So I took my car to SoG yesterday for it's check-up and found a giant screw in the front driver's side tire. It wasn't leaking air, so I called the Firestone place off Howell Mill (I wish I would've known about GTE before this...) to have the tire replaced. It was covered under the roadside hazard program, so it didn't cost anything. I talked w/ Jill at SoG about shaving the tire and she said that since the new tires had very low miles on them (maybe ~5000, at the most), the center diff should be fine and there was no need to worry about the slightly increased tread (which will probably be even after the next auto-x event :ddirty. However, the car is pulling right now and I don't know why. I checked the tire pressures and they're all ~36-38 psi. I was thinking if I slightly deflated the new tire to ~34, it may help, but what do you guys think? My car used to track straight as an arrow for days, but now I can actually feel the pull through the steering wheel. Also, I'd like to give a giant thanks to the guys at Firestone who don't know how to put my tire on...I now have a scratch that covers 1/4 of the wheel from where they mounted the tire :wtc:. If it weren't for the roadside hazard...bah. I've yet to go there, but from what I've heard, my only future choice will be GTE.
Same size tire, right? double check it... Jill isn't a mechanic. If it's pulling and the alignment is right something isn't good. It may not be a bad idea to shave it down or buy three new ones.
Just checked, all four tires are 225/45/17 I don't drive hard, except the occasional hard entrance / exit ramp, but those don't have many turns, and most of them are right hand anyway so the driver's side should burn down faster. The majority of my miles are interstate (95%+). I'm an outside salesman and make trips from Atlanta --> Savannah, Augusta, Hartwell, Macon, etc.
well, if it's pulling and the alignment is correct then you need to do something. A long highway drive with mismatched tires is what will blow up your diff. And Jill isn't going to buy you a new transmission... I just bought a new set because of a flat and my old set was only about 40% worn. It could easily be that your alignment is off. Don't just go anywhere. Either GTE or Jeff at the Marietta Tires Plus (if you're broke like me).
It might give you some peace of mind to either buy a tread depth gague or have them checked at a tire shop. I think that your manual should tell of acceptable difference. I want to say 2/32 max vairation.
you need to measure the diameter of all tires and as long as they are within 1/4 inch of eachother they are fine...then check aligement...Good Luck Man!
Definitely follow people's advice on checking the diameters and tread depth... I would take the car by GTE and have them check it out just in case some thing happened to your alignment.
+1. If you run different size, make, model, or worn tires they consider it your fault if there are problems. Again, Jill isn't a mechanic.
Dude seriously... call GTE they will be able to help you out. If there is an issue with your new tire having too much tread they maybe able shave it down for you. Ask for Kieran.
I know how you guys feel. I just dropped 600 bucks on four new tires since one out of my old set (which may have lasted me another 10k) ate itself on the highway for no apparent reason. Sometimes I envy people who can just replace the one tire, but I guess it comes with the territory.
eh, I just called Kieran this afternoon and set up an appointment for Monday afternoon...as much as I don't want to spend the money, a little here for some shaving, balancing and alignment is much cheaper than a center diff... bah this car is a damn money pit...if it just...wasn't...soooo...fast...
i'm guessing the tire shave and balance/align will be close to the cost of an avg UHP tire. way better than 4 new tires