a few questions (mostly on tires, one on suspension)

[DZA]

My apologies for the 2nd thread asking something different. That thread made thread #7 in over a month in this forum... I'll compact any new questions in this thread to give the other 5 or thread starters in the past month a chance.

A few questions... questions #2 is most important right now, thanks.

1) How can I tell if my car has an altered suspension? I'm 99% sure it's stock but a shop denied me of a warranty on my tires b/c I'm "lowered". My car has the factory body kit and is the sports package. I can barely fit two fingers in the wheel gap up front and one finger in the wheel gap in the rear. The shop said, "You probably have altered spindles or eibach springs". I like how he knew what brand and he never put my car on a lift.

2) Would you buy two tires (used for only 1 summer) if they are about 3 years old? They are Falken Azenis ST115s and sat stacked in a garage not on wheels. A buddy offered me 75 for the pair. That beats 90 per in my book if they're safe. I'm looking to know if the material could be broken down and weak at this point.

3) If BF Goodrich tells me that their policy is that the customer buys replacements based on a decided prorated price from the dealer and BFG refunds the dealer and the dealer tells me thats not how things work (two different shops have told me that)... what should I do? The tire has 90% tread life left so I want to get a new one to at least sell it. I just had a guy tell me that my tire with 10k miles and under two years of life has a cracked sidewall b/c of normal wear. When I say cracked, I mean, 100% around the sidewall and you can lift up rubber a good bit.

Leaving my original post below so the person that replied doesn't look like their replying to nonsense.
___________
I'm having tire issues.

I'm not excited about dropping 150+ on each tire so a buddy has a spare pair of Falken Azenis ST115s. I read reviews and they are supposedly a great tire for less than 90 new.

I currently have a set of BF Goodrich Traction T/A with less than 10k miles (2 yrs old) and they are ripping at the sidewall up front. Anyone else having a similar issue... tire pressure, suspension, alignment all checked out fine. They are within BF Goodrich's manufacturer warranty. The shop I bought them at said they'd give me 25% off. I just got off the phone with BFG and any BFG dealer should give me about 90% off as there is 90% tread life left.

How bad is it to have Falken's up front and BFG in the rear (or should I put the newest tread in the rear?)

I still might buy the Falkens as back up or to replace two other BFGs that are pretty bald.

[98a4]

I have 512's and love them. A lil bit loud but great wear.

[shedpress]

My buddy Dan (DZA) is in a time crunch and was looking for some insight. I've been going back and forth with him trying to help.

If anyone else has comments/suggestions, please help a brotha out.

Thanks!

[98a4]

I responded to his OP, but he edited it and make it 20x longer...

[DZA]

Originally Posted by 98a4

I responded to his OP, but he edited it and make it 20x longer...

Things changed and my OP was inaccurate. Your response was helpful though b/c if I don't buy my buddies tires I might lean towards getting the 512s.

[JFryauff]

1) How can I tell if my car has an altered suspension? I'm 99% sure it's stock but a shop denied me of a warranty on my tires b/c I'm "lowered". My car has the factory body kit and is the sports package. I can barely fit two fingers in the wheel gap up front and one finger in the wheel gap in the rear. The shop said, "You probably have altered spindles or eibach springs". I like how he knew what brand and he never put my car on a lift.
Well, being that low (two fingers), you might...but I am not sure what the OEM "sport package" includes, so that might explain the lowered ride height. Since they didn't put it on the lift, and visually prove that you have an aftermarket suspension, I would speak with a manager. If you do though, then I guess they could have a valid argument. Although it's a manufacturers warranty, so what does a shop give a crap about it? Are you able to jack your car up, and check the springs/shocks, if aftermarket they should have some sort of markings, brand name or something.

2) Would you buy two tires (used for only 1 summer) if they are about 3 years old? They are Falken Azenis ST115s and sat stacked in a garage not on wheels. A buddy offered me 75 for the pair. That beats 90 per in my book if they're safe. I'm looking to know if the material could be broken down and weak at this point.
You can check the tread wear, and visually inspect for any type of dry rotting/cracking. Theoretically, they should be fine, but it's hard to say without seeing them, or knowing how they were used in that 1 year. Guy could have beat on them, or had alignment issues, which would cause un-even wear. If your that concerened, Tire Rack has Kumho Ecsta ASX's (15") for $49/ea., and offer a $40 rebate if you get al full set. Just an inexpensive option, and they will come with a manufacturers warranty.

