Can't believe Sams Club did me this.

[Rockbadchild]

Why I put never seize on the mounting flange or on the mount side of the rim. Makes removal easier, especially with alloy wheels. The tire shop I deal with does the same. If it's 'stuck' to the mounting flange, you use a drilling hammer on the tire, not the rim to jar it loose anyway.

good tip ... I usually take a sledge hammer and hit the tire and the vibration dose the trick ... one time it was so seize I had to loose the nuts and I went for a drive around the block, that also did the trick...

 

[Rockbadchild]

This is really unfortunate not the way to do business, good thing you are untrusting and got that note on your receipts... even them willing to pay half is them admitting they did it ... If he wasn't at fault he would've never made that offer.... It is easy to say now but you should've talk to the store manager at that time... hopefully they take the whole bill and you shouldn't settle for less.

 

[RandyT]

Small claims court, once they are are served they will pay up.

That receipt is worth 4 aces in front of the judge.

Or they respond with a motion to remove the case to federal court in Arkansas.

 

[WM75Guy]

Had an issue with Walmart when 20" aluminum rims first came out. Went in to get new tires, they had them in stock. Watched them take the tires and rims off the car and put one on the tire machine. Tried to use a red rag to protect it. After 30 minutes and lots of head scratching, they figured out they couldn't dismount the tire. Put them back on the vehicle and came in to refund me my money. I looked at the rims before I even got in the vehicle and the one was chewed all to hell. Immediately went in and asked for the store manager. He looked at it, talked to his troops, told me to go get it replaced and bring him the receipt. I did so and he paid me cash on the spot.

 

[zzvyb6]

I use REAL snow tires (Blizzaks) bought from Costco. Have an extra set of wheels, so easy to swap back to Summer tires at end of winter. When I went to change a few years ago, 2 studs broke of trying to dismount because they were mis-threaded and essentially welded into the hub. Car dealer changed/fixed and told me how it likely happened: When putting the wheels back on after tire mounting, the Costco mechanic likely put the studs into the air gun and drove them in without hand threading them first. Saves them 1 whole minute of break time for remounting 4 wheels.

Costco paid for the parts & labor, but after watching them work on other cars since, I will NEVER have anybody remove wheels from my cars, and take just bare wheels in for tire replacements. I see people trying to change flat tires on the road with 5 broken studs because they could not remove them without breaking them off. (Besides, the spare was flat anyways because it's been hidden in the car for 10 years and never checked).

 

[5030]

I use REAL snow tires (Blizzaks)

I do as well. Actually run them year around, they wear quite well and I get them from either Tire Buyer or Tire Rack and mount them myself or have my tire place mount them. Good tires and like I said, run the year around. Average 50-60K wear on them.

Got news for you, Costo blows as well. They all blow but WW is the worst.

 

[jjeff]

This thread reinforces why I like cheaper plain old steel rims on my truck LoL.

 

[Rockbadchild]

This thread reinforces why I like cheaper plain old steel rims on my truck LoL.

I bought fuel rims for my truck and used the original aluminum rims for the winter, that was a mistake, the rims are so light the tractions is very poor and they leak from the rims... not sure if they have micros fractures or if they leak on the rim bead but its not the tires. I loose 10 PSI over two week period and they will stop leaking at 10/15 psi of pressure.

 

[5030]

the rims are so light the tractions is very poor and they leak from the rims..

Traction has nothing to do with rim weight at all and heavy rims and tires contribute to unsprung weight and decrease the life of your shocks and suspension parts as well. If you had your tires mounted at a real tires shop chances are they would apply sealant to the rims prior to mounting the tires on alloy rims. The tire outfit I deal with does that SOP with ALL alloy rims. Both my wife's Burb and my Focus have alloy rims and so does my F350 pickup and none of them leak because they are all sealed.

All alloy rims will eventually leak. Not because they are cracked but because the sealing area on the rim oxidizes and cause the tires not to seat properly. The outfit I deal with not only seals the seat area but they wire brush the oxidation off prior to applying the sealant.

You always get what you pay for and with the box store tire departments, you don't get much.

