New tires Firestone Firehawks
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New tires Firestone Firehawks
I purchased a set of these 275 40 17 and had a wheel specialist place here in town mount and balance. Steering wheel shakes so I took them back they rechecked and the road force could not be done because the tire wheel assembly were over 30 lbs which is excessive. Firestone have me 2 new tires and they were a lot better being under 17 lbs on road force but they could not hide stick on weights behind spokes and the shake is even worse. They recommend I put the fronts on the back. I am not happy with my tires so far. I went from hidden weights and vibrations to not hidden weights and more vibration with tires that they say are better.
#2
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That sucks, I would've expected better from Firestone. If they can't balance them they should replace them. Putting them on the back isn't a solution as eventually they will be rotated to the front. Can you make them take them back? From your other thread I know you've been looking for a while. I ended up with BFG g-force sport comp 2 and like them, also they balanced up with hardly any weights.
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Firestone gave me two more but the road force machine shows these newest ones to be good. But they think they will wear down some and maybe not vibrate so bad. I guess by the time I move them up front. I did this with another set and it worked out but it wasn't this bad.
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I bought the tires from firestone but they don't have a touchless machine so I found a place here that specializes in mounting wheels without damage but everytime I have to change a tire out it cost 40 dollars so it would cost me 160 to change to a different brand plus I take my own wheels off the vehicle and take them to them so I don't get any damage during mounting so it is a lot of trouble. Already missed 2 days of work too. Plus there are not much to choose from in 275 40 17. I was looking for a good ride quality more than anything.
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#8
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Sort of suprised that you went with Firehawks over the Continentals after the April thread on this subject. By my read nothing short of the Michelins beat out the Conti's in ride quality and noise. And across the board in Tire Rack surveys the Conti's rank considerably higher than the FH's, even in ride quality and noise. In only 2 of the 9 categories do the FH's rate higher (steering response and tread wear). The Conti DW ranks strong in both wet and dry conditions. The FH 500 or FH A/S only cover one of each. One is much poorer in dry traction and the other in wet conditions. What bothered me a bit on the FH's was that the customer surveys had more issues with them vs. the Cont's and BFG Comp 2's. If long life is required, the Conti DWS can get you 40K-65K miles.
The BFG comp 2's I purchased exceed the Conti's and FH's in handling/performance per the Tire Rack surveys. And they've performed well for me in that regard. But they are obviously weaker in ride quality and noise, something I was willing to live with in exchange for getting the BFG's at $220 less than the Conti's after rebates/deals. When I was looking last year Conti only offered a $60 "hotel card rebate" which was of no use to me at the time. This year they're offering a $70 Visa card rebate similar to what Michelin/BFG/Firestone do once or twice every year. In buying the tires through a retail installation shop the mounting/tire shipping fees were waived (saves $60-$100).
The BFG comp 2's I purchased exceed the Conti's and FH's in handling/performance per the Tire Rack surveys. And they've performed well for me in that regard. But they are obviously weaker in ride quality and noise, something I was willing to live with in exchange for getting the BFG's at $220 less than the Conti's after rebates/deals. When I was looking last year Conti only offered a $60 "hotel card rebate" which was of no use to me at the time. This year they're offering a $70 Visa card rebate similar to what Michelin/BFG/Firestone do once or twice every year. In buying the tires through a retail installation shop the mounting/tire shipping fees were waived (saves $60-$100).
Last edited by Firebrian; 07-04-2015 at 03:31 PM.
#9
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I bought the tires from firestone but they don't have a touchless machine so I found a place here that specializes in mounting wheels without damage but everytime I have to change a tire out it cost 40 dollars so it would cost me 160 to change to a different brand plus I take my own wheels off the vehicle and take them to them so I don't get any damage during mounting so it is a lot of trouble. Already missed 2 days of work too. Plus there are not much to choose from in 275 40 17. I was looking for a good ride quality more than anything.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...r=17&zip-code=
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...w=false&cs=275
Do yourself a favor and don't buy tires from tire shops or go with what they recommend. They will recommend whatever makes them the most money, and is easiest to get a hold of for themselves, rather than what is best for you.
Also as far as road force balancing, I had my 315/35/17s road force balanced with no issues (that is not a lightweigth setup) and sticky weights put on the inside. It just takes a competent shop to do it.
#10
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If you're looking for tires that give excellent ride quality/limited noise w/o breaking the bank there are relatively few choices. And if you further require decent to excellent tread life you're almost out of choices. Seems to me that Chevygirl did a thorough multi-week search of the options that fit their driving style. Tires don't always perform like the surveys or previous customers say they will. I'd hate to spend $1200 for a set of Michelin Pilot Sports only to find out the set I receive just don't work.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/wheels-ti...h-ride-dd.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/wheels-ti...h-ride-dd.html