Tires, tires, tires

7006 messages, Last post on Oct 29, 2009 at 11:24 AM

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What is this discussion about? Tires, Wheels, Steering

Edmund's Feature Article: Tire Safety: Don't Ignore the Rubber on the Road

For dedicated winter tires, also have a look at the Snow/ice winter tires discussion topic.

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#41 of 7006 mcgreenx by tireguy Apr 30, 2000 (4:32 pm)
Mike, There is no question Sam's Club offers the greatest value in in the country on tires, whether 18" for your Porsche, or 8" for your Cub Cadet. Nobody else buys tires in the quantities of parent company Wal-Mart, therefore nobody can sell tires at prices, or honor adjustments, like them. But as I sat here preaching of the greatness of my employer, I decided it might seem a bit unethical for me to be promoting a company whose profits I benefit from. So, just to support my goal of objectivity, I figured I'd give my audience a taste of the worst-case-scenario bit. You're right, just as there are a lot of true geniuses working on cars, there are complete idiots turning wrenches in just about every auto shop in the country. When it comes down to it, Sam's is no worse than Just Tires, BJ's, or even Sears Automotive. In a specialized shop, the technicians don't need to be ASE certified to be proficient. Just what level that technician achieves depends on his personal attitude. It's a toss up. In the shop in which I work, Easton Pennsylvania, nobody wants to be the shop dummy, so we're constantly in competition to rise above the rest. The result is a shop full of seemingly inexperienced young guys who, through the rapid ingestion of the contents of every resource attainable, have actually taken the science of tires to a level incomprehensible by the slackers in the company's sister shop of the next town. The end result makes us laugh at how sick it is that the customers have no idea as to the level of service they are receiving. We might sometimes take the time to tell them, after a job, how we went the extra mile to match mount their tires, spun and re-spun their tires until they were balanced to within .10 oz, used the factory coated weights so they won't fall off or corrode their alloy wheels through dissimilar metal contact, torqued their lugs exactly to manufacturer's specs, used teflon inserts on the mounting tool so as not to scratch their rims... et cetera. The bottom line is, to me, once I'm done with this gig and move on to something else, I'll have to rely on someone to mount my tires and hope they'll do it the way my guys did. It would make the difference to the point I would pay 50% more to get this kind of service--the ironic thing is we're the cheapest guys in town! The bottom line is, most people don't even care if their wheels are balanced to perfection. They don't care if the tires recommended for their purchase are based on experience and expertise; a tire is a tire. They want free mounting and balancing (even if the jacked-up fees are merely figured in to the cost). They want their tires mounted in a half-hour. All they care about is the mileage warranty and the price. These idiots, of whom I write, can't understand how anyone could possibly consider paying $55 for a 60K mile Michelin when they can pay $35 for a 70K mile General. After all my raving, my point is this: Sam's Club's prices, either on cheap tires or on premium tires, are the best. The chances are they will handle your car more carefully and professionally than most shops. But for the paranoid persons such as myself, who won't even take his car to Jiffy Lube for fear they might screw up something as rudimentary as an oil change, you can assure they (any tire shop) won't get greasy paws all over your leather steering wheel, warp your rotors by overtorquing, cause your wheels to depart the vehicle from undertorquing, smash your catalytic converter or jack your front end from the tie rod--by simply jacking your car up in the driveway and taking the wheels only (with the weights pulled off and the stem core removed) to the shop to have new tires installed. To most, it's not worth the greasy hands and half-hour of sweaty work for an end result the layman can't perceive. To me, the one who will have to deal with the pulsating brakes and have them resurfaced on the chance it might be Joe Tiremonkey's first day using an impact tool, it's worth it. But as you noted, Joe Tiremonkey isn't exclusive to Sam's Club. He's employed by every tire retailer in the country. PS- I noticed you drive a new LHS. If you have the 225/60R16s, I'd recommend the Michelin X-Radial Plus if you want long mileage, the Mich. MXV4 Plus if you want a sporter ride, or the Mich. Symmetry if you don't want to break the bank on a tire purchase. If you have the 17's, there isn't yet a tire made in your size which I would recommend to anyone.
