rob.rotor

I took my car in for scheduled maintenance today. It's supposed to be the 16,000 km check, but I'm at 18,500 km.

My car goes 'whump whump whump' because the tires are cupped. My manual says the tires, which are higk performance Bridgestone Prenza's, are to be rotated every 8000 km - its part of the scheduled maintenance outlined in the schedle for 2004 maintenance. The dealer never rotated the tires until today.

The front tires are cupped worse than the back tires. The driveing and noise was so bad I had them change them back. I felt the tire perimeters off the car and they are out od round. Then I went to Bridgestone tire dealer who said a high-perfrance tire like this should be rotated every 6000 - 8000 km.

I pay my dealer to look after my maintenance, and if that include rotation, that waht I expect done. Should my dealer be responsible for new tires? I am told these will not even out with driving.

Thanks.

Go48

I understand why you are upset with your dealer, but cupping is not directly caused by a lack of tire rotation. Tire rotation can minimize cupping by more-or-less spreading it out among the 4 tires. The underlying problem rests with things like alignment, tire balance, incorrect tire pressures, defective suspension component(s) and possibly some other factors as well. So, before you install new tires, you should correct the root cause of the cupping. Have a 4-wheel alignment done by a reputable shop, have the new tires/wheels balanced on a state-or-the-art balance machine like the Hunter GSP9700, and maintain your tire pressures religiously at the recommended level.

Go to the TireRack web site for detailed discussions on tire rotation, alignment and so on. Here's part of what they say about tire rotation:

"Tire rotation can be beneficial in several ways. When done at the recommended times, it can preserve balanced handling and traction of the tires and even out tire wear. It can even provide performance advantages. When should tires be rotated ? We recommend that high performance tires be rotated every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, even if they don't show signs of wear. Tire rotation can often be done with oil change intervals while the vehicle is off the ground anyway. Tire rotation helps even out tire wear by allowing each tire to serve in as many of the vehicle's wheel positions as possible. Remember, tire rotation can't correct wear problems due to worn mechanical parts or incorrect inflation pressures. It's also important to check your owner's manual for specific details on what method of tire rotation the vehicle's manufacturer recommends. (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...currentpage=42)"

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

I know why you're fustrated, but as I can tell you're not really taking good care of your own tires.

I might be wrong tho.

the Protenza's that came with the 8 isnt that good anyway, I suggest you change it to something like Toyo Proxes T1R OR Bridgestone's S-03 Pole Position.

and of course, u still gotta pump it every so often, and remember to rotate it every maybe 5000 miles or so (forget what the manual saids, just do it yourself)

Glyphon

i agree, the potenzas that came on the car are horrible. i just switched to the kumho ecsta spt. its great. arguably better traction, longer treadlife, smoother ride, significantly less road noise, and they only cost $105 per tire. the potenzas are around $225 per tire.