17,000 Miles And Tires Are Shot!

[DFWMagnum]

Go figure, I just brought my Magnum in for an oil change and tire rotation and the wear bars on my Continentals are so bad, I have to replace all 4 of them after on 17,000 miles. To make things worse, there are only 2 manufactures that make that size tire, Continental and Pirelli. And there is no prorate on the tires. So, I gotta dig deep to re-shoe the horse.

I'm not happy with either DMX or Continental at this moment. My dealer didn't give me much hope for trying to get either one to assist in the replacement costs. But, I haven't tried either yet. My question is this, is anyone else expierencing early wear on there tires?

And, believe it or not, this wear is as a result of normal driving. No burnouts. No cornering like I'm driving at Watkins Glen. Just "normal" Dallas highway driving. By the way, I'm going with the Pirellis. With no prorate on the tires, I am NOT going back to Continentals. Just doesn't make sense.

[Padre Dave]

If you can't get a warranty from Continental I would get a different brand. There have been lots of posts here on alternative sizes to the stock that will give a wider footprint and be really close to the same diameter as stock (so as not to mess up the speedometer).

If you have Discount Tires where you are, they can tell you what size you can go with. Most other tire shops should do the same.

The question I would have before shelling out money for new tires is WHY? There have been lots of posts on this topic here and the other Dodge forums.

[BobF's 6POINT1]

Lots of info on the site...LOTS!!!

The short story is this.
I called Continentals cust service and they referred me to Discount tire to have them look at the tires. Discount said they were shot and they would be covered under warranty. (fronts only for mine. They wore out before I could rotate)

Discount said they would use the Conti warranty and sell me BFGs. There are 2 sizes you can go with 245/55/18 and 255/55/18.

Good luck. I still can't imagine DC hasn't admitted there's a problem

[kudasai]

well, since my dealer and dc shut me down, i decided that while i make sure the alignment is now fixed(thanks to firestone) i'm going to get disposables for cheap. so i ended up buying a set of sumitomo sport truck tires that look like car tires. 90 a peice on tire rack. so if i shred them, no big loss. 255/55's

quick bit of advice, take your car to someplace other than the dealer to get it aligned. may cost out of pocket, but better and cheaper in the long run.

[Old Navy]

Michelin 255/55 HR18 MXV4 Plus $175 should get about 60,000 miles out of them.

I have 7,000 + on my el cheapo GoodYear Integrity's an they are showing no wear running at 40 PSI, which is still 10% below max pressure of 44 psi for max loaded car. I usually run them in the 10% to 15% range on the energy type tires for a smother ride. I have 40,000 miles on the Michelin X1's at 32 psi on the wife's car running about 5% to 7% below max pressure of 35 psi and have about 80% of the tread left.

Friday I am getting Michelin HydroEdge 215/60/TR17's that have an 800 tread ware rating for 90,000 miles from my dealer for $131 each and they are giving me $40 for each of my old Goodyears. These Goodyears have no wet or snow traction, but the HydroEdge are rated about the best you can buy for wet traction and long tread life.

[oldtimer]

Discount tire has a Nitto brand tire (NT420S 255/55/18) for $112.00. This is a
SUV light truck tire all season. It has car looking tread an has a wear rate 400+
I contacted Discount Tire to see what they thought about using it on the
Magnum R/T. There comment was it would be a fine replacement.
Just wondering if anyone has this tire mounted,or has considered it. I plan on giving it a try in a few more weeks. I have 18000 on my conties, all tires are wearing even with a lot of tread left. Thanks to 5000 mile rotations.

[PropMan]

I sh!tcanned the Continentals at 3,000 miles because I had two flats and then a THIRD one (road hazard--not the tire's fault) in three weeks! Rather than shell out $120 for one new Conti, I went for a set of the BFG 245/55/18. They are better in EVERY way--the ride is better, they stick better, they LOOK better and at 15,000 miles show little wear. I will probably run them to 30,000 and then look for an even BETTER option--perhaps the 255/55/18 BFG?

Will there be any problem going with the 255/55/18 on the stock rims?

[Black on Black]

I have the Nitto NT 420S tires, but on my 20" wheels. I love them. The tread looks great and they are wearing evenly. I'm not giving them much chance to live up to their 420 treadwear rating, but that's because I take turns too hard and love the occasional burnout. The handling and traction is MUCH better than stock, but I'm sure some of that is due to the lower profile and wider contact patch. I am VERY happy with this product.Discount tire has a Nitto brand tire (NT420S 255/55/18) for $112.00. This is a
SUV light truck tire all season. It has car looking tread an has a wear rate 400+
I contacted Discount Tire to see what they thought about using it on the
Magnum R/T. There comment was it would be a fine replacement.
Just wondering if anyone has this tire mounted,or has considered it. I plan on giving it a try in a few more weeks. I have 18000 on my conties, all tires are wearing even with a lot of tread left. Thanks to 5000 mile rotations.