#42 of 7006 poor sentence structure by tireguy Apr 30, 2000 (4:41 pm)
"They don't care if the tires recommended for their purchase are based on experience and expertise." What I meand was, "they don't care if the recommendations are based on..." Recommendations, not tires, are based on experience. Whereas tires are based mostly on halo-butyl or silica compounds. Oops.
#43 of 7006 caprirooster by tireguy Apr 30, 2000 (4:47 pm)
Any tire shop with a balancer, no matter how incompenent the technician, can determine if a tire is out of round by observing the runout of the tire (with respect to any runout in the rim) as it spins on the machine. If pronounced to the point where it actually annoys the heck out of you, you can probably see it yourself just by jacking the car and spinning the wheel(s). Few tires are "perfectly" round, but if you notice a difference in rise (runout) greater than 1/4", you have likely pinpointed the source of your vibrations.
#44 of 7006 once again by tireguy Apr 30, 2000 (4:48 pm)
Geez, now I can't even spell "incompetent." I think my computer is busted.
#45 of 7006 by fredly May 01, 2000 (3:17 am)
Tireguy, I'm impressed by the easton sam's Its my local sam's... I was happy to hear that you can order almost any tire also. My Brother in Law was having problems finding tires for his 750il I don't remember the size I know they were 17's but he found this out with you guys. Anyway just thought I would let ya know
#46 of 7006 Minivans(tireguy) by pat84 May 01, 2000 (12:27 pm)
You may want to re-evaluate your impression of minivans. They now have over 200 Hp, independent suspension, and are much more aerodynamic. They have 0-60 times in the 10 second range. As for "paper or plastic" what auto made after 1990 wouldn't that apply to ? There are literally millions of satisfied minivan customers out there. I am one. I do know enough about tires to rotate, balance and keep them properly inflated. My tire gauge compensates for differences in ambient temperature. It reads true gauge presure. I also don't exceed the original "T" rated tires speed of 118 MPH. Yes,the new minivans hold the road very well at over 100mph.
#47 of 7006 pat84 by tireguy May 01, 2000 (2:39 pm)
You're right. Modern minivans do deliver a great deal of the practical utility found in a S.U.V., while still providing sedan-like handling and gas mileage. My aversion is rooted back in the early years of my driving, when the vehicles in my parents' inventory included a tire-smoking, 5 speed, 16 valve Mazda, (which was brand new and mostly off-limits) and an early Dodge Caravan, which, though trendy when they bought it, just didn't cut it in the high school parking lot (though wasn't so bad at the drive-in). I didn't mean to imply that all minivan owners are car-unconscious; I'm sure there are a lot of minivan drivers out there whose intelligence on such matters as auto techology far exceeds that of yours truly. I merely meant that even the new ones are extremely unforgiving with regards to tire maintenance, and based on the observations of my experience in Eastern Pennsylvania, most minivan owners are not obsessive auto enthusiasts who check their treadwear with a pyrometer. But it is wrong of me to generalize. A front-wheel drive sportless utility vehicle doesn't appeal to me, sub-ten second 0-60 times notwithstanding. But I'm sure a doorless, roofless, seatbeltless, a/c and heatless, radioless, stentorian loud, 180 mph reaching, sub-THREE second 0-60ing, 600 lb., quadruple carburated, two-wheeled, Kawi ZX-11D wouldn't appeal to many as a suitable primary mode of transportation, either. For me, while I was stationed in Los Angeles (actually Tustin), it was perfect. I apologize to you and all minivaneers the world over who peruse the text of this forum for any remarks you may find blasphemous. Though I still rank minivans on the coolness scale just ahead of mopeds, that's just my opinion--and, last I checked, I think that's what we're all here to share.
#48 of 7006 tireguy by ccotenj May 01, 2000 (6:03 pm)
actually, mopeds are ahead of minivans on the coolness scale... -Chris
#49 of 7006 Coolness Scale by pat84 May 02, 2000 (6:32 pm)
My van is quite cool, what with dual a/c - much more so than an 1100cc Kawasaki, or a moped. BTW, I survived 3 motorcycles and 2 sports cars and 1 "muscle" car. I learned about tires from those vehicles. Best tires I ever owned were Pirelli P7000s (on a Nissan 240SX).
#50 of 7006 pat84 by ccotenj May 03, 2000 (1:26 pm)
good one... -Chris