Having to Buy Tires.

SawyerTed · May 20, 2024, 09:22:23 AM

My truck needed tires. We use a nationwide retail chain because there's no telling where we might drive.

I hate to buy tires, brakes, gravel and shoes. I know the necessity each but they just get used up!

There's $1,200 gone!

DbltreeBelgians · May 20, 2024, 10:06:16 AM

I feel your pain @SawyerTed I need 4 new skins on the truck and it won't be long I'll need 6 new shoes on the 5th wheel. Not looking forward to either expenditure.

Brent

doc henderson · May 20, 2024, 10:36:44 AM

We have a cooper tire, and they are locally owned by the cooper family. the brands are warrantied all over. most of my tire stuff is done in town, even if I have to run a spare. free rotation and checking balance. I hate a vibration. they also do my front-end work. Used to be a goodyear guy, but a few bad experiences ect. ect. My dad as a truck driver was adamant about brakes and tires.

doc henderson · May 20, 2024, 10:40:21 AM

One issue is when your find a good tire, it either goes out of production or they cheapen it up and it is no longer the tire you had before. These guys are in it for the long haul and steer me away when there is a change. I wanted bigger tires, and we tried a set before a scout trip to Colorado. with the trailer weight the duals nearly touched, and they took them off and replaced with the original size tire. That was 9 am Saturday before we left. good service. I do not know if they are more expensive than the big box tire stores, because I do not shop for price.

doc henderson · May 20, 2024, 10:43:40 AM

One year we were in Colorado Springs, the Saturday night before heading up the mountain to camp, I noticed the front L tire was showing cords on the very inner part. this was a good year tire and got it replaced at a shop on Sunday morning. That would not be good on a mountain road, pulling a 7 K trailer and with three scout souls on board. good lesson and glad I had the opportunity to learn from it.

SawyerTed · May 20, 2024, 01:33:10 PM

Whew! Dodged one today on the tires!

Only needed 2 on the rear. Swapped the fronts to back.

Got the 2 under tread wear warranty! I've always rotated at this store. They had records. For some reason the last 1/4 of tread went quick.

Out the door with 2 new tires, $65!

They still tried to sell me 2 more! Saying the new ones were slightly different design!

I asked if they were same height/diameter and black? Guy said yes and laughed. He knew what I meant.

I'll deal with the other two under warranty before the mileage is up.

I hate buying tires! An all night dentist would be more fun.

doc henderson · May 20, 2024, 01:35:27 PM

I will buy tires for you if you will go to the dentist for me!

Southside · May 20, 2024, 01:57:21 PM

Been doing a lot of burnouts there Ted eh?

Magicman · May 20, 2024, 02:31:05 PM

I buy my tires from the shop that changes my oil. That way I only have to make one stop for an oil change and tire rotation.

SawyerTed · May 20, 2024, 03:04:33 PM

Quote from: doc henderson on May 20, 2024, 01:35:27 PMI will buy tires for you if you will go to the dentist for me!

If all they have to do is what they'd do to my teeth, I'm all for that doc! Have only one filling in 61 years!

That one was 42 years ago.

@Southside, towing, lots of towing - a sawmill or a 18' car hauler, or a boat or a camper or a utility trailer. And lots of hauling lately.

Peter Drouin · May 21, 2024, 06:25:06 AM

The last time I got tires I told them to put them on new rims. All 4 The salt here is bad.

Magicman · May 21, 2024, 08:23:53 AM

It is now obvious that I am South of the Glacier because I had never even thought about salt rusting tire rims out.

SawyerTed · May 21, 2024, 08:34:03 AM

I'm with you Lynn. We don't have to deal with salted roads much either.

It's got to be miserable dealing with the salt and corrosion. The only thing I can compare to is how beach buggies corrode.

Magicman · May 21, 2024, 08:42:42 AM

I have never seen a rusted rim and the only rusted vehicle that I have ever seen was a pickup truck at Bar Harbor, Maine. I thought that I took a picture of it but apparently it rusted it's way out of my gallery.

barbender · May 21, 2024, 10:50:09 AM

It is hard to describe the scope of the damage road salt does to vehicles and equipment. You don't attempt to work on anything up here without a big hammer and cutting torch.

