Just got my flat-spots fixed

[ntmatter]

While driving back from the last Viper Days, I was sure that I'd be out $800 to replace the brand-new front that I managed to flat-spot. However, I took them down to Phelps tire (in the Seattle area) and they managed to save the tires by shaving them. The total cost was $76 including tax for both tires, and they threw in something called "Equal" for me to try out as well. Equal comes in packets and looks like fine sand but is in fact very fine plastic beads. Apparently the stuff was developed for Nascar and as it flows around in the inside of your tires and balances out the subtle imperfections that develop in your tire as you use it. I'll be interested to try the stuff out at Thunder Hill in two weeks to see how it works. One interesting note was that I cannot dismount and re-mount the tires unless I place them in exactly the same spot on the rim. I'm told that the tires are now perfectly round to the road, but not necessarily round to the wheel.

 

[Ulysses]

They must have trued the tires with the wheel on.

 

[Hisser]

This method has been done for many years now. It doesn't hurt the tires a bit, just takes off some rubber.

 

[ntmatter]

Basically, they turn the tires on a lathe while still on the wheels. This makes the tires very, very round, but it means that the tire and wheel are round as a set. I got the tires on this afternoon and drove around a bit; there is even less noise and vibration that when the tires were brand new.

 

[slaughterj]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ntmatter:
they threw in something called "Equal" for me to try out as well. Equal comes in packets and looks like fine sand but is in fact very fine plastic beads. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Are you sure that isn't the sugar substitute in restaurants?

 

[ntmatter]

Not sure at all. Guess there's only 1 way to find out.

A

 

[SoCal Rebell]

Hey Andy, how ya doin'? Same thing happened to me last year at Willow Springs. I had a brand new set of front tires with less then 500 miles on them get flat spotted. I'm driving home and all I hear is thump, thump, thump. I thought I was out the 8 bills also but found a shop in Pasadena that shaved tires. They took off 3/16s and although I lost about 4,000 mles of rubber they were great. Very smooth and very sticky, like you it cost me $80 balanced and trued, didn't put any sugar substitute in though.

See ya next weekend at Thunderhill, my 4 wheel Stoptechs are on and I'm going to WSIR this weekend to test them.

 

[ruckdr]

SoCal,
Actually, you probably gained 4000 miles on those tires; remember that going 'thump', 'thump','thump', creates tremendous scuffing; like rolling a cube down the road. Truing NEW tires will increase tire mileage. You also saved the flat spotted tires.
Later,