I'm sure none of the box store tire departments even know what sealing alloy rims is about. Lucky if they can actually mount and balance tires correctly.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Traction has nothing to do with rim weight at all and heavy rims and tires contribute to unsprung weight and decrease the life of your shocks and suspension parts as well. If you had your tires mounted at a real tires shop chances are they would apply sealant to the rims prior to mounting the tires on alloy rims. The tire outfit I deal with does that SOP with ALL alloy rims. Both my wife's Burb and my Focus have alloy rims and so does my F350 pickup and none of them leak because they are all sealed.

All alloy rims will eventually leak. Not because they are cracked but because the sealing area on the rim oxidizes and cause the tires not to seat properly. The outfit I deal with not only seals the seat area but they wire brush the oxidation off prior to applying the sealant.

You always get what you pay for and with the box store tire departments, you don't get much.

I'm sure none of the box store tire departments even know what sealing alloy rims is about. Lucky if they can actually mount and balance tires correctly.

Good to know about the sealant.

lol how can you say weight doesn't have a impact on traction ?? it is not the only way but definitely a factor, more weight = more traction... I am not talking about acceleration I am talking pressure by square inch.

 

[jjeff]

Good to know about the sealant.

lol how can you say weight doesn't have a impact on traction ?? it is not the only way but definitely a factor, more weight = more traction... I am not talking about acceleration I am talking pressure by square inch.

How much weight difference is there between steel rims and thicker alloy rims? On 18" rims for example? Only time I bought after market rims was over 20 yrs ago they were black powder coated steel spoke rims with 31s lol, for an old Toyota pu I owned. I Was single at the time, Never had a problem with the those either. Personally I'd rather get functional options like trailer towing, snow plow prep package etc then over overpriced factory alloys that add a little bling for a year or two.

 

[5030]

Like I said, the heavier the rim and tire are, the more unsprung weight there is and the more adverse impact that unsprung weight has on shocks and suspension parts and why today, most manufactures are going to alloy wheels. Not only do they look nice but the lower the unsprung weight and it's impact on suspension components.

The tire outfit I deal with (if I have them mount and balance tires) which I do often, charge me 15 bucks a tire even if I buy the tires from them (which I do occasionally) but they not only balance them but apply sealant, mount them and torque them correctly.

The older I get, the less I like muscling tires in the shop and I keep a can of rim sealant here too. Really works on small tires like I have on my ZTR mowers and the smaller ones on my implements. I don't get rim leaks even with the steel rims on them because I seal the rims all the time.

Even the tractors get rim sealant. None of them loose air pressure at all. Nothing more aggravating than a flat on a mower or even a wheel barrow. Don't happen here.

You can get rim sealant online btw.

 

[5030]

The big ongoing issue with alloy rims, is they look good until the clear coat chips and they start to oxidize and look crappy. I have Alcoa rims on my pickup truck and they get polished every spring, it's a job for sure. I use Flitz polishing compound and their buffs too. On the vehicles other than the truck, I tend to ignore it, just too tedious to polish them, besides you have to strip off the clear coat first which takes Aircraft stripper and time.

 

[5030]

How much weight difference is there between steel rims and thicker alloy rims? On 18" rims for example? Only time I bought after market rims was over 20 yrs ago they were black powder coated steel spoke rims with 31s lol, for an old Toyota pu I owned. I Was single at the time, Never had a problem with the those either. Personally I'd rather get functional options like trailer towing, snow plow prep package etc then over overpriced factory alloys that add a little bling for a year or two.

Not sure but I do know the alloy rims on my F350 are substantially lighter than the steel wheels are as I have a couple of the steel rims.

 

[Rockbadchild]

How much weight difference is there between steel rims and thicker alloy rims? On 18" rims for example? Only time I bought after market rims was over 20 yrs ago they were black powder coated steel spoke rims with 31s lol, for an old Toyota pu I owned. I Was single at the time, Never had a problem with the those either. Personally I'd rather get functional options like trailer towing, snow plow prep package etc then over overpriced factory alloys that add a little bling for a year or two.

My fuel rims are at least 5 pound heavier then the aluminum rims and my summer set (mud and snow tire) are significantly heavier since they also have bigger radius on it and are wider. Being wider and bigger radius they should have less traction due to the increase in contact area but because of the additional weight they are better then my winter tires despite being worse tires then my winter one.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Like I said, the heavier the rim and tire are, the more unsprung weight there is and the more adverse impact that unsprung weight has on shocks and suspension parts and why today, most manufactures are going to alloy wheels. Not only do they look nice but the lower the unsprung weight and it's impact on suspension components.

