Shop refused to mount my tires

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Originally Posted By: exranger06
I most likely will NOT go back to shop to chew the owner out. I just need time to cool down and in the meantime, vent and play out these fantasies in my head (or in this case, type it out on BITOG). My anger is something I've been working and improving on. I'm sure by the time I get the tires mounted on Friday I'll be much better and will put all this behind me.
Its not you - the world is highly flawed. The Idiots need some old-school schooling.
 
Originally Posted By: redhat
My Accord calls for a 215/60/16 94H and I'm running a 205/65/16 95T Blizzak.

Who wants to sue me?


Note that winter tires are generally "overlooked" here because of the general understanding that they are used in cold climates and on cold roads, where heat generation isn't near the issue that it can be on hot pavement in the summer.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14


Your response quotes the laboratory conditions under which speed ratings are certified. Did you notice that it's under controlled temp? Specified load? For only 10 minutes at that speed?

Real world is far different. Tires age. Inflation pressures vary from tested. Vehicle weight and load varies. Temperature varies.

So, the vehicle manufacturer specifies a minimum speed rating that accounts for those variables. It may be rated for a higher speed than the speed at which you intend to operate your vehicle.

The shop is following those guidelines.

Sorry that you don't like it.

But go back and rant at the shop owner....see where that gets you...I have always found that yelling at someone and being confrontational convinces them to come over to my point of view....


Yeah, pretty much. The tire speed testing done is under....optimal conditions, to say the least. Its pretty much a "Yup, it holds itself together" test. It does not account for aging, loading of the tires, the manufacturers specified inflation pressure...I could go on.
 
Whats the point of waiting if you have an appointment? This reminds me of that Seinfeld episode with the car rental. lol

Yes it is a bummer, but the speed rating is somthing that shouldnt be overlooked. Tire size not so much.

I wanted 31's on my Jeep. Walmart wouldnt do it because its hard on the gears... Good thing though.. After some of the horror stories ive heard im glad it worked out the way it did.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: whip
This is the problem with owning your own business. It's an impossible battle. The shop owner does the right thing, and now he's getting blasted all over the internet. if he mounts the tires, and gets sued, he can't feed his family.


And note that he didn't sell the tires in the first place, so he's making even less money on the job then he would have otherwise
frown.gif


The shop is a "recommended installer" on Tire Rack. I figured they were probably pretty used to people bringing in tires they ordered online and that they were OK with it. A shop that's not OK with people bringing in online ordered tires probably wouldn't sign up to be a recommended installer for Tire Rack, no?
 
It doesn't sound ridiculous at all. Also speed ratings in this country have less to do about speed and more to do about sidewall construction and handling.

The way around this is to bring the wheels in without the car.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Originally Posted By: redhat
My Accord calls for a 215/60/16 94H and I'm running a 205/65/16 95T Blizzak.

Who wants to sue me?


What route do you take home from work? I'll brake check you and we can let the fun start!

On second thought, I don't think that will work. I don't have the right size tires on my car (185/65-15 vs 195/60-15 ... HUGE difference) and I think the ambulance chasers would short circuit.


LOL, all I can think of is the part from Christmas Vacation where Clark Griswold's Taurus wagon is brake checked and you hear the V6 in that thing rev up and he swerves with tire squeal. All on dry road!
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
It doesn't sound ridiculous at all. Also speed ratings in this country have less to do about speed and more to do about sidewall construction and handling.

The way around this is to bring the wheels in without the car.


^ Yep, this exactly.

OP, throw the car on jack stands (or might be a good opportunity to get some if you don't have any) and take the wheels in with another vehicle. It stinks, but you will get it done.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
The "speed" rating has more to do with sidewall stiffness and its effect on handling behaviors... Important for safety, no?

Glad some businesses are willing to turn jobs away to ensure that safety isnt sacrificed to save a few bucks.

You can argue going fast or handling all you want... THe vehicle was designed for a specific tire application.

Sorry.


This. Speed rating for the tire is not the same as the speed at which that vehicle can be safely driven on those tires. It's a common misconception that "I have T-rated tires, so I can drive up to 118 MPH on those tires with this car". Maybe you can, maybe you can't.


Typically you cannot without adjusting inflation pressure. Mercedes have two pressures listed, low and high speed, I'm sure your M5 is the same.

