Tire predicament

Ron Mummert · #1 08-06-2001, 12:04 PM

Greetings folks. I managed to pick up a drywall screw in one rear tire just high enough where the tread meets the sidewall to render a "can't fix it" response from 2 places that eyeballed it. One place has no vested interest to try to sell a new set. Right now, the screw's head sticks out about 1/4 inch, & the tire loses air very slowly (10lb over the weekend). I realize this can change. The tire's a Dunlop 5000, 4 of which were on the car when I bought it. I figured to get another 10-15K out of the set before buying new Yokohama db's or whatever the "choice" rubber is in a year. Meanwhile, what can I do? Ideally, I'd like to find another half worn Dunlop. After several calls to tire dealers today, the chances appear ziltch to zero. I don't want to buy one new tire or even two, as I always buy a full set. Should I demand someone try to repair it, & let them know I'll accept the fact that it may not work? Will fix-a-flat stuff last long enough to give a try? Or - does any one here have one in use as a coffee table that they'd be willing to roll my way? Again, it's a Dunlop 5000 P225 50VR16. Also, am I setting myself up for 4 wheel driveability problems by replacing just the one tire?
Grrrrrr!! Ron/Tsu

eddycat2000 · #2 08-06-2001, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ron Mummert
Greetings folks. I managed to pick up a drywall screw in one rear tire just high enough where the tread meets the sidewall to render a "can't fix it" response from 2 places that eyeballed it. One place has no vested interest to try to sell a new set. Right now, the screw's head sticks out about 1/4 inch, & the tire loses air very slowly (10lb over the weekend). I realize this can change. The tire's a Dunlop 5000, 4 of which were on the car when I bought it. I figured to get another 10-15K out of the set before buying new Yokohama db's or whatever the "choice" rubber is in a year. Meanwhile, what can I do? Ideally, I'd like to find another half worn Dunlop. After several calls to tire dealers today, the chances appear ziltch to zero. I don't want to buy one new tire or even two, as I always buy a full set. Should I demand someone try to repair it, & let them know I'll accept the fact that it may not work? Will fix-a-flat stuff last long enough to give a try? Or - does any one here have one in use as a coffee table that they'd be willing to roll my way? Again, it's a Dunlop 5000 P225 50VR16. Also, am I setting myself up for 4 wheel driveability problems by replacing just the one tire?
Grrrrrr!! Ron/Tsu

Put a boot in it (like a patch but for a sidewall), and then put a tube inside of the tire. Hey, might be obsolete technology now, but we used to do it all the time. It's worth a look, unless you want to buy 4 new ones now.

#3 08-06-2001, 01:09 PM

I had the same problem about four/five months ago. So put fix a flat in and drove the tires untill two days ago (Camber was off so tire where shot) So yeah it will work untill you can find a used tire untill you can afford to buy a whole new set. Check Tirerack.com they have good prices and alot of info on all of their tires.

SVX10 · #4 08-06-2001, 04:32 PM

Well, I have a set of 4 used Dunlop D60 A2's with about 5,000 miles left on them. If you want something short term, they'd be reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaal cheap. Probably not the way you're looking to go, but just thought I'd present you with the option. I can send you pics of the tread if you want. I've got no use for em, so if you can use em, lemme know.
Mat-1

Ron Mummert · #5 08-06-2001, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SVX10
Well, I have a set of 4 used Dunlop D60 A2's with about 5,000 miles left on them. If you want something short term, they'd be reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaal cheap. Probably not the way you're looking to go, but just thought I'd present you with the option. I can send you pics of the tread if you want. I've got no use for em, so if you can use em, lemme know.
Mat-1

Mat, thanks for the offer. Let me see what the next day or two offers. I'm THINKING about letting my faithful, close to work (next door) mechanic, Homer, TRY to patch it with a boot (thanks Eddy, but tubes this size are scarce). If this fails at least I gave it a cheap shot, & then I'll try the fix-a-flat can that I bought today, in the event of a quick "poof". If all fails, I may just bite a box of bullets & buy the Yokohama AVS db's. It ain't the money exactly, it's the fact that I have to discard 3 decent tires before their time's up.
Anyway, another question. Tire Rack has the Yokohamas for $107.00 apiece. Mr. Tire has 'em for $139.00 "on the rim, out the door", etc.
By the time I pay the freight, mount, balance etc., am I really saving anything by buying on line? Anyone done this comparison before?
As always, your free advice more than welcome. Ron.

Aredubjay · #6 08-06-2001, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ron Mummert

Mat, thanks for the offer. Let me see what the next day or two offers. I'm THINKING about letting my faithful, close to work (next door) mechanic, Homer, TRY to patch it with a boot (thanks Eddy, but tubes this size are scarce). If this fails at least I gave it a cheap shot, & then I'll try the fix-a-flat can that I bought today, in the event of a quick "poof". If all fails, I may just bite a box of bullets & buy the Yokohama AVS db's. It ain't the money exactly, it's the fact that I have to discard 3 decent tires before their time's up.
Anyway, another question. Tire Rack has the Yokohamas for $107.00 apiece. Mr. Tire has 'em for $139.00 "on the rim, out the door", etc.
By the time I pay the freight, mount, balance etc., am I really saving anything by buying on line? Anyone done this comparison before?
As always, your free advice more than welcome. Ron.