That's better, and I agree with this statement... also lighter rims/wheels are also better on fuel millage.

 

[jjeff]

That's better, and I agree with this statement... also lighter rims/wheels are also better on fuel millage.

However how long will it take the extra cost of alloy rims to offset the cost in fuel savings?

 

[Username Taken]

The big ongoing issue with alloy rims, is they look good until the clear coat chips and they start to oxidize and look crappy. I have Alcoa rims on my pickup truck and they get polished every spring, it's a job for sure. I use Flitz polishing compound and their buffs too. On the vehicles other than the truck, I tend to ignore it, just too tedious to polish them, besides you have to strip off the clear coat first which takes Aircraft stripper and time.

Been there, done that. That is a LOT, I mean REALLY a lot, of work. My respects for doing it but I'll never do it again.

If I had a show car? Maybe. Even then, I think (No, I KNOW) I'd pay somebody or buy the wheels already polished and just touch them up once in a while.

I've used Sam's for all my tires for the last 30+ years. Except for once on my Wife's car. Got a sooper-deal on some Bridgestones from a Firestone dealer. Bridgestone rules. I used to run nothing but Michelins but Bridgestone passed them by some time ago. Of course, that's just my opinion and I respect those who think otherwise.

My Wife's car had Michelins on them from the Factory and when we swapped them out for the Bridgestones, it was like the car was on rails. It handled, stuck, steered and stopped at least twice as good.

I put Duelers on my Ram 2500 CTD last year. Gonna get them rotated soon (free if you buy from Sam's) and it looks like there's a lot of wheel-weights on one of them. But on the open road, it's not been a problem. I only know 2 speeds on the interstate -- Stop and WFO. And I think I'd notice if there was a balancing problem at 90 MPH in an 8,000lb truck. I like to cruise around 80MPH. Believe it or else, I actually get better fuel economy at that speed.

The 2 Sam's I go to have been very professional and very good every time I've used them.

So far.

 

[Rockbadchild]

However how long will it take the extra cost of alloy rims to offset the cost in fuel savings?

To be clear fuel rims are also aluminum alloy but they are superior quality that's why they are heavier... it depend on how much you drive lol ...probably not worth it unless you are already buying a other set. I save 3 liters per 100km with my winter tires and the weight difference is around 10/13 pound per wheel (feels significant heavier when lifting them) but I am not comparing apple to apple here since they are not the same size, my summer set are bigger so there is more air going under the truck and they are wider so more drag there too... Just different rubber compound and tread will give you different gas millage, less traction = less resistance = better millage. There is people who drive on the white line on the roads and they save a few miles a gallon by doing so.

I drive 20 000km a year I would save $1000 a year if gas is @ $1.70 per liters if I kept my winter set all year round. But again it would be probably 300/400 a year if it be the same size and same rubber for both set.

 

[alexpops]

The problem at WW/Sam's/Costco/etc. ends up being that the auto service shops are basically in the business of selling THEIR stuff, & the profit contribution is less than from selling TV's/blenders/Pot/Pan sets/etc. They want to compete on price, so they get a lot of "seconds" in their mass ordering. They also figure that since folks are using them for price as opposed to quality, anyone that can run an impact is "good enough". I worked at a Sears auto center for about six months as a kid in the 70's, & couldn't believe how bad some of their long-time wrench monkeys were. Couple that with the fact that there was constant pressure to put a new Diehard battery or Sears branded tires in everything that came in & it was a recipe for really shoddy work. I remember one time a service writer telling me to get in my car & take the 5 quarts of oil (sitting on Bob's bench) to a parking lot about a mile away. Turns out Bob, the "mechanic" (not some new kid, but a guy in his 30's who'd been there about 7 years) had done an oil change but forgot to put oil in after he drained the pan & changed the filter, & he discovered it during the test drive when the oil gauge was showing no pressure & the engine started lugging. At least he shut it down instead of trying to get back to the shop. They were more interested in covering it up than doing right by the customer. I did a lot of alignments, brakes, tune-ups, waterpumps, A/C & general repair work, & at my six month review they told me that while my work quality wasn't an issue, I wasn't selling enough Sears branded stuff & spent too much time adjusting Carbs, turning Rotors & Drums & hand packing bearings instead of selling new "like everyone else". I went to lunch, applied for & got a job at an independent shop down the street, went back & gave notice & moved my toolbox out that night.