless one of our inside-Lincoln/Ford tech members jumps in (as to the exact reasoning by Lincoln), we will not get a definitive answer as to the exact reason why Lincoln chose to go with a 98W load rating (instead of 94V) for the 3.0T engine. What we do know is auto engineers and manufacturers do not usually put more money than needed into a tire (or any part) unless there is a good reason. What can be known is: The "Load Rating" or "Load Index" has nothing to do with "handling" itself. It simply has to do with the weight the tire is classified to safely carry. To oversimplify, a higher load rating is a sturdier tire, with stiffer sidewall construction etc., to enable it to carry a higher amount of weight per corner of the vehicle without overheating, failing etc. Our cars are no lightweights. So to extrapolate that out, Lincoln may have decided to go with the higher load rating on the 3.0T due to the added weight and power of the 3.0T engine combined with the shorter sidewall ratio of the 19" wheels, etc etc. They simply decided to install a higher load rating to compensate for the higher weight and performance (torque) of the 3.0T engine. In the same way they increased the wheel lug diameter/thickness of the MKZ wheel hubs, when the 3.0T was introduced. More torque=more twist, and a higher load rating/stiffer sidewall can handle more twist (and more weight when hitting bumps, potholes etc). If you are still wondering whether you can install a 94V load rated tire like the Bridgestone, your best source of expert/professional information would be to speak to the installation experts at The Tire Rack, Discount Tire etc. My opinion would be that it should not be a problem, as long as you are not driving/racing your car at +9/10ths speeds, very aggressively, very often. However, I am not a tire expert. And even if I or someone else here should claim to be a tire expert, you can not know that is true. So after getting any and all reasonable opinions here, consulting the experts would be the best course of action. Let us know how you make out and good luck. Edited August 13, 2020 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobsZ Posted August 15, 2020 Author Share Posted August 15, 2020 Thanks again..I did give Tire Rack a call again. And did get different information, but it does make sense..The sales rep stated that the key item is the 98 rating. Therefore, not a lot of touring tires in that range, in the 19 inch needed for the Mkz 3.0. I am going to try the Pirelli which is a 98V XL, rated at 70k miles. Cooper and Continental have options, but the rep recommended the Pirelli P7 all season plus 2, it is a new tire not enough reviews yet on Tire Rack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted August 15, 2020 Share Posted August 15, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, BobsZ said: Thanks again..I did give Tire Rack a call again. And did get different information, but it does make sense..The sales rep stated that the key item is the 98 rating. Therefore, not a lot of touring tires in that range, in the 19 inch needed for the Mkz 3.0. I am going to try the Pirelli which is a 98V XL, rated at 70k miles. Cooper and Continental have options, but the rep recommended the Pirelli P7 all season plus 2, it is a new tire not enough reviews yet on Tire Rack. Hi BobsZ. You are very welcome. Glad to hear you were able to settle on a suitable tire. The 98W XL rating was certainly the key item. It was exactly what we were discussing. And again, this is a perfect example as to why it is always best to consult with expert resources. In this case, Tire Rack. Let us know how you like the Pirelli's and good luck. Edited August 15, 2020 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKZMark Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 I have the 19s and recently put on a set of Continental DWS06 which are marked extra load as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobsZ Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 Thanks MKZMark..how do you like the Continentals compared to the factory Michelins? Smoother, quieter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKZMark Posted September 2, 2020 Share Posted September 2, 2020 On 8/21/2020 at 4:13 PM, BobsZ said: Thanks MKZMark..how do you like the Continentals compared to the factory Michelins? Smoother, quieter? Sorry just saw this - I haven't noticed much difference. I switched mainly because I wanted to get more than 30K miles out of my tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnewt Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 Quote 30k miles...........that is all thought Michelin was supposed to be the king daddy of tires I had a set many years ago & they did not last at all just purchased a 2020 MKZ with the 3.0, can't wait to get it mine is black with the cappucino interior & black wheels looking for replacement wheels as neither wife nor myself like them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 (edited) Hi bnewt. Just for informational purposes: Tread life is not the barometer or measure of how good a tire is, unless you are comparing tires that are primarily designed for long tread life. Apples to apples, a tire designed for longer/maximum tread life will handle worse, ride harder etc., than tires designed for handling or ride comfort, due to the harder tread compounds needed for the longer tread life. Lincoln installs tires designed for a mix of ride comfort and handling on an MKZ, not tires designed for longer/maximum tread life. Everything is trade off, whether it is ride comfort, dry handling, wet handling, snow handling, tread life, fuel mileage, all-season, summer only, snow tires, etc. Then there are the variables that also affect tire life, which we can not determine over the Internet. Variables such as does a vehicle owner properly rotate their tires every ~6,000-8,000 miles, do they check and keep their tires properly inflated, how hard they drive etc. Just some things everyone should keep in mind when comparing/choosing/buying tires. Good luck with your new MKZ! Edited November 3, 2020 by bbf2530 Robert Iggy Cerami 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobsZ Posted November 3, 2020 Author Share Posted November 3, 2020 Hope you enjoy that Z. That color combo sounds awesome...i smile every time I hit the gas with the 3.0 awd. Update on tires, we just bought a set of Pirelli Cinturato all sesson plus2. Only a couple weeks in, but we really like them over the Mich's, plus 70k mile warranty. Smooth and quiet. Per a few calls to Tire rack, these or the Continentals pure contact LS were the recommended all season touring tires in 98 extra load ratings...For more performance then the Bridgstone RE980 all season, but 50k warranty...good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 16 hours ago, bnewt said: mine is black with the cappucino interior & black wheels looking for replacement wheels as neither wife nor myself like them Are you getting the black Monochromatic Package? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDW6212R Posted November 4, 2020 Share Posted November 4, 2020 On 8/11/2020 at 9:34 AM, BobsZ said: Hello. I am in the market for new tires for my 2018 3.0T AWD with 19 inch wheels. Has anyone run the Bridgestone Quiet tracks yet? The factory Mich's are extra load and are very noisy and give a rough ride, plus only lasted 21k miles. Do I need extra load tires or can I use a standard load ? Looking for smooth and quiet and long lasting, over handling. Thanks for any help, I have already looked on tire rack and in this forum related to the Quiet tracks on the Z with 19s. I'm watching this also to see what others think of those Bridgestone Quiet Track tires. I looked and the best price I saw was $1127 for a set, total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobsZ Posted November 4, 2020 Author Share Posted November 4, 2020 Those quiet tracks only come in the 94v, so only the 2.0 T MkZs should run them. Yes they are big money, but get lots of miles for a touring tire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnewt Posted November 20, 2020 Share Posted November 20, 2020 On 11/3/2020 at 2:28 PM, drolds1 said: Are you getting the black Monochromatic Package? yes, it has the monochromatic package...not really my preference, but all that I could find with the 3.0 AWD so far, I like the all black better than I thought that I would, but still going to switch out the black wheels, probably for some brushed aluminum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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