Hello again
Have a tire dealer problem, bought new tires 475.00 Left dealer steering wheel vibrating not real bad but bad enough, looked at passenger seat vibrating pretty bad. Next day went back to dealer he said i put on cheap tires, called for 1,400.00 tires. First thing I thought was BS. Does a jag wheel rotate different than all other wheels. I can understand top dollar tires if you are driving 160 MPH.Most I drive is 80 MPH Anyway I said nothing I have spouted off in my younger years and had to eat crow a couple times. I would like to get your expert opinions before I go back, if I'm wrong will not go back.
Thank you for any Info

 

I call BS.

I've had many sets of modestly priced tires over the years without vibration problems.

Go back to the tire store and ask them to recheck the balancing. If the tire can't be sucessfully balanced, ask for a replacement.

No need to spout off but you should hold your ground, IMHO

Cheers
DD

 

Whats the brand of the tire, perhaps you can contact their customer service and let them know what's going on?

 

The place is Hibdon tires a chain dealership, been doing business 12 years they have a very good reputation. Always take care of customers, they were bought out few years ago and allowed buyer use the their name, I have taken tires back thru the years and no problems.This guy is new seemed pissed before I came in,maybe someone pissed on his rice krispies that morning LOL.
I will go back tomorrow talk to someone else, if still have problem will contact the Hibdon family here in Ok city. They built their reputation and sure they would not go for this as they let new owner use their good name. I wanted to go back knowing that I knew what I was talking about.

 

If it did not vibrate before the new tires, it certainly shouldn't vibrate afterwards.

Telling a manager at the tire manufacturer that one of their dealers has called their tire a "cheap tire" might earn them a phone call telling them to set things right.

 

Hold on a second......I put so called cheap tires on my tr6 because it sat for ten years and they vibrated like crazy at 50 to 55..I just wanted something cheap to see if I could get it running..like it or not if you bought a cheaper tire they may have a weaker sidewall and lower load rating....while you don't need $1400 tires you do need the right tires for the car within reason. I'm not justifying the dealers response to you but it would be helpful to know what brand, size, model of tire you bought before I gather up my pitch fork and torch.

 

I'd research your particular tire and get some reviews on them also check the load rating and understand just because your wheels are round as all other cars doesn't mean the tire will perform well on your car. The sa4's I bought a year ago are long gone replaced by dunlops. Vibration is a thing of the past. On the sa4's you could easily push the shoulder in on the dismounted tire where you couldn't on the dunlops....not all tires are created equal and I would expect a tire not of the proper construction and load rating to vibrate on the Xjs based on its construction, load rating, tread pattern and speed rating sidewall/shoulder strength. What you want is good customer service and probably a bit better tire then he put on but not All the up to $1400. Tires that work well on the Xjs while not impossible to find are getting scarcer in the 15" size.

 

Load rating is important for safety. However, at +/-4000 pounds the XJS is not a tank. Millions of cars weight 4000 pounds.

I'd say the tire store would have to actually go out of their way to install a tire of inappropriate load rating. But it's possible, I suppose.



True that improperly constructed tires can vibrate. That would be a defective tire!






However, it should be very easy to find a tire that doesn't shake the car. That would be a properly balanced tire or a non-defective tire. :-)

I understand your points entirely but to be honest I think you are over-stating the importance of the XJS to have some sort of special tire in order to be vibration free.

Cheers
DD

 

Yes I see more out of round issues with cheaper tires and they definitly suck at the limits of adhesion. You wont notice that one as much if you do all 4, but stick cheaper lower traction rating on the front or rear and youll notice you either kick the back out in corners or plow with the front. Not to mention increase braking distances and that matter no matter your speed, just take your eyes off the car in front of you for a second. Your issue to me sounds like you have a tire with a high roadforce. I dont care theyre new, its a contruction issue with that tire. The tire is not as round as it needs to be and no matter how perfectly its balanced, it will virbate. How smooth a ride do you think a egg shaped tire will be? If road force is not checked you dont know spec on pass tires is 26 and light truck 33 using a machine like a hunter 9700. Afterall you can balance a brick, but how will that ride

 

I've been doing temp work as a tire changer, and not all tires are created equal. The worst that I've seen are uni-wobble (uniroyal) followed by the ultra cheap Sailun.

Yes, we balance them. No, that doesn't magicall make them round.

This isn't even limited to low end tires. I was surprised when I took the job and noticed how many tires were out of round.

 

There are plenty of 15" tires out there that are under the 98 load rate spec the xjs requires and there are plenty of stores that will mount them up. There are a few that have the right load rate whose shoulder strength is nil..falkens I looked at come to mind. Slipped belts, shoddy construction tecniques all can make a tire vibrate at different speeds even from new, I'd still like to lnow just what tired these are that are vibrating.

 

The tires--Primwell sport 235/60R15
The person that I first talk to was assistant mgr,called spoke to Mgr today he told me to bring car back.They rebalanced no more vibration and gave me a new spare. He said assistant mgr is History this was his 3rd screw up.

 

Glad it all worked out...could of thrown a weight after mounting. New spare to boot : )

 

Really surprised me to start with as my Dad,Brother and other family members,we all buy tires there and the Dealer is known through out Oklahoma as very customer oriented. They will fix any ones flat tire for free.

 

Just bought a set of four Continental ExtremeContact DWS for just about the same price.

Another $100 for mounting and balancing, etc

Another $80 for a four wheel alignment too.

Not sure if the Primwell is worth the savings? I'm assuming the $475 was for the tires and mounting/balancing?

 

Is there a 225/55/16 tire that meets the 98 load rating? I just checked Tire Rack and I couldn't find one in a 60 either...

I think the Continentals I bought is rated at 95...

 

Great tires - Continental really stepped up on these ones. If I was in the market for an all-season tire I'd be all over them. Unfortunately, their summer version, the DW, has some reported issues with flat-spotting.