[Spridgets] Tire Ramblings

[David Riker]

I wanted to pass on a positive Tire ownership experience.  Wayyyy back in 
2002, I bought a set of Pirelli tires at Discount Tire for my Ford Torino, 
and paid for the lifetime tire warantee.  Well the car gets driven very 
little, so after 7 years it had amassed only about17,000 miles.  Due to age, 
the tires had some pretty bad weather checking on the sidewalls.  I had 
moved two years ago, so I had little hope that the Washington Discount Tire 
would cover the warantee from the California Discount Tire.  After all, it 
had been 7 years, I had replaced the odometer, and I have not used their 
rotation services.  I was extremely surprised.  The manager was new, so he 
made one phone call, and was shocked himself.  The warantee paid to replace 
all four tires at 100%, no questions asked.  I had to pay for the sales tax 
and a new warantee, so it cost me a total of $100 bucks.  At retail, that 
was about $600 worth of new tires.  And they had them in stock, installed 
while I waited.

The tires I have on the Midget I bought at Les Schuab.  I also have the tire 
warantee on them.  They rebalance them for no charge, yes, it is a royal 
pain, as I have to coach them on how to do it.  They also repair the flats, 
even though they are in tubes on wire wheels, at no charge, unless they need 
a new tube, then I've had to pay for the tube only.  They have no problem 
with their tubes in tubeless tires.  Their Toyo tires seem to ride, wear, 
and handle  suitably for my driving use.  When I have bought tires for the 
Midget there, I always ask for the manager, and he either has a more senior 
tire mechanic mount and balance them, or does it himself.  They use the mag 
wheel machine, and I've never had them damage the spokes if I've taken that 
precaution.
David Riker