Ron, check and see if Tire Rack has a "ship to" shop in your area. They have one in Evansville. They'll ship your tires directly to the shop, you drive the car over and they'll install them. Find out which shop they ship to (if applicable) and give them a call to find out the installation price so's you can compare apples to apples.

LarryIII · #7 08-07-2001, 12:36 PM

Ron,

Sorry about your tire. Don't use a can of "fix-a-flat" . Take Eddy-cat's suggestion and see if you can get a patch and/or an inner tube.

Larry III

svxcess · #8 08-07-2001, 01:55 PM

Ron,

Give Radial Tire Co. in Silver spring a call at 301-585-2740 and talk to Paul or Sam. I bought my Yokohama AVS db tires for $104.00 each. Total package of 4 tires, valve stems, high speed balance, tax was $482.59

They are a performance shop and great to work with. When one of my rear tire started to wear unevenly because of a small dent in one rim, he fixed the dent and removed all my tires and shaved them to perfect roundness and rebalanced them for no charge.

Ron Mummert · #9 08-08-2001, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by svxcess
Ron,

Give Radial Tire Co. in Silver spring a call at 301-585-2740 and talk to Paul or Sam. I bought my Yokohama AVS db tires for $104.00 each. Total package of 4 tires, valve stems, high speed balance, tax was $482.59

They are a performance shop and great to work with. When one of my rear tire started to wear unevenly because of a small dent in one rim, he fixed the dent and removed all my tires and shaved them to perfect roundness and rebalanced them for no charge.

Thanks to all for the advise. John, that Radial Tire Store sounds like the best deal yet. Right now I'm still running around with the screw in place & putting in a few pounds per day until I can find someone not afraid to try a patch. I'm keeping the car under 90mph in the mean time. Ron/Tsu

#10 08-09-2001, 07:27 AM

Ron,
When I bought my '97 a little over a month ago, the dealer had already put on a new set of Cooper Cobras that I don't think I'll want to try and use through the winter... I'd let them go relatively cheap to you if you'd like me to figure out a price...

eddycat2000 · #11 08-09-2001, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BadDog
Ron,
When I bought my '97 a little over a month ago, the dealer had already put on a new set of Cooper Cobras that I don't think I'll want to try and use through the winter... I'd let them go relatively cheap to you if you'd like me to figure out a price...

What's wrong with coopers in the winter? I've been running them year round for 2 1/2 years, including northern Ideeho winters with no problems. Not only that but they still look new.

#12 08-09-2001, 11:21 AM

I dunno... from the tread design, they just don't look like they'll work very well in deep Upstate NY snow... they *are* M+S tires, though... the only other problem I have with them is they tend to "sing" on concrete overpasses. I just figured that if Ron wanted a cheap, matching set of tires with < 3000 miles on them, I coul dhelp him out, and give myself an excuse for new tires of my own choice LOL

eddycat2000 · #13 08-09-2001, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BadDog
I dunno... from the tread design, they just don't look like they'll work very well in deep Upstate NY snow... they *are* M+S tires, though... the only other problem I have with them is they tend to "sing" on concrete overpasses. I just figured that if Ron wanted a cheap, matching set of tires with < 3000 miles on them, I coul dhelp him out, and give myself an excuse for new tires of my own choice LOL

Trust me, I know all about deep snow. We're only about 100 miles from the Canadian border. In 1993 when I moved here there was one lane traffic in all the residential areas, and snow was literally wrecking roofs on buildings they'd had so much. What I'd really like to do though would be get some extra wheels and mount some studded snows on them. But that's expensive and probably would be as much overkill as my generator.

#14 08-09-2001, 11:50 AM

ROTFL you've got a generator? Did you buy it in 1999?

Do you get Lake Effect snow? (I live ~5 blocks from Lake Ontario)

eddycat2000 · #15 08-09-2001, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BadDog
ROTFL you've got a generator? Did you buy it in 1999?
Do you get Lake Effect snow? (I live ~5 blocks from Lake Ontario)

Yes I do, although I haven't seen it yet. (I loaned the original one I had to some relatives and they let it get stolen, and I haven't seen the one they bought to replace it yet.) No, didn't get it in '99, I'm pretty sure it was '98. And no, not because of the Y2K thing, I lived through an ice storm here and was without power for three days...Ruined all the food in my fridge and freezer, and killed the one plant I owned, and 2 1/2 days of cold showers was more than enough for me. (Some of my co-workers at the time went without power for 30 days!) Of course since I bought it nothing like that has happened again.

As far as lake effect snows...maybe, but our lake isn't nearly the size of yours so I can't be sure. We only live three blocks from our lake. Gets kind of foggy at times, generally in the morning, but other than that I couldn't tell ya. I do know that there are some wicked nasty thunderstorms that come by sometimes over the lake. Better than the fireworks on the fourth of July.