Did I get Lied to?

LL wrote: .

yes. they're b.s.ing you. the weights are supposed to be stuck to the rim just inside the spokes and it balances the wheel no problem.

I'll second that (they're either lazy and lying to you or they're incompetent). By the way, just so other folks can know not to go there, where did you get your tires?

Eric

Yep.

Did you ask for weights on the inside? If not, you're likely to get them on the outside.

Tain't no big deal. Let it go.

They lied, pure and simple. A backside only dynamic balance is done using adhesive stick on weights inside the rim but as close to the outside as possible for one plane and all the way to the inside for the other plane. This has been common aluminum wheel practice for decades now.

John

Agreed - they lied, as Eric said, either because they're lazy or incompetent. If they charged extra for the balancing, I'd just ask for that money back, and then take it somewhere else.

Thanks to everyone who answered. That's what I kinda thought. . I was at a Discount Tire store. They also do business in some places as America's Tire. After looking around on the web, I got a list and called around for prices. They beat the competition by about $100 on the set of Michelins. I just about settled for a set of Goodyears at Sears when the mechanic there stumbled into the showroom from the shop floor. He looked like his night job was at a meth lab. So that was out. There I are about 4 local owned outlets for tires here that I would prefer to patronize but their shops were a mess and I didn't feel that the extra 100 or more that they wanted for the tires was justified. . I have read the other thread about these Energy Tires. I'm an easy driver and am willing to accept the limitations the tires may have for the extra mileage. My MPG dropped by about 3 miles when I replaced the stock tires for a set of cheap Dunlop. The price of all that extra gas over 50,000 miles was a lot (aprox. 1725 vs 1650 gallons). Plus the road noise jumped. My first trip out of town last weekend I found these tires extremely quiet. My 10 y\o car is still rock solid with not rattles. . The tires cost $448 for a set of 4. They also charge $45 for "installation, balancing, and lifetime spin balancing." Since they lied to me, I really don't trust them to re-balance the tires. They could just as easily intentionally unbalance the tires to make their prediction come true that I would experience vibration if I insisted on a back side balance. So the Lifetime balance really has no value to me. . My plan now is to contact corporate, ask for my $45 back so I can go to a independent and get the tires balanced. They will likely refuse but the local manager will probably hear about it. It IS merely aesthetic. So in that I'm not out that much, its not that big a deal. I STILL got a good set of tires at a good price. What is a big deal is that I was treated like a chump. That's pretty offensive to me.

I would be angry too!

FWIW, my favorite way to buy tires is to order them from tirerack.com and then use a local independent service shop which does not sell a lot of tires to do the install and balance. Most small shops have tire equipment even if they don't use it a lot. In fact, tirerack.com's website has a feature to look up co-operating local installers. This way I get a great price on the tires and get the labor done by people who are actual real live mechanics, not the poorly trained monkeys one often finds at chain stores.

John