Community Forums

Hitchhiker · 09-14-2006, 06:49 AM

Yesterday I had a new set of Michelin tires installed on my wife's Yukon and had the front end realigned at the same place. I thought they had done a nice job until I checked the tire pressures this morning. They had 45 in the two fronts and the left rear and 42 in the right rear. The door placard clearly says the tire pressure should be 35 in the fronts and the rear and 35 is also the maximum stamped on the side of the tire.

Geesh, doesn't anyone get the basic stuff right any more or am I expecting too much of these guys when I think it should be done right?

Now, I think it might be a good idea to check the lug torque to make sure they're all torqued to the factory specified 140#. I'll do that this afternoon.

Hitchhiker · 09-14-2006, 06:49 AM

Yesterday I had a new set of Michelin tires installed on my wife's Yukon and had the front end realigned at the same place. I thought they had done a nice job until I checked the tire pressures this morning. They had 45 in the two fronts and the left rear and 42 in the right rear. The door placard clearly says the tire pressure should be 35 in the fronts and the rear and 35 is also the maximum stamped on the side of the tire.

Geesh, doesn't anyone get the basic stuff right any more or am I expecting too much of these guys when I think it should be done right?

Now, I think it might be a good idea to check the lug torque to make sure they're all torqued to the factory specified 140#. I'll do that this afternoon.

NeilV · 09-14-2006, 07:10 AM

Last shop that gave me unequal tire pressures during an alignment was trying to hide the fact that they did not do the full thrust alignement that I had paid for. They just overinflated all but one rear tire to offset the pull.

Claimed that they did not have the correct shim so they did me a favor.

I don't use that shop any more.

Hitchhiker · 09-14-2006, 10:06 AM

Checked all the lugs (6 per wheel): <UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>3 under torqued on the RF. <LI>4 under torqued on the RR. <LI>1 under torqued on LR. <LI>All O/K on LF.[/list]
I guess I'd have to give the guy an F for a score of 66.6% right. Maybe I'm too harsh?

Tincup · 09-14-2006, 02:21 PM

Hitchhiker,

You gotta remember, the service industry in our country is run by 19 year olds. It's doubtful that he/she knows what a door placard is.

Tincup

earljan34 · 09-14-2006, 02:25 PM

Richard, This is the new generation like the old saying (does it fit no- does it touch yes nail it) good luck check every thing I do.

Earl

Dsouthw524 · 09-14-2006, 02:38 PM

Not trying to excuse the poor work, but does Michelin say the tire pressure for your weight vehicle should be inflated to the same as the door placard? Might be worth checking if the tires were not the same.

Hitchhiker · 09-14-2006, 03:00 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">does Michelin say the tire pressure for your weight vehicle should be inflated to the same as the door placard? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Here's what Michelin gives in their printed materials and website:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">WARNING: Serious or fatal injury may result from tire failure due to underinflation or overloading. To ensure correct air pressure and vehicle load, <span class="ev_code_RED">refer to vehicle owner's manual or tire information placard on the vehicle.</span> Serious injury or death may result from explosion of tire/rim assembly due to improper mounting. Only tire professionals should mount tires and <span class="ev_code_RED">they should never inflate beyond 40 psi to seat the beads.</span> Before mixing types of tires in any configuration on any vehicle, be sure to check the vehicle owner's manual for its recommendations.

Inflation pressure increase must not exceed the maximum pressure branded on the tire sidewall. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

chasfm11 · 09-16-2006, 04:55 AM

Richard, I'm not sure that your problem is a recent one.

Over 30 years ago, I had a tire replaced on a junker of a car that I drove into Philadelphia for work. A couple of days later, I heard a thumping should and found that tire had two lug nuts lying in the hub cap and three more so loose that the tire would wobble on the studs. I bought a torque wrench and, after examining the threads and replacing the nuts, torqued all of them to 80 foot pounds.

Since then, every time I have any work done that requires removal of a wheel, I immediately come home and re-torque the lug nuts. I've lived in several different cities and used many different tire stores but the story never seems to change. More often than not, they are way over torqued and there would be no way to remove them if I had a flat somewhere without using a huge breaker bar. I've even found a couple of cases where the "cross-over" sequence wasn't followed and the wheel was cocked. During tire replacements, I've watched the tire mechanic use a torque wrench on the nuts, driven the vehicle home and found several of the nuts under torqued. I'm sure that the problem was that his torque wrench was better calibrated than mine.

I check tire pressures and have always found similar problems to yours with over inflation but mostly way under inflation.

My conclusion is that no one cares as much about my tires as I do. I'm more careful because my life and the lives of my family are riding on them. Basically, I'm also a cheapskate and want to prolong the life of the tires as long as I can. Proper mounting and inflation seem to me to be a couple of ways to do that. I check all of our vehicles at least one per month and immediately following any major temperature change. I'm always amazed at how much change can occur. I just chalk the time I spend re-checking the work of others and monitoring the tires and wheels as the price of doing business.

TXiceman · 09-25-2006, 08:22 AM

It is not a recent problem or restricted to one industry. We are trying to get a house built correctly and I honestly do not believe the "carpenters" own a square or a level. The comment about nailing it if it is close is so true. Nail guns should be outlawed on some items, especially trim work. We counted 31 nails in one 3' wide window sill. One door molding had 57 nails down one side. They seem to feel that enough nails will pull it closer to fitting.

I am getting so tired of having to redo what I have paid to have done or do it myself if I have time. Tires are not inflated correctly, balanced properly, not torqued evenly, grease on the seat and floor mats...just seems to be the accepted norm...but not for me. If it ain't right, it will be fixed right.

Ken

powerboatr · 09-25-2006, 09:25 AM

richard
i would be back inquiring about some compensation. no excuse for not getting wheel lug nuts tqd right. plu snow you have to question is they even dd the alignment.

35 for your tires on a yukon, wow i thought only ford had low psi requirments
i would go to michellins website and air em up based the charts they have verus actual weight of the yukon/vehicle.

rebelsbeach · 09-25-2006, 09:32 AM

Richard,while there's certainly no excuse for shoddy work, I would think the door placard would only apply to the OEM tires, unless what you put back on were the same size and model.

As someone else posted,I would refer more to the tire sidewall more than the door placard.

Case in point, I recently had the tires replaced on my new 2500HD and I went to 265's from 245's and thus have rendered the door placard useless.

howlinowl · 09-25-2006, 03:50 PM

I worked for a Ford dealer for 5 years doing alignments as well as other repairs.... Since the tires were all improperly inflated, it throws the alignment off when they did it. Might as well just take the vehicle back and have them do it again. About the torque of the lugs, they probably just hit them with the impact, I'm suprized that they are not all over tightened. Also, if the lugs on an individual wheel are all of different torques, the brake rotors may warp when they heat up during braking.

Allan

Hitchhiker · 09-25-2006, 03:57 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I would refer more to the tire sidewall more than the door placard. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm comfortable with the 35 PSI and am confident that it's correct. Tires are OE size, just a different brand.

<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI> Door placard = 35 PSI front and rear.
<LI>Tire Sidewall = 35 PSI Max.
<LI>Michelin's website = 35 PSI max.[/list]