Should I buy 2 New Snow Tires?

[iluvhonda]

To OP

I had vibration issues on my Winterforce tires too. Keep in mind the small size I was running. 155/80/13 on steel factory rims for my 94 Honda Civic Hatch. I would get a highway vibration that would shake the car! Had enough decided to get the problem addressed. Turned out to be a out of balance tires prob from flat spotting. I was driving with these tires all year round because i sold the all seasons. I wanted a little more fun in the winter. My conclusion is the Winterforce being a studdable tire is not a comfort tire. Awesome in the snow with deep tread. I got hooked up with them because a local on Craigslist was selling two winterforce tires with rims for $25 dollars.

 

[stephen9666]

Hmmmm....I had Winterforce tires on my S-10 several years ago and did not experience the problem the OP is claiming.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
If it were an alignment issue, I'd have feathering , cupping or the inside would be worn more than the outside (or vice versa). The OEM tires on the car ... are wearing perfectly. Well they are wearing a bit in the center as I run them at 40PSI.

The tread at 1 O'clock is worn significantly more than the tread at 5 O-Clock , for example. The OEM tires are good up to 75MPH without shaking (never drive faster than that).

If the OE garbage tires are wearing fine and the car does not shake with them, it seems to be an issue with the Winterforces.

The Generals aren't available at TR yet ... so I'll have to wait until September to make the order.



Not necessarily. If you have excessive toe, loose tie rods, bad wheel bearings, etc, the wear will just be uneven. A visual inspection is not 100% reliable.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Excessive toe? Bad Wheel bearings? We're talking about my Focus, not my Jeep

I know how quick bad toe and bad wheel bearings will tear up a set of tire. Made that mistake with the Cherokee.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I did end up checking the mounting and they are mounted correctly.

This has been on my mind for a few weeks now. I figure for $140 it's worth saving the front suspension on my car. Especially since I got the studded tires for the Cherokee for much cheaper than expected.

Call me crazy, but I feel much safer on studded tires than M/Ts on my 4x4 Cherokee in the winter. Both vehicles outfitted with snow tires will be a winning combination.

I think this weekend I am going to head up to a local Firestone store (NOT the one that said they couldn't take pictures on a cloudy day) and see what they can do.

They will obviously put up a fight if I am trying to buy two.

If they put up a fight about the tire size, the tires are going to be for my 2012 Nissan Versa (uses 185/65-15 from the factory)

 

[Ken2]

Miller, could the wheels have been mounted on the balancing machine off center? You said that these were OEM alloy wheels, and they should center on the cones, but...something weird is going on. Usually the answer is simple but overlooked. Tires that shake the car off the road at 55 are unsafe, it is as simple as that. Try to get a clear solution from the Firestone store manager for correcting all four tires. Ask for a conversation with a factory rep if needed. Do not accept anything less than four safe, smooth running tires.

Quote:
The tire wear pattern is wierd - in some spots it's almost like a new tire, in some spots, the siping is gone.
These tires might be too far gone to salvage. You need a great price on four good tires.

 

[gofast182]

Why get the same type of tire again if there is a known issue with them that you yourself have experienced?

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Ken2
Miller, could the wheels have been mounted on the balancing machine off center? You said that these were OEM alloy wheels, and they should center on the cones, but...something weird is going on. Usually the answer is simple but overlooked. Tires that shake the car off the road at 55 are unsafe, it is as simple as that. Try to get a clear solution from the Firestone store manager for correcting all four tires. Ask for a conversation with a factory rep if needed. Do not accept anything less than four safe, smooth running tires.

Quote:
The tire wear pattern is wierd - in some spots it's almost like a new tire, in some spots, the siping is gone.
These tires might be too far gone to salvage. You need a great price on four good tires.


Two of them are too far gone. The two I ran on the front last year were unbearable and the tread is worn very bad in a few spots. The ones I used on the front Winter 11-12 (were on the back last winter) were good until about 70 or so. The also did not pull as bad.

All 4 were rebalanced at least once. The two that I ran on the front last winter were rebalanced a second time halfway through the winter.

There was also a really good pull using them; I thought the car was severely out of alignment. But with the summer tires it tracks straight as an arrow.

Originally Posted By: gofast182
Why get the same type of tire again if there is a known issue with them that you yourself have experienced?


I don't want to purchase an entire set of 4 and I want them to match. The car will need new summer tires in the spring. I will get rid of the worst of the two now, then next year get rid of the other two.

