Yup, a day after I got my new wheels on I start hearing a "thunk" sound from the left rear of my car on right turns and undulating pavement...

I can't figure out what it is - perhaps I need to retorque the lugnuts?

Well I look at it when I get home and see a nice screw sticking out of my sidewall. Apparently this was hitting my inner fender upon suspension compression.

Yes, the same screws that are being used in constructing that nice new development neighborhood up the street.....

I don't know if I have any recourse, but this is the third screw in a tire I've received from these bastards... their carelessness is tantamount only to their obliviousness.

Nonetheless, I'm rolling on 205/50/15 yokohama ES 100's.

Now should I buy one more? Or should I buy two 205's in another comparable brand? Hankook z212's maybe? Or should I buy some 225's and put those on the front?

*Is it possible that this tire is repairable? I'd love to patch it, but Discount Tire won't repair anything in the sidewall... I'm guessing they like to stay away due to liabilities, but would it be a problem to plug the shoulder area?

 

Speak to the general contractor and tell him your complaint. Otherwise look into your city officials and make a complaint with them. FWIW our city officials here will pay for a tire/rim if there is a pothole in the road.

 

Kenny,

<u>Get ish in writing.</u>

Send the contractor a letter along with photos documenting the damage (and showing the screws). You might also want to take photos of the street if there are other screws laying around. Send it certified mail, return receipt requested. If it happens again, I would file suit in Magistrate Court.

And I would get 2 replacement ES100s, or call Ed and get some of those tasty Advan AD07s (195/55-15) like I have

 

I'd prefer to go with either a single es100 in 205 OR two 225's in a similar or slightly softer compound.

Here's what I found online, but I just need to know what 225's are as good or better than the es100 in terms of grip:

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tire rack &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Kumho ECSTA 711
Size: 225/50HR15
Serv. Desc: 91H
Price: $54.00

Dunlop GT Qualifier T
Size: 225/50TR15
Serv. Desc: 90T
Price: $60.00

Sumitomo HTR 200
(High Performance Summer)
Size: 225/50HR15
Serv. Desc: 91H
Price: $66.00

Yokohama AVID T4
Size: 225/50TR15
Serv. Desc: 90T
Price: $73.00

BFGoodrich g-Force Sport
(Ultra High Performance Summer)
Size: 225/50VR15
Serv. Desc: 91V
Price: $78.00

Yokohama AVS ES100
(Ultra High Performance Summer)
Size: 225/50VR15
Serv. Desc: 91V
Price: $84.00
</TD></TR></TABLE>





<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by discount tire &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Falken Ziex ZE-512
225/50R-15 91V B (28742)
UTQG: 360AA
Speed Rating: VR
$69.00each

Nitto NT 450 Extreme Performance
P225/50R-15 90V (40095)
UTQG: 300AA
Speed Rating: VR
Ultra high performance in all seasons V-speed rated.
$85.00each
</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

Buy a single ES100 to replace the one that's damaged. Same size (205), to match.

Some of the tires that you listed are absolutely dreadful - really cheap tires with terrible performance. That applies to the Kumho ECSTA 711, Sumitomo HTR 200, and Yokohama AVID T4. The BFGoodrich g-Force Sport is okay, but not as good as the ES100. (Check out the side-by-side comparison tests on the Tire Rack website, and you'll see that the BFG was beaten by the Kumho Ecsta 712, and in another test, the ES100 came out better than the 712 in all 23 out of the 23 characteristics they tested.) The Falken Ziex ZE-512 and Nitto NT 450 are all-season tires that aren't anywhere near as good as the ES100, except on snow and in extreme cold.

If you want something better than the ES100 in 225/50-15, you'll need to pay more. The Toyo T1-R is $105/tire at onlinetires.com. For even better performance, you can get the Bridgestone S-03 for $151/tire.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kengs &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Kenny,

<u>Get ish in writing.</u>

Send the contractor a letter along with photos documenting the damage (and showing the screws). You might also want to take photos of the street if there are other screws laying around. Send it certified mail, return receipt requested. If it happens again, I would file suit in Magistrate Court.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Good advice Sir, Ken I would follow it myself.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> (Check out the side-by-side comparison tests on the Tire Rack website, and you'll see that the BFG was beaten by the Kumho Ecsta 712, and in another test, the ES100 came out better than the 712 in all 23 out of the 23 characteristics they tested.) </TD></TR></TABLE>


That's funny you say that because I looked at the side by side comparo's of the bfg vs the es100 and the bfg had a slightly better rating, was cheaper, and longer life.

