Brand new out of round tires or something else?

[CK98Beeetle]

Due to a family emergency, I've been doing a lot of driving lately, north east coast down to the south and midwest, over and over again. I got brand new Kelly Safari ATRs put on my truck in NJ a couple weeks ago before the driving started. In the past couple days, I've noticed some symptoms similar to an unbalanced wheel in back. I just took it to a tire shop in Nashville, and they said 3/4 of my brand new tires are "out of round", then also proceeded to tell me my control arms and ball joints are loose.

After a quick convo with a local Good Year shop, the "out of round" thing seems like a bit of a hassle to get replaced immediately under full warranty. Timing sucks because it being Friday evening, I'd have to take care of all of this by Monday morning as I have to haul a trailer up to Indianapolis.


Also, this is the first a mechanic has said anything about the ball joints and control arms. Would those cause symptoms I'm having? The steering wheel isn't shaking, the whole truck is. And I don't think it's a motor mount.

Should I pursue this "out of round" issue, or the control arms and joints first? If I didn't have over 1000 miles to go before I get back home, I wouldn't worry about this, but the vibration at just 40mph and up, is going to really make driving not fun. Time and cash is very tight due to the family emergency, so whichever ends up being cheaper and quicker to fix seems to be the best answer for me right now. Thanks.

[GermaniuM]

I would get those control arms and ball joints looked at just in case and go from there.

[Fe2O3]

I'd get a 2nd opinion if you can find one you can trust. I've had Good Year shops try to cross sell replacement brake pads and rotors that were nearly new and suspension bits that were fine. I think a big part of some of their locations business is upselling. You order tires, have a seat and a little while later a tech comes in with a concerned look on his face and a clipboard. "Excuse me, can I show you something out here?...."

[CK98Beeetle]

I'd get a 2nd opinion if you can find one you can trust. I've had Good Year shops try to cross sell replacement brake pads and rotors that were nearly new and suspension bits that were fine. I think a big part of some of their locations business is upselling. You order tires, have a seat and a little while later a tech comes in with a concerned look on his face and a clipboard. "Excuse me, can I show you something out here?...."

I had a feeling it would turn into something like that. The place I went today was a local Michelin/BFG dealer. My uncle is friends with a Good Year guy, and he's going to recommend a place for me in the area tomorrow. I'll see what they have to say. Looks like I'll be paying another $60 for balancing, again, but at least I'll know.

[emmettlodge]

Either the shop is trying to screw you, and your ball joints are fine.

OR

You need ball joints.

Nothing burns through ball joints worse than the F150s of that vintage and earlier. They go ALL the time. It's not outside the realm of possibility that your ball joints are, indeed, shot.

So. If it were me, I'd take it to at least two other shops. Don't say anything about ball joints. Just ask for an overall "front end and suspension" inspection. See what they come back with.

[urogolf]

It is very possible.. I had a set of dunlop 31x10.5s go out of round in less than 3000 miles.. and cause I bought them through our shop and not directly from townfairtire they wouldn't warranty em... got some coopers from bennys of all places that were way better...and cheaper

[CK98Beeetle]

Either the shop is trying to screw you, and your ball joints are fine.

OR

You need ball joints.

Nothing burns through ball joints worse than the F150s of that vintage and earlier. They go ALL the time. It's not outside the realm of possibility that your ball joints are, indeed, shot.

So. If it were me, I'd take it to at least two other shops. Don't say anything about ball joints. Just ask for an overall "front end and suspension" inspection. See what they come back with.

Sounds like a plan. The more I think about it, 3 new tires, all out of round, seems a little bit of a stretch.

[CK98Beeetle]

It is very possible.. I had a set of dunlop 31x10.5s go out of round in less than 3000 miles.. and cause I bought them through our shop and not directly from townfairtire they wouldn't warranty em... got some coopers from bennys of all places that were way better...and cheaper

I've put about 2000 on mine already. I'd hope they aren't bad already. Kelly doesn't seem to have many bad reviews online. And they don't even break loose in the rain, and are very quiet. I'd hate to have to get something else already.

[BRealistic]

You could try rotating the tires to see if the changes the vibration.
If no change- then it must be suspension (or possibly warped brakes).

[CK98Beeetle]

Took it to Good Year today, they said 2 tires are definitely out of round. They are replacing them, I only have to pay for the mounting. The u-joints were worse than I thought though, so I'll have them replaced as well. I suppose it was worth going to Good Year. They didn't charge