Again speed ratings at least in this country are a bit of a misnomer.
 
Last edited:
The law states that replacement tires must be of the same Load and speed rating or higher. It is not just the speed rating but, the handling charteristices that go with the rating. The shop did the correct thing to protect you, except for the wait. Ed
 
Originally Posted By: redhat
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
It doesn't sound ridiculous at all. Also speed ratings in this country have less to do about speed and more to do about sidewall construction and handling.

The way around this is to bring the wheels in without the car.


^ Yep, this exactly.

OP, throw the car on jack stands (or might be a good opportunity to get some if you don't have any) and take the wheels in with another vehicle. It stinks, but you will get it done.

Meh, it's a little too late for that. I do plan on doing that when I need tires for my Bronco. But this time, it's easier to just drive the car in.
 
Attorney's are good and bad.
my cousin had a dirt bike accident years ago as a kid. he had a dot approved and certified full face helmet. The fiberglass or resin shell failed. he was flightcared and fully recovered. three months later a kid few towns over had same helmet from same store, he died. that's when the lawsuits from both families started.
in the end the judge granted $70k after attorney's and expert testimony fees, his check $48 and change. they are thiefs.

ken
 
let me start this by saying i haven't a clue as to the speed ratings on either the current, or any of the past tires on my neon.

when i bought the Pirelli's i currently have, i bought them from tire rack (put in my cars info first), and had them shipped to my local ford dealer, who isn't on tire rack's list of installers.

the only time they questioned me, was that the tires going on were a different size (185/60 15) than the ones coming off (195/55 15). all i had to say was that the 185's were the OE size, and that worked fine for them.

My brother was the Original owner of the car, and had put wider tires on it(at his local Discount tire), as he felt it was having wet traction issues with the OE Goodyear Eagles.
 
Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: whip
This is the problem with owning your own business. It's an impossible battle. The shop owner does the right thing, and now he's getting blasted all over the internet. if he mounts the tires, and gets sued, he can't feed his family.


And note that he didn't sell the tires in the first place, so he's making even less money on the job then he would have otherwise
frown.gif


The shop is a "recommended installer" on Tire Rack. I figured they were probably pretty used to people bringing in tires they ordered online and that they were OK with it. A shop that's not OK with people bringing in online ordered tires probably wouldn't sign up to be a recommended installer for Tire Rack, no?


No idea, maybe in this economy they feel poor business is better than no business? IE they'd rather you at least pay to have your tires mounted there even if you didn't buy them then not have you walk through their door at all
21.gif


I buy my tires from my local Chrysler dealer that I have an excellent relationship with. For something like tires, I'd feel like I was insulting them if I bought elsewhere for them to install.

To each their own of course.
 
We don't have any roads that can take those speeds, or a court system that is other than political, so never worried about it when I did mounting and balancing.

But with US liability lawyers, I can see it. The insurance we have to keep at the brewery in case someone gets drunk is absurd. And in oils, with the deep-pocket lawyer filings, many companies stay away from competing in aviation oils.
 
not quite the same but several years ago took my (new to me) 1994 Dodge Dakota to Wal mart to replace the older and out of warranty WAL-MART battery, which fit fine. They wouldn't put it in because it was "too powerful" a battery, and they could install a less powerful model for the same dollar. I went to AAP. used the coupon, paid about the same price for a better battery. Liability concerns! A friend who worked at Wal-mart said profits are very marginal because of losses on repairs by "technicians", such as forgeting to screw the drain plug back in or add oil.
 
I don't blame the shop for refusing to mount the tires. Who wants that type of liability for every customer that walks through the door with the same circumstances?
 
Things are getting out of hand. I had the same problem with my wrangler. Local tire place said i needed some super high speed rated street treaded tire on my wrangler that tops out about 75
 
I have no doubt it's the underwriters forcing the policy on the tire shop. I've experienced pretty much the same thing. Tire shops generally wont mount non-OEM sizes or ratings, tread below a certain depth, worn tires on the back, or tires over a certain age. It's been like that for awhile.

Though, it's been my experience that business owners are more inclined to "bend the rules" if you make the initial purchase through them. There's really no incentive for them to take on the liability without making a sale, especially for a new customer.
 
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