I already ordered another es100, so oh well. I can't complain b/c I got the original whole set of 4 from a buddy who totaled his car and the tires were very new.....

There is a slim chance that yokohama may take a little $ off my purchase at discount tire because there is so much life still left in it (~80%) as well, so wish me luck!


*is there any reason I shouldn't patch/ plug this hole in the corner of the shoulder/ sidewall? I'd like to use it as a full size spare if at all possible.....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Black R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


*is there any reason I shouldn't patch/ plug this hole in the corner of the shoulder/ sidewall? I'd like to use it as a full size spare if at all possible..... </TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't think any tire shop would even touch that sort of repair (due to liability purposes)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Black R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">*is there any reason I shouldn't patch/ plug this hole in the corner of the shoulder/ sidewall? I'd like to use it as a full size spare if at all possible..... </TD></TR></TABLE>

Repairing a hole in the sidewall should be considered a temporary fix and the tire should be replaced as soon as possible. The sidewall of a tire has considerable flex in it when driving, and it is extremely unsafe to use a plug as a sort of permanent repair due to the risk of blowout.

 

unless you get exact brand and size. having two different tread do lead to tire wear.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Black R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That's funny you say that because I looked at the side by side comparo's of the bfg vs the es100 and the bfg had a slightly better rating, was cheaper, and longer life.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not true; they never tested the BFG and the ES100 against each other. Numbers in tests conducted at different times, in different reports, are not comparable.

Here are links to their side-by-side test results:

Kumho 712 &gt;&gt; BFG g-Force Sport

Yoko ES100 &gt;&gt; Kumho 712

Therefore Yoko ES100 &gt;&gt; BFG g-Force Sport.

And "longer life"? They don't test for treadwear at all.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Black R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I already ordered another es100, so oh well.</TD></TR></TABLE>



<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Black R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">*is there any reason I shouldn't patch/ plug this hole in the corner of the shoulder/ sidewall? I'd like to use it as a full size spare if at all possible..... </TD></TR></TABLE>

Don't do it. Just toss the tire. It's no good.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Not true; they never tested the BFG and the ES100 against each other. Numbers in tests conducted at different times, in different reports, are not comparable.

Here are links to their side-by-side test results:

Kumho 712 &gt;&gt; BFG g-Force Sport

Yoko ES100 &gt;&gt; Kumho 712

Therefore Yoko ES100 &gt;&gt; BFG g-Force Sport.

And "longer life"? They don't test for treadwear at all.</TD></TR></TABLE>


No, I mean when you do a search for tire size on their site a 205/50/15 brings up several tire choices. You can mark each one you want and click the "comparison" button and those ratings come up. The bfg gforce sport got a rating of 9 while the es100 got a rating of 8.6 iirc. And the treadwear rating is a lot higher for the bfg vs the es100... I read several owner reviews on that site as well - apparently those are user assessed figures and not actual test data. It is slightly misleading however.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Black R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">No, I mean when you do a search for tire size on their site a 205/50/15 brings up several tire choices. You can mark each one you want and click the "comparison" button and those ratings come up.</TD></TR></TABLE>

As you note further on in your post, those ratings are user survey results and they are generally not very useful, for several reasons. One is that they are subjective. Another is that they are biased depending on which car people buy the tires for, as well as their expectations for that tire. (For example, I think people have higher expectations for the Yoko ES100, which gets a lot of publicity, than the BFG.) Still another is that those who use one tire never try another one, and vice versa.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Black R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">And the treadwear rating is a lot higher for the bfg vs the es100...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Treadwear ratings are somewhat useless when comparing two tires from the same brand, and totally useless when comparing two tires from different brands. To cite just one rather obvious example, the stock Bridgestone RE010 tire on the ITR has a treadwear rating of 140, whereas the old Falken Azenis RT-215 had a treadwear rating of 200 - yet people consistently report getting 50-75 percent more miles on the RE010 than the RT-215 (even though the treadwear ratings would lead you to expect the reverse).

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Black R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I read several owner reviews on that site as well - apparently those are user assessed figures and not actual test data. It is slightly misleading however. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Yup (as noted above).

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dave_B &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> FWIW our city officials here will pay for a tire/rim if there is a pothole in the road.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Huh, yeah, they do that in NY too.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Opie &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Huh, yeah, they do that in NY too.


</TD></TR></TABLE>

where where! I want to live in opieville!