winter tire drama

[p2ranger]

I've read people's opinions on only driving with 2 snow tires already. I went to discount tire to buy 2 winter tires for my versa. Last year, they sold me 2 snow tires for my malibu, same store. But today they told me they aren't allowed to sell me just two tires. What kind of poppycok is that? They'd rather not have my business than let me buy two tires at my own risk. I guess I'm just going to have to call around and see if someone will sell it to me.

Also, I noticed on a website that you have to pay for the TPMS sensors for new tires. Can you just not have the stupid sensors?

Jason

[bikeman]

I've read people's opinions on only driving with 2 snow tires already. I went to discount tire to buy 2 winter tires for my versa. Last year, they sold me 2 snow tires for my malibu, same store. But today they told me they aren't allowed to sell me just two tires. What kind of poppycok is that?

Their lawyer probably explained liability issues to the owners.

They'd rather not have my business than let me buy two tires at my own risk. I guess I'm just going to have to call around and see if someone will sell it to me.Jason

Without the liability issues, they'd love to sell you two tires. It just isn't worth the risk for doing something they know isn't in the customers best interest. A liability waiver would help but they aren't always enough by itself in court. They're just covering their own. Nothing personal.

David

[WDRacing]

What shop? I know Big 10 will put any tire on any rim, reguardless.

[KimberKenobi]

Also, I noticed on a website that you have to pay for the TPMS sensors for new tires. Can you just not have the stupid sensors?

in my experience:

They try to see you new sensors. You can choose to have your tires unmounted and your stock sensors used. Or you can buy new sensors. If you opt to go without the sensors (which no one will arrest you for) you will just have to cope with the yellow TPMS light being eternally lit. (and really, how many of us would mind being eternally lit? ... )

[NY.AD.MAN]

I had a problem earlier when I wanted Discount to rotate my crappy tires in the front to the back, and the manger told me this story:

Discount tire had a scare when one of their stores rotated a set of bad tires from the front to the back and some stupid kid almost wrecked his car, so the parents ended up contacting corporate. The store, which is in the southeast region, was made to give the family 4 free tires for the car to cover for whatever it was that the kid, who was warned previous to the rotation, had experienced.

THUS, they're not going to sell you just two tires and let you act like a drift car in everyday conditions. Plus, not only are they liable for your car, but whomever you manage to smash into when the back two tires finally do lose traction.

It's not such an awful situation just to get ONE set of really good all-season tires and ride them all year round, especially if you aren't regularly driving on ice and slush and even then the better quality tires should work as good as $100 snow tires.

I understand it can be frustrating, but as I have said countless times before, just go to tirerack.com and get some good quality tires and take those to be mounted at Discount - the guys at the Discount tire in Alpharetta, GA are great!

Please, for your own sake, be careful about this stuff, it may not seem like a bad idea now, but if you really NEED snow tires, then you'll only be putting yourself at risk with the lesser rear tires.

[WDRacing]

(and really, how many of us would mind being eternally lit? ... )

I wish they had a pill for that

[Eikon]

I've also been told that they are not allowed to sell then mount only 2 snow tires on a car.

The reason given is due to litigation liability.. In other words, they don't want to be sued because someone spun out their car and blamed the accident on inconsistant traction between the front and rear tires.

The solution: Remove the two wheels you'd like switched to snow tires. Take those two wheels in another car to a shop and tell them you'd like the snow tires mounted on these two rims only. If they don't ask or don't know that you'll only be mounting two snow tires.. they can't be held liable. Heck if you wanted you could even tell them that you already have two snow tires on the car, and now want to complete the set for safety reasons..

As for actually driving with only two snows... I live in Green Bay and we get plenty of snow... I've been doing exactly that for 8 years and have been happy with the results. The only instance in which I have trouble on a rare occasion is when I slam on the brakes really hard and the rear end wants to twist a little bit.. that's correctable by steering adjustments. I've never had the back end slide out on a turn or anything unpredictable or dangerous.

[NY.AD.MAN]

The biggest reason why I say that people should never do the 2+2 rule is because of this:

In 2001 three of my friends were driving back from a friend's house in Washington D.C. (.00 BAC for EVERYONE in the car) and it was during the winter, so there was some snow on the ground. They were riding on the GW Parkway, and just outside Georgetown, when they lost control of the car at 45mph (slowing down for a turn) and the back wheels spun into the median which ended up basically looking like they ripped off the back end of their car and killed the front driver who hit his head against the driver's side window (they were in the left lane). My two other friends were rushed to the hospital because a wandering cop witnessed the accident and called it in.

They were running a 1995 Honda Accord with two snow tires on the front end of the car and two pretty basic tires on the back. The cop said that the reason they had spun out was because of the fact that the front tires got traction, but the back left tire lost traction, sending people I cared about to the hospital, and even worse; one to the morgue.

So, yeah, you'll talk to 10,20,30 or even 40 people who never got into an accident, but you will also talk to that many who have had accidents (even in dry or barely wet conditions), and just like the reason why I oppose the death penalty; if even ONE person dies because of that setup wrongfully, then others should not follow suit. Call it whatever you want, but this is my first new car and I plan to do whatever I can to keep it safe!

[WDRacing]

Great post

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