New Shoes at 20k, about to make the plunge

[Donny Carlson]

And of course now that I need them, Tire Rack has raised prices :censor:

My rears are almost shot, less than 3/32 on the middle treads. The fronts still have a little life, now that I had the car properly aligned and had the tires taken of the wheels and rotated (The right front tire was moved to the left side and vice versa, so that what was once the inner side is now the outer side). The problem is the abnormal wear, which was on the >inside tread< is now on the outside and very visable.

So, I'm at my dealer getting an oil change and the :censor: tech writes up the abnormal wear he sees, and says it looks like I am bad need of an alignment check. No :censor: ? I told YOU that 3000 miles ago, even had the car here, only to find out you can't align it!

I could probably just get the rears, but the fronts look like :censor: with the wear on the outside, and I get helpful advice from friends and coworkers that my car has an alignment problem once they get a look at these tires. Enough already.

What is prompting this thread is $20 a pop for valve stems. :shake: Eeep! Am I right that its $20 PER STEM, or is this for a set of 4? I'm gonna have to shell out nearly the price of a tire to replace 4 stems? Makes me think maybe not replacing them, since they have 18,500k on them.

So, whatcha all think? Normally I replace valve stems with new tires, but criminey.

[cruzer]

:down:I bought 2 new oem tires from Discount tire--cost for tire and simple installation---including new chrome valve stems--$90/tire--I think they are around $150 now--they didn't charge me for the valve stems :confused:

[duhtroll]

I took mine in today for rebalancing on the stock rims/tires since they had been on for 6K and then off for several months in my garage.

I find out today that with our rims it's $12.95 per to rebalance because they use stick on weights rather than those that attach to the wheel?

I had three of them done since they were off enough to warant it. The fourth was fine.

Is this another one of our delightful little quirks? I guess it's time to plan on additional costs for just about everything - even a tire rotation.

Just another thing to be aware of.

-A

EDIT : I should add this had nothing to do with any vendor - just something I was told today.

[derik]

Got 4 new tires from Tire Rack as stated in another thread. Had them installed at the local Goodyear (preferred installer for Tire Rack). If you want chrome valve stems, buy them at Pep Boys and have the installer use them. And they don't cost $20 each. Some have the chrome sleeves that fit over the rubber stems. I thought the BF Goodrich tires were supposed to be mounted one way only. Mine state that there is an inside and an outside.

[Donny Carlson]

Got 4 new tires from Tire Rack as stated in another thread. Had them installed at the local Goodyear (preferred installer for Tire Rack). If you want chrome valve stems, buy them at Pep Boys and have the installer use them. And they don't cost $20 each. Some have the chrome sleeves that fit over the rubber stems. I thought the BF Goodrich tires were supposed to be mounted one way only. Mine state that there is an inside and an outside.
$20 is the price fordparts.com quoted for OEM valve stems, though it isn't clear if this is each or for a set of 4.

There was some discussion with Saab Tire about the rotation, and it was the owner's opinion that the rotation could be done without bad results. It was certainly better than the alternative, which was running the tires with two bald patches on the inside, and at least I got another 5k out of them.
They are rotating in the same direction, only the "tread pattern" may different on the inside, which is to say there >is< tread as opposed to no tread, which is what I had after the abnormal wear. I wouldn't think the tires would self destruct or anything because the "inners" were now "outers." Maybe performance wise things were not to spec doing this, but hey, bald aint spec either.:P

Doesn't matter now, anyway, because I'm replacing them.

[67435animal]

$20 is the price fordparts.com quoted for OEM valve stems, though it isn't clear if this is each or for a set of 4.

There was some discussion with Saab Tire about the rotation, and it was the owner's opinion that the rotation could be done without bad results. It was certainly better than the alternative, which was running the tires with two bald patches on the inside, and at least I got another 5k out of them.
They are rotating in the same direction, only the "tread pattern" may different on the inside, which is to say there >is< tread as opposed to no tread, which is what I had after the abnormal wear. I wouldn't think the tires would self destruct or anything because the "inners" were now "outers." Maybe performance wise things were not to spec doing this, but hey, bald aint spec either.:P

Doesn't matter now, anyway, because I'm replacing them.

Donny, I am going through the same process. I left the exsiting valve stems on the car. I replaced the two rear. Soon, I will do the two front, probably using the same size as the rear. I paid 120.00 per tire from the tire dealer withwhom I've been doing business for ten plus years.

Tire Rack is OK, but, I'd rather give my business to the company who will service me and take care of the tires and any problems.

Bob

[Donny Carlson]

Tire Rack is OK, but, I'd rather give my business to the company who will service me and take care of the tires and any problems.
Bob
That's the good thing about Saab Tire. They are a Tire Rack preferred installer, and Charlie Saab matches their prices.

[67435animal]

That's the good thing about Saab Tire. They are a Tire Rack preferred installer, and Charlie Saab matches their prices.

Weaver Tire is 5.00 difference and fo that, who cares? Anyway, sounds like you've got a great place to do business with as well.

Bob

[TheDealer]

I just check the price of the valve stems and that is EA.!!!!!! :eek:

[cyclone03]

Do what i do,
tell the tire shop NOT to change the stems!
Guys they're only 2 years old and theres no wear on them at all if you keep caps on them!

Tell them before they start on your car,make sure the repair order says DO NOT REPLACE STEMS then when you are looking over the install,making sure all the lug nuts are installed and your Gods Heads are in place and they didn't tear up your rims,check that your chrome caps are in place and the stems have the little crome sleeve still intacked,THEY WON'T,because the installer just rips them out of the rims to deflate the tire instead of unscrewwing the core.

Now you'll get them free,because you told them not to replace them!

Besides that,the whole box of stems with the chrome sleaves is only about $25 for 100.