Tire Shoq Question for WNY Folks

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

redhat

Joined
Dec 7, 2012
Messages
4,162
I have (4) Brand New Hankook iPike's that are going to go on our Impala for winter. The size of the tire is 215/65/16. The Impala OE tire size is 225/60/16.

Has anyone had any luck with any shops in the WNY area that will mount and balance a plus zero sized tire? Or anything different from OE? I already called a couple of tire shops in Hamburg, NY and they gave me the whole run around about how they can't and blah blah blah.

...last resort, I'll have to throw the Impala up on jack stands and take the wheels in separate. Just trying to save myself a little work. Thanks.
 
You may get better results showing up in person as they'll either overlook, or "overlook". They have to give the company line on the phone if the boss is listening or if a "secret shopper" is checking up on them.

I'd start with hole-in-the wall garages, and cash money.
 
I have all of our tires mounted at WalMart Service Centers that sell/mount tires. They've never given me any issues. And you can bring in your own tires purchaced elsewhere.

They will also throw away your old tires without charging the NYS Disposal Fee($2.50/tire). At least this is how W*M does it here in Rochester
smile.gif


Here at W*M Rochester, the cost per/tire is $13.00/tire for mounting/balancing which includes lifetime balance/rotation. Valve stems are $3/ea...total $16/tire. I usually get the valve stems anyway.
 
Last edited:
If you have a separate set of wheels, bring them and tires in to get mounted, then install the wheels with tires at home.

I am going to be putting 215 85R16 tires on Lincoln Towncar wheels for my Jeep this winter.

I would LOVE to go to a walmart and ask them to put the tires on the wheels and the wheels on the Jeep! I would make someone blow a gasket!
 
I wish we had a separate set of wheels but (and I'm sure this is for all folks these days) moneys a little tight and we're gonna hold off until next year for additional wheels.

I will go "shop hopping" tomorrow morning and early afternoon and see who will put them on. I'll let you all know who seems decent and which place doesn't. Thanks for the suggestions.
 
I wouldn't tell them upfront about the size difference. Just ask them to install the tires and they probably won't have an issue with it. The most Walmart will probably make you do is sign a liability waiver. Or the worst would be to park it outside the garage and wheel the tires back and forth. Good exercise though!

I'd get there at 7:50 am to be the first in line.
 
Last edited:
I agree with the suggestion not to tell them in advance it's a minus-zero size tire. If they do raise a fuss---which seems even more likely in NY state than elsewhere, I hear---bring along two forms of documentation:

1. A printout of the specs for the i-Pike from the Hankook site, which shows that the load and speed ratings (98T) EXCEED the OE spec of 97S.

2. A printout of the tire size calculation that shows a diameter difference of less than 1.5% between the two sizes.

Don't be uppity, but make clear that you know your way around a sidewall. If they still balk, ask them which seems safer to drive on in a WNY winter: a well-worn GY Integrity all-season 97S, or a new Hankook i-Pike winter 98T, with the snowflake on the mountain, etc.

Explain how you plan to tell your insurance company how tire shop X refused to install safe tires you bought online, forcing you to drive on the used Integritys when you slid off the road. Etc.

That argument makes at least as much sense as the opposite.
 
NYS liability laws are insane. Lets say that he had 225/60-16 snow tires in the same size and speed rating.

And next week he gets drunk and runs over someone and kills them.

With NYS liability laws, the tire shop would be pinned with the whole thing some how. It is their fault according to the Law in NY - even if it is not caused by tires at all.

I suspect that is why a lot of shops around here charge ridiculous rates for tire mounting and balancing.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
You can sign a waver releasing the shop from any fault pertaining to the tire size difference.


It is my understanding that signing a waiver doesn't change the legal liability - that the law as practiced indicates that anyone who is responsible remains responsible and can't avoid that responsibility.


Disclosure: I am NOT an attorney, but I slept at a .... (opps!) .. but I've been involved in several cases involving tire failures.
 
