QuestionI had four brand new tires installed on my 2006 Toyota Camry XLE 10/08 @ Town Fair Tire (what it now seems to be problem number one). They told me the only ones they had available to fit my car were Toyo Spectrums and nothing further. Seeing they were not inexpensive and it was a tire store, I didn't think any further about it.
26,000 mile later I am experiencing intermittent violent shaking of the steering wheel when on the highway (anywhere between 50-70mph). So badly the last time that the steering wheel actually came out of my hands and it felt like the tires were coming off. I took the car to Midas---simply because it was right next to my house and was told that I needed two front tires because they were "bouncing all over the place" which the mechanic even showed me. When he went to look up what tires would be required to replace mine with, he told me that the tires I had on my car were not appropriate for my car and I should have all 4 tires replaced. He stated my OEM recommends 94 V rating and the ones on there a T rated.
Now my dilemma is that I am obviously returning to Town Fair Tire, my researching the actual problem seems to indicate it is likely that there is a belt issue in the tire(s). But I also have the issue of 4 tires with the improper speed rating and load capacity. My thought is perhaps that is why I am experiencing tire failure at only 26000 miles. (Supposedly they are warrantied for 30,000 miles, but if it is only one tire right now, the warranty will expire soon)
I can't afford to pay for 4 brand new tires at this point and I feel the salesman should have discussed with me that those tires were several steps lower than the recommended speed rating by the manufacturer which could impact handling etc. prior to installing them on my vehicle.
Do I have any recourse or am I just out of luck because I was unaware of all of this when I went in to purchase these tires.
I need to return there today so any assistance or feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Thank You
AnswerKelley,
I suspect there is something else wrong with the car, because a tire problem would be there 100% of the time and not just intermittantly.
But just on the off chance that this is a tire issue:
What it sounds like you have is irregular wear, which is caused by misalignment and aggravated by insufficient inflation pressure and insufficient rotation practices. After 26,000 miles, these tires should have been rotated at least 3 times - and it sounds like they weren't rotated at all. So this is a HUGE problem.
So your problem seems to stem from something other than the speed rating issue - which is only kind of an issue - and one you could only complain about if there is a problem related to that - which there isn't.