[MAGNUM8R]

My dealer finally acknowledged the TSB on the front end, and did it at 17K unfortunatly, the fronts were badly feathered even after the regular rotations. They tried to charge me to rotate them to the rear, but I convinced them they shhould do it for free if they were not going to replace the tires. I will need to replace all 4 soon, which does not break my heart, as the Conti's scream like crazy with only mild cornering at 60 MPH. I will be going with America's Tire co. (Discount, same guys) and upsizing the width a notch.

The Magnum does drive straight now anyway, just making sure there is no more feathering before getting the new rubber!

[DFWMagnum]

Well, I called Continental and they asked me if I rotated the tires properly and if there was any "unusal wear" on the tires. As if hitting the wear bars at 17,000 wasn't unusual enough. She told me if all that can be verified, then they would do a "goodwill gesture" which is basically giving me a break on the cost. Since all my work has been done at the dealer, all the rotations were verified and the were was no unusual wear so Continental is replecing all 4 at 50 bucks a piece. As opposed to 150 bucks apiece. So, I told them to ditch the Pirelis for now and I'll have the new Contis in about 48 hours.

I have to give the dealer credit for stepping up like that. I am not happy with the service writer that told me that there was no hope of getting any kind of cost break. My guess is I just blew his commision on the Pirellis. I delt with the Service Manager this time and that Service Writer was very sheepish around me. Not much talk back and forth, but, anything he did say to me ended in "sir" instead of my first name.

So I'll hang with the Contis for now and replace them down the road when I have the funding to do it on my time. Not because it has to be done now. Thank you all for the suggestions.

Nick

[Rev.Hammer]

SOMEbuddy got smacked, I tell ya!

[DFWMagnum]

Maybe so. As long as it wasn't MY wallet.

[Lateral-G]

I had this same issue too at 16K. The car had a resonant vibration around 70mph and would damp out above 80. I took it to the dealer since I thought there might be an unbalance on the wheels and tires. They told me the tires were completely worn out. (Continentals) The dealer was no help so I called Continental directly and they told me to go to the NTB store locally for warranty service. Continental had even called the store with a warranty claim number.

NTB was very nice about it and they agreed the tires were indeed worn and would be replaced. They had to charge me for labor and disposal fee (approx $130) but the tires themselves were F.O.C. (the total invoice was over $900). The new tires are fully warranteed for 80K miles but I have a feeling I'll be going back in another 17K. I had to wait a few days for them to get the tires in from their warehouse since they do not normally stock that particular size.

It's interesting to note that there was no listing in their system for anything but the stock Conti's for the Magnum. They asked if I did a lot of burnouts, racing, etc. I do on occasion but not so much to cause premature wear. Their thought was that DC has not properly matched the tire to the vehicle (the ones with the Hemi). I tend to agree with them. It just chafed me that the tires should wear out so soon on a brand new vehicle.

The dealer sent a service survey card and I ripped into them good about their not covering this on the 'bumper to bumper' warranty. They followed up wih a phone call and I told them the same thing. Either you warantee the whole car and stand behind it or don't bother to offer anything.

-G-

[DFWMagnum]

Yeah. DC has heard it from me for the same reason. After going through this, I, too, felt the tires were a mismatch for the car. But, this is the type of thing you run into when you by the first year of any new model car. In the end I paid just over $260 for the new Contis and that's cool. Continental was very good about getting the tires for me at $50 a piece and the dealer worked to have them on my car in 48 hours. All in all, a small disruption to what has become the best ownership expierence I have ever had with a new car.

Sad to say I don't think GM would not have been as responsive. I grew up a GM brat and thought I would never own anything else. From my '67 Buick Special to my '97 Grand Prix. But, 2 Chrysler products later, DC has shown they are light years ahead in design, engineering (sp?) and service. GM and Ford seem stuck in some very deep mud.

Nick

(Steps off his soapbox) :)

[Diesel]

The dealer sent a service survey card and I ripped into them good about their not covering this on the 'bumper to bumper' warranty. They followed up wih a phone call and I told them the same thing. Either you warantee the whole car and stand behind it or don't bother to offer anything.