So UPDATE (in Unsolved Mysteries Robert Stack voice):

Saturday I went to the Walmart near me in Hamburg, fellow behind the counter was real nice and apologized as there would be a four hour wait. I said no problem and decided to check other places near me. I went to another indy tire shop and they were also busy, guy was friendly too, so no big deal.

I then went to the Walmart in Springville and asked the lady there if I could get four of my snows put on. Very rudely I was responded with "TODAY!?!?" then laughed a little "NO WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING TODAY". So I just said "OK, Never mind" and walked out, she kept blabbing too while I walked out the door.

I tried again today, went back to the same Hamburg Walmart and the fellow went out to the car with me and recorded the tire size on the door jamb and then looked at the tires and mentioned the size difference. I said "Yeah I want to go a little narrower for the winter and the tires meet the same speed rating and load range". He agreed with me, said he would do the same thing on his car and puts whatever will fit on his farm equipment but he cannot legally put them on due to DOT laws or something. Also mentioned that Walmart has cameras and watches everything. He was genuinely polite and friendly and understood that I knew my stuff. I can't fault him and wouldn't want him to get in trouble regardless if it's Walmart's policy or DOT.

So here I sit with the Impala, with two Coopers at 2/32 tread at front and two 8/32 Dunlops at back. My choices are to put the car up on stands and take the wheels in or get another set of rims. Guy about 20 minutes away from me is selling a set of 16" Grand Prix wheels for $125. Might go to check them out. What a PITA this has been.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: redhat
So UPDATE (in Unsolved Mysteries Robert Stack voice):

Saturday I went to the Walmart near me in Hamburg, fellow behind the counter was real nice and apologized as there would be a four hour wait. I said no problem and decided to check other places near me. I went to another indy tire shop and they were also busy, guy was friendly too, so no big deal.

I then went to the Walmart in Springville and asked the lady there if I could get four of my snows put on. Very rudely I was responded with "TODAY!?!?" then laughed a little "NO WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING TODAY". So I just said "OK, Never mind" and walked out, she kept blabbing too while I walked out the door.

I tried again today, went back to the same Hamburg Walmart and the fellow went out to the car with me and recorded the tire size on the door jamb and then looked at the tires and mentioned the size difference. I said "Yeah I want to go a little narrower for the winter and the tires meet the same speed rating and load range". He agreed with me, said he would do the same thing on his car and puts whatever will fit on his farm equipment but he cannot legally put them on due to DOT laws or something.

Unreal. Since you got along with this guy so well, I suggest you go back and ask him, politely, which laws he is talking about. I know of no such laws. I do not live in NY state, so I do not rule out a state reg there that does not apply elsewhere---but I think this has swollen to the point of paranoia. "It's not EXACTLY what's written down, so I could get in trouble. Somehow. I think. Maybe."

Bah. Good luck.
 
Is there no independent tire store in your area? If McDonald's won't make you a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast, no mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce and hold the chicken you go to the local diner and they'll do it.
 
Find an indy shop that does performance work or deals with tires for performance applications. Most of them are willing to mount just about anything that's not blatantly unsafe, especially if the wheels aren't on the vehicle (but even then, I've had no issue getting non-stock-size tires mounted on the Jeep when I brought it in to a shop in Rochester).

Back in CT, even some of the bigger chains don't seem picky, as Town Fair had no issue ordering and subsequently installing bigger than stock tires for me. They just had me sign a piece of paper indicating that I understood that they weren't stock size and they weren't responsible for any fitment issues that came up.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Huskyguy68
my original spare tire....
Replies
17
Views
587
K2K2
M
New Tires vs. Used Tires : Black Friday Edition
Replies
3
Views
701
macarose
D
Comparing a Couple Tires
2
Replies
28
Views
1K
Ronsant
S
Michelin Latitude Tour HP ZP wont balance?
2
Replies
22
Views
2K
slowx6m
Rand
General AS-07 Tire Rebate starting 3/1/2026 $80 or $160 off
Replies
9
Views
1K
Mainia
Back
Top Bottom