I think my FEH is a nail magnet, just picked up my 3rd flat in as many months! - this time a big bolt lodged itself into the front left tire and found out that the tire is un-repairable (discount tire co.). They have the original continental tire for $130. I have 25K on the original tires and they are still in good shape so I'll probably buy the new one for now.
Does the original warranty cover this at all? Maybe I can reclaim some of that $130? -

There are much stronger tires available than the Continentals, particularly the light truck (LT) variety in load range D or E which have extra steel belts. There may be other tradeoffs with truck tires, but the Continentals aren't the only tires that will work and as you are experiencing they may not have the best puncture resistance.
$130 for a stock tire is a ripoff, Tire rack sells them for under $100 retail.

Thanks for the reply ---
really under $100?
Here is what discount tire shows:
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/fin...=010740%7C2006

Continental ContiTrac
P235/70R-16 104T FRD
$118.00 each

I checked tirerack.com - that tire in blackwall is $89 + $18 ship + $15 mounting (on this end)=$122

You could do like they do with the semi tractors at work and hang a bar with some really strong magnets from the front bumper to pick up nails before they get to your tires. Then again, a better set of tires might be a better idea. Whatever you do, do not use that fix-a-flat goop in a can crap.

I just put a set of Goodyear Fortera Silent Armors from Discount Tire on mine and I've never been happier with my car. They're a little pricey ($131 plus mounting and balancing, optional warranty and tax) but they're a thousand times quieter than the stock Continentals, and with the upgraded warranty, all I have to pay to replace them is mounting and balancing.

Another possibility is purchasing an extended service plan (ESP) from Ford and adding tire road hazard protection to it. As long as your vehicle is still under factory bumper to bumper warranty, you can purchase it. Once you hit 36k miles, you're SOL, though.

Good idea with the Magnet , thanks.
I think I'll go with the Michelin LTX line for the next set. I have over 50K on my current sent on my Isuzu Rodeo and they still look and feel great!.

AntoineWG,

How's the treadwear on those SilentArmors? The reviews on TireRack.com for them are pretty unanimous on them having poor/premature tread wear. How many miles do you have on them?

- Shannon (Geeky, Wild Texan)

Nevermind. We ended up with a different tire so I don't want to hear how great those SilentArmors might be.

My sad tires.

- Shannon (Geeky, Wild Texan)

It's too early to tell. I've only had them for a couple of months and a few thousand miles. I'm not even due for a rotation for another 4k miles.

tried silentarmors myself... they're holding up well. 6months. several thousand miles one them.


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