3) If BF Goodrich tells me that their policy is that the customer buys replacements based on a decided prorated price from the dealer and BFG refunds the dealer and the dealer tells me thats not how things work (two different shops have told me that)... what should I do? The tire has 90% tread life left so I want to get a new one to at least sell it. I just had a guy tell me that my tire with 10k miles and under two years of life has a cracked sidewall b/c of normal wear. When I say cracked, I mean, 100% around the sidewall and you can lift up rubber a good bit.
Are you the original purchaser of these tires? Accroding to the BFG warranty info (http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/asset...fgwarranty.pdf), as long as the tires were rotated at proper intervals, and the wheels were kept in proper balance/alignment...you should be covered. Not sure if it's really worth the hassle, but you'll most likely have to contact BFG again, and have them contact the shop in question to arrange something. They might even require you to send the tires directly to BFG for inspection, so it's up to you if you want to got through that. Overall, it sounds like the shops are being pricks, but that typical.

How bad is it to have Falken's up front and BFG in the rear (or should I put the newest tread in the rear?)
I guess it's fine, as long as everything is balanced properly, and the tread patterns are too drastically different (ie. drag slicks up front, mud boggers in the rear )

[DZA]

on your #1 response:
I was speaking to the manager :/
I know my shocks are stock and I'm checking the springs tonight. The shop also said I could have altered spindles but I don't even know what they're talking about.

on your #2 response:
I looked at the guys tires, the wear looks even and tread life is "ok". He lowered the price to 60 total for both. I'd just have to be sure I want to buy 2 more of the same tires at some point. Do you have any idea how I can tell a tires manufacture date? The DOT code on the falkens is V40L (not sure if thats an o or 0 as the third character).

on your #3 response:
I was not the owner the purchased the tires but BFG didn't care when I called. The code showed they were less than 2 years old and thats all they cared about. The receipt I have can prove they are younger than 10k miles as well. BFG called Sears for me and I have a guy to ask for when I get there. WORST case, I have a spare or two... but it should be real cheap to replace them under warranty.

Thanks for the replies.

[JFryauff]

Well, again...the spindles might have been changed.
"Lowering" spindles readjust the suspension geometry after lowering... which can significantly decrease camber gain; introduce bump steer; lower the front roll centre; and possibly cause the control arm bushings to bind.

Are you saying that you know your shocks/struts are, or are not aftermarket?

That DOT code sounds off...
It will begin with the letters "DOT" obviously...the next two numbers or letters are the plant code where it was manufactured, and the last four numbers represent the week and year the tire was built. For example, the numbers 3197 means the 31st week of 1997 (2 digits for week of the year plus 2 digits for year; or 2 digits for week of the year plus 1 digit for year for tires made prior to 2000).

[DZA]

i know the 'sport package' for my year has red shocks and mine are read. i'm 100% sure the shocks are NOT aftermarket. I'm not sure on the springs just yet.

That's funny on the code... It says nothing more than DOT V40L. Doesn't matter though. I gave them a closer look just now. Took it out, rolled it to look at it all. The tread is acceptable but in the gaps of the tread is cracking. There is a gash in the tread that looks like it could split deeper and there is metal wire sticking out of the tread. I'm not buying them.

Now I'm either going to ride on the Contenintal spare on the front left and the BFG on the front right (one of the BFGs are okay, just might start cracking at some point says the shop). Different tread patterns up front but its free... OR... I'm going to buy at least 2 new tires for up front. I'm not counting on the BFG warranty ever being granted.

[98a4]

look at your springs. There should be a series of painted dots on them if they are from the factory. IIRC blue, red, and yellow possibly.

[DZA]

I'll probably have to wipe them down to tell if they have painted spots on them... a touch dirty. I dont see name brand markings either though.

[98a4]

Stock

[DZA]

right on... i think they just saw minimal wheel gap and assumed i altered it in some way. they have great prices but i'll never return there again.

[JFryauff]

Originally Posted by DZA

they have great prices but i'll never return there again.

Smart idea.

[DZA]

I finally found a dealer that would honor the warranty. I scored 75% off two new BFG tires. 35 bucks per tire sounds good to me.