 

[Ken2]

Quote:
All 4 were rebalanced at least once. The two that I ran on the front last winter were rebalanced a second time halfway through the winter.
Miller, take a look at the wheels. Could they have been mounted off center on the balancing machine but balanced correctly for that incorrect mounting, then when centered on the car they are not balanced for true center? Or, could they have been mounted off center on the car, but correctly centered and balanced on the balancing machine?

Are the correct lug nuts for those wheels used? My family fleet has used lug nuts with cone faces, ball faces, and flat faces, and they must be used to match the wheels. Something like this can put the wheels off center and make them ride and wear wrong.

If you find something like this, tell the tire shop manager that they are the experts, they should have found the problem, they didn't find the problem, and they owe you a great deal on new tires.

I'm thinking of all the odd ball little stuff that can have big consequences. I guess it is possible that a tire factory can have a horrible production run, that that isn't the only possibility.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Update, I ordered two new winterforce tires for $200 to my door. Would have been a bit less but I got them both studded.


Originally Posted By: Ken2
Quote:
All 4 were rebalanced at least once. The two that I ran on the front last winter were rebalanced a second time halfway through the winter.
Miller, take a look at the wheels. Could they have been mounted off center on the balancing machine but balanced correctly for that incorrect mounting, then when centered on the car they are not balanced for true center? Or, could they have been mounted off center on the car, but correctly centered and balanced on the balancing machine?

Are the correct lug nuts for those wheels used? My family fleet has used lug nuts with cone faces, ball faces, and flat faces, and they must be used to match the wheels. Something like this can put the wheels off center and make them ride and wear wrong.

If you find something like this, tell the tire shop manager that they are the experts, they should have found the problem, they didn't find the problem, and they owe you a great deal on new tires.

I'm thinking of all the odd ball little stuff that can have big consequences. I guess it is possible that a tire factory can have a horrible production run, that that isn't the only possibility.


I took an index card and marked the little line that runs along the sidewall of the tire by the edge of the wheel. It was straight on the 2 worst tires ... didn't check on the good ones.

I'm running OE alloys and mine also came with alloys - lugnuts are the same and center bore on the wheel lets it sit perfectly on the hub.

I am going to check the date codes on the tires next time I am at my parents. Wonder if they are from different runs?

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Figured I wouldn't push my luck any more - it's going to be snowing and I'll be somewhere with the summer tires on.

Put them on yesterday with the two new ones on the front.

I inflated them to 40 PSI (determined that the 32 I was running them at before was not enough) and tried a highway run. At 70MPH it was pretty smooth. Once I passed 70, it did start to shimmy.

However, I rarely drive above 60. The pull is gone, too. So the steering wheel is centered and I don't have to wrestle to keep the car from pulling.

 

[Rolla07]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Belt issues? That sounds like a pretty serious manufacturing flaw. If you can't get a refund, I would pull those things off immediately and not buy that particular brand/line of tire anymore.


100%.

Despite some claims, these tires are not rated well and many options out there are far superior. I dont get why you would purchase more of the same junk..personally i would write a complaint to firestone. Ideally, wait and put a whole new set on next year and limit driving this vehicle (if possible).

 

[Rolla07]

40 psi is pretty high for winter driving..you will lose traction setting your tires to 40 psi in winter..at least that was my experience..i set mine to 32-33 max in winter. Standard is 30 psi.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Originally Posted By: dparm
Belt issues? That sounds like a pretty serious manufacturing flaw. If you can't get a refund, I would pull those things off immediately and not buy that particular brand/line of tire anymore.


100%.

Despite some claims, these tires are not rated well and many options out there are far superior. I dont get why you would purchase more of the same junk..personally i would write a complaint to firestone. Ideally, wait and put a whole new set on next year and limit driving this vehicle (if possible).


I agree there are better. At the time I bought the original four, the only other winter tires in this size were significantly more expensive. I also have heard many reports about bad belts on the smaller sizes.

I did not want to purchase an entirely new set of snow tires. Two are good and do not shake and did not wear oddly.

The new ones seem to be good; we'll see how long they last.

Originally Posted By: Rolla07
40 psi is pretty high for winter driving..you will lose traction setting your tires to 40 psi in winter..at least that was my experience..i set mine to 32-33 max in winter. Standard is 30 psi.


It's a bit on the high side. I noticed on the "old" ones that were run at around 32, they wore a lot more on the outsides than on the center of the tread.

I bought 4 studded A/T tires for my jeep, two of these and the car will need new summer tires in the spring. I'm tired of buying tires (pun intended).

I'll drop them down to 30 if I'm driving in the snow and leave them at 40 for highway driving.