I hope it gets outlawed someday. It is a stupid and short sighted solution, imo. There is a movement afoot by environmentalists (who I am typically averse to keeping company with) to ban road salt, due to the salinification of a lot of lakes and waterways in MN. I do hope they are successful.

I have one of my dump trailers parked out back, primarily due to an incident that should probably be posted in the "Did something dumb today" thread, but also because it needs gone through due to salt induced corrosion damage. The main frame and structure are salvageable, but the sides and doors don't have enough metal to rehabilitate.

It is truly sickening watching an expensive piece of equipment deteriorate before your eyes from that garbage.

The last dump trailer I bought was $13K after taxes. If you pull them in the salt in the winter, you'll get about 5 years out of one.

My plan is to have the one that is already salt damaged for winter use, and to only pull the other one in the non salt months (I think there are 2 in MN😂)

Same thing for trucks, I have ones I run year round, and one I try to keep nice and not use in the salt. Which means I can't use it half the year.

NE Woodburner · May 21, 2024, 11:00:07 AM

Maybe even worse than the salt is the brine solution they pre-treat with around here. Any talk of snow and trucks are out with liquid brine. Used to be we could deal with a snow event and stay off the road for a day until plows could get out and clear roads. Now we have to treat every 1/4" snow event like it's the end of the world to not see black pavement for a few hours...

TroyC · May 21, 2024, 11:40:14 AM

Quote from: SawyerTed on May 20, 2024, 01:33:10 PMOnly needed 2 on the rear. Swapped the fronts to back.

Gotta ask, why did they put the better tires on the front? That is contrary to everything I know about tires.

Magicman · May 21, 2024, 11:55:20 AM

Quote from: NE Woodburner on May 21, 2024, 11:00:07 AMthe brine solution they pre-treat with around here

What is pre-heat? Is that to jump start the ice on the road melting or what?

SawyerTed · May 21, 2024, 12:09:07 PM

@Magicman you might reread that quote and come to a better conclusion.

@TroyC the older tires that were swapped to the rears are at least 60%. So being swapped to the rears isn't so bad.

Magicman · May 21, 2024, 12:19:15 PM

Yup Ted I fumble/fat fingered my typing but I still have the jump start question. ?? I know nothing about glacier activities.

If/when we have ice/snow here, I stay at home.

SawyerTed · May 21, 2024, 12:37:58 PM

Lynn it happens, just like my initial thought that you read it as pre-heat. Me and my fat head...

Pretreating with brine keeps ice and snow from accumulating early on in a snow or ice event. It's common in places where small accumulation is expected.

Most times dries pretty quickly here. I'm sure other places where people have to drive in the brine /melt water it's hades on vehicles.

Magicman · May 21, 2024, 01:08:58 PM

Quite often my fingers do not know what my mind is thinking and then my mind often does not know what it is thinking either.

barbender · May 21, 2024, 01:24:39 PM

Studies have shown that they can use less salt by pretreating with brine, as it does help keep ice from forming in the first place. It also creates greasy spots on an otherwise dry road (usually at intersections) that you weren't expecting.

TroyC · May 21, 2024, 02:04:00 PM

Quote from: SawyerTed on May 21, 2024, 12:09:07 PM@TroyC the older tires that were swapped to the rears are at least 60%. So being swapped to the rears isn't so bad.

Just curious, but new tires are always supposed to go on the rear. Several reasons but mainly to prevent loss of control due to the rear coming around. If a front tire looses traction the vehicle will basically skid forward. Rear traction loss will result in a spinout or rollover accident.

Maybe yours needed rotating to even uneven wear. With 60% tread you should be ok, and I know anti-locks help. Anyway, be safe and good luck with the new ones!

SawyerTed · May 21, 2024, 03:11:02 PM

I don't disagree on the general rule on replacing two tires.

In this case, I probably neglected the rotation but not enough to void the tread life warranty. My plan is to wear the back ones down some and see if the warranty holds up again.

If they wear as quick as the other two, it won't be long. At around $350 each mounted and balanced, I need my pocketbook full of sawbucks if the warranty doesn't .

I've noticed that the last physical half of usable tread doesn't last as long as the first half if measured in mileage. Tanks of gas work the same way for some reason.