-G-

how do you expect the dealer or even DC to warranty the tires...? they are not the manufactuer... they are a consumer as we are when it comes to tires...

read you warranty info, it clearly states that tires and other normal wear parts are not covered under warranty...

[kudasai]

how do you expect the dealer or even DC to warranty the tires...? they are not the manufactuer... they are a consumer as we are when it comes to tires...

read you warranty info, it clearly states that tires and other normal wear parts are not covered under warranty...

well dc is also a consumer of belts, hoses, sparkplugs,oil, and so on..

plus if it was normal wear, i dont think all of us would be griping about it.

[Old Navy]

Like I said you guys would bitch if they hung you with a new rope.

[Lateral-G]

Like I said you guys would bitch if they hung you with a new rope.

Especially if it wasn't covered by the warantee :razz:

-G-

[kudasai]

Like I said you guys would bitch if they hung you with a new rope.


ya know, try as i might i cant get offended by this in any way, because it makes absolutly zero sense

[done]

For as long as I can remember (I can't always remeber why I came into the room, but really old stuff, I have nailed) tire warranties have been provided by the tire maker and not the auto maker.

However, this does not exclude the auto maker from responsibility if a flaw in the car cause the problem, just makes getting resolution more difficult.

[Rev.Hammer]

ya know, try as i might i cant get offended by this in any way, because it makes absolutly zero sense

This is a Southernism thast means you are overlooking more important issues while scrutinizing minor issues.

Hanged is hanged... what is the difference if the rope is new?

[Old Navy]

ya know, try as i might i cant get offended by this in any way, because it makes absolutly zero sense
Thank God then, because it means your normal. :thumbs_u:

That's just a funny old southern saying that an old man who lived next door used to say to me on ocassion when I was complaining about nothing in particuliar and everything in general and we would both start laughing. The old guy sure could tell some stories about southern living and WW-II battles. He passed away over 20 yeaars ago and I often think about him and his funny walk caused by his injuries durring the war. He was the real deal, and he and his wife never had kids and they treated the me, my wife and our baby as we were theirs. I went back to see her a few years ago and her mind was too far gone to remember the season of the year let alone me. :(

[kudasai]

well, i could see hanged with a dirty rope....thats just insult to injury

but with the trend of these tires on these cars, and the fact that its DC's/dealers fault for not delivery with good alignment/ not fixing alignment, thats chocking up your outside alignment and tires to repair costs. me, i just got back from the alignment shop with my new 255/55's on, and it feels like anew car. more responsive, no more pull, and quieter.

it jsut shouldnt have been 700 dollars of my own money to get this fixed

[OA-5599]

Wear bars at 11,000 miles! Only on the REARS! Dangit, wonder if they are covered...

[hemi dawg]

kudasai, i have to agree that you were treated poorly based on this comparison:
last fall, i took my wife's 10K mile TL to the acura dealer because the tires were wearing really bad and i didn't want her driving on them in the winter. I don't know if they had one of those "secret recalls only if the customer complains" type of deals going on, but, they gave me 4 new tires, no questions asked and did an alignment "just to make sure this doesn't happen again".
they gave me a nice loaner and the work was done in a few hours.

i'm sure we've all noticed that businesses who treat customers well do well (even though their good-will may be taken advantage of from time-to-time.) This is true whether its walmart or nordstroms or amazon.com or your local car dealer.
and businesses that treat you like a crook when you have a legitimate complaint are probably crooks themselves. and a good business owner checks in every day to make sure his business is being run right.

i'm glad you finally got the re-alignment done--at firestone. i think i'll try them without wasting any more time at my local chrysler dealer.

[Fred]

I sh!tcanned the Continentals at 3,000 miles because I had two flats and then a THIRD one (road hazard--not the tire's fault) in three weeks! Rather than shell out $120 for one new Conti, I went for a set of the BFG 245/55/18. They are better in EVERY way--the ride is better, they stick better, they LOOK better and at 15,000 miles show little wear. I will probably run them to 30,000 and then look for an even BETTER option--perhaps the 255/55/18 BFG?

Will there be any problem going with the 255/55/18 on the stock rims?

3 flats in 3 weeks??? Wow tell me where you drive so I can avoid that area!

[kudasai]

dawg, if your local firstone dosent have the specs on hand yet, i posted the alignment specs in one of the threads

[hemi dawg]

will find and print, thanks

[hemi dawg]

kudasai, got it, thanks again.
Just curious, has the crown sensitivity of the LX been fixed in newer models or is it something inherant to the LX platform? Mercedes doesn't have that issue does it?