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Sears tire service is a sore point to me. They tend to put the nuts back on with the air gun instead of hand-starting them. Then you have one cross-threaded occasionally. When they spin them off fast, they heat up and swedge and twist off the stud. Or the jam on the stud if the guy is quick enough and then they tell you it's your cost to fix. I figured out it's them putting them on carelessly that causes the cross-threading. They were the only ones doing the tires after NTB closed its store in this area and I inherited the local sears store as the lifetime balance and rotation source. No Sears damage for me from now on.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Air Hub, a device that automatically replenishes air in a bicycle's tires. (Web Japan)
Adapt this for your car and automatically keep your tires inflated just tooling around town.
Steve, Host
Well, not exactly! MOST machines attach to the rim, but there are a few that don't. Plus there are ways to measure alignment that require the tread surface.
Most modern alignment machines (and vehicle specs) measure the key parameters in degrees, but toe is sometimes expressed as a distance - typically 32nds of an inch - the difference between centerlines of the tires front to rear. There are several devices that actually use the tread to measure this - one is called a trammel bar. I doubt if this device is used much outside home and racecars usage, but it's still possible that there is some old tech out there who feels more comfortable with toe as a dimension and measures it that way.
To me, alignments are a two sided coin. If you buy new tires you should get an alignment - unless you ae willing to accept the risk that the tires will wear unevenly. For a $100 set of tires, this sounds like a reasonable risk to take, but for a $1000....mmmmmmm.
I did have a shop that would check alignment and charge part fee to redo toe-in only if caster & camber were within tolerance.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I have a 2001 Ford Taurus SES with 92K and I will be purchasing tires probably at the end of winter. My current set are Champiro GT Radial 128 (H-rated at 50K). Those tires are wearing evenly and well with 22K put on them, but they are rougher and not as good of a tire as I could get, but they were only $315 OTD for all four with lifetime balance and road hazard from a independent shop.
Anyway, I have a Firestone card and get the majority of my car work done at Firestone here locally. I am considering the Bridgestone LS-T tire. I read excellent reviews and Firestone offered me those tires with lifetime balancing and road hazard for $490 OTD. I felt this was an excellent deal considering they were way more expensive when they first come out. I also have a lifetime alignment plan from Firestone that I only paid $99 for.
Is the above mentioned price a good deal for these tires?
Thanks!
- Alex
The Sandman
Didn't include the lifetime balancing or road hazard.
Profit center for the dealer???...of course, but so are the tires...I hope you saved the $5 per tire by not having it balanced (please note dripping sarcasm)...saving money is an admirable thing to do, but certain maintenance items are a must...oil changes, tire rotations, checking fluids, brake checks, and an alignment every 12-18-24 months, depending on your road conditions...with new tires???...that is a great time to align and then monitor after that...I do not consider it money saved, I consider it inefficient money spent on tires...IMO, of course...YMMV...
It could be the difference between speeding ticket and no speeding ticket.
Yesterday priced the Yokohama tires. The Avid Touring was $348 out the door. The Avid T4 is on sale at $60 off...making the out the door price $306. The T4 is more of a performance tire with 60,000 mile warranty...the Avid Touring a bit more comfortable a tire with 80,000 mile warranty. This would be for a 99 Buick Regal LS. I put around 6,000 miles a year on it. And plan on keeping it around another 5 years. Any advice or further info on these tires? It sounds like the T4 is like the touring with a little better handling ...sacraficing tread wear?
I also am having a good experience with the Bridgestone Dueler AT REVO's. The highway tire is the B D H/L Alenza.
Previously I had been running Michelin LTX's for over 500k miles. These are GREAT tires (middlin to high rated) but the others are almost far cheaper.
I also would not rule out the latest gen, GY Fortera line. They sound HOT!!! However,I have had no experience with them and do not know anyone else who has.
Anyway, I actually prefer to keep the 16" wheels that came with the car, as opposed to doing a +1.
So, my question is, does anyone know how wide you can go on the stock wheels (which I can't recall the width of), and when you would run into clearance issues? to complicate matters, the suspension kits lower the car slightly, and I really don't want to have the tires rubbing in the wheel well, or to compromise the great turning radius.
I did the calculations, and 225/55-16 is almost identical in total diameter to the stock 205/60s, so basically the question is can 225s fit on the stock wheels and in the wheel wells without a problem?
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
tidester, host
1) I tend to use the word "defective" to mean something truly wrong with the tire - kind of a black or white sort of thing. And balance weights never really gets to this level.
2) Since a tire is always mounted on a rim, it's difficult to determine what contribution each has to the situation.
3) The price one pays for a tire ought to determine the level of acceptability. Put another way - If you buy cheap tires, you should expect more balance weights.
4) Commonly, vibrations are what causes folks to look at the balance weights (and other things) But there is a non-visible thing that can cause a vibration - tire uniformity. This is a structural consistency situation, where balance is all about mass distribution. In other words, you can have a large amount of imbalance, but the tire can be "uniform" and vice versa.
5) If a customer has a complaint about a new tire, then the tire dealer ought to try to resolve it - and most of the time this works! However, there are situations where this doesn't happen and I always wonder if the problem is on the dealer end or the customer end.
So maybe a few more details would be in order?
BUT: 2% of a 20# tire is 6.4 oz - a value most folks would agree is excessive. However, I think 1% (3 oz.) seems more like a good limit.
tidester, host
Also, do any of you ask to see the particular tires you are purchasing before they are mounted and installed. Seems this would be a good idea in case there was a cut, or scrape on the inside of tire that would ordinarily not be noticeable.
I did this once (traded in for a different brand), but I don't know about a straight return.
Just pick up the phone and call the place! Or try to find them on the Web.
Oh, and there was no additional charge for mounting or balancing. Just brought the car in, swapped out the sneaks, and left.
Good idea about asking to see the tires (anal though), but more so to be able to see the manufacture date code, assuming you know how to translate it, to make sure you are getting fresh ones.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
When do new tires start to go "stale"...about a year?
Tires are sensitive to heat and oxygen (especially in the form of ozone.) Properly stored tires can be almost as "fresh" in 3 years as they are the day the roll (Pun not intended!) out of the factory.
However, there is considerable research being developed that says that there is a finite life to tires even if they are unused. Some folks have suggested a limit of 6 years, and some have said 10 years, but these age limits are directed mostly at tires in service and mounted spares.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Nope. I full understand the science. I had heard someone say that having a freezer or refrigerator in the garage caused ozone from the motor's operation. I thought the motors didn't have sparking so I posted to see if capriracer or someone would have facts on that.
Having power tools that do have sparking in the garage would be a minimal part of the time for most of us, so that shouldn't be a factor. Often the cars are outside when someone's using power tool in a typical garage.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I don't think an occasional use of a power tool in the garage is going to create a problem for tires. What would cause a problem is if the tires were stored next to an electric motor that ran frequently - like a furnace or air compressor.
I am not an expert, but I have had a few cars now in 30 years of driving. This is IMO, so not the gospel. Before you change things, sometimes for the worse, evaluate you driving needs more.
Do you have a V-6 or 4 cylinder in that Accord??? Is this a 4 season or 3 season car??? Do you drive alot in the city or snow country where you either have potholes or road clearance issues. Is your car stick or auto??
This may influence your quest to temper your switch towards tire change first. Rather, I would submit to you, after answering the above questions, to start with the suspension changes and leave the tire/wheel changes till last. You will get much more bang for your buck, by changing struts, sway bar bushing or bars, than tire/wheel changes first.
I drive a 2002 Toyota Avalon XL with Tokico HP stuts and Energy Suspension bushing changes in the F/R sway bars and front control arms. The difference is remarkable. I have both 15 and 16 inch wheel/tire changes and although the 16" are more precise in transient response, the big bang for the buck was the struts. Lowering the car was not a consideration since this is a 4 season car, used in Northern NY through snow. I do change over to a 04 BMW 325ci Sports Suspension during the nice weather but that is never used in the snow/salt.
I would start with the suspension first. See how you like the changes, Then work on the tires if needed.
Hope that helps.
abfisch
And you thought the Ford-Firestone thing was over... (The Driving Woman)
Steve, Host
Turned out it was older than the DOT date stamp in an oval. I think the scout member father who works in a tire store said it was 1988. To think they were going to haul a 1000 lbs of baggage in a trailer behind a van on a tire that old. Thanks to the publicity about age, I thought more about that than I would have and pointed it out during the trailer cleanout.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Makes you think though, doesn't it?
Steve, Host
I tried to find donuts on Tirerack without success. Does Tirerack carry donuts, and how to find them if yes?
My question then is, how far can one drive on the donut tire if you have a flat without damaging AWD componants? I am not the type of person to drive for days without getting the original tire fixed, however I am asking this with the thoughts of having a flat on a trip, and having to go a couple hundred miles to get the tire fixed.
These spares may be a bit difficult to find, but because they aren't mainstream sales, they are usually special orders from the manufacturer.
2 suggestions:
Try the vehicle dealer. They are obligated to have parts available for 3 years after the model year and the tire might be on some current model.
Try the local tire shop. They will have to order it, so you'll need to see you manufactured the tire - and it's not likely to be the same as the tires on the ground.
And, of course, you could always call Tire Rack!
By the way, the spare tires are available on GMPartsDirect. With shipping, they costs practically full MSRP, $5 savings. Did not find spare rims yet.
Bridgestone Firestone Lets Consumers Test-Drive Tires for 30 Days (Inside Line)
Steve, Host
It doesn't sound like anything new to me. :confuse: Most tire manufacturers already have the "30 day trial" for new tires.
Bridgestone/Firestone offers your "money back" within 30 days if not satisfied. Sounds pretty much the same as what is already out there.
Obviously a lot of folks took advantage of it to really just "try an array of tires" as they cut it back to 500 miles
http://toyo.com/500_mile_offer/
So, for a really good deal, you need to ask the tire store if they have some gently used tires in your size in stock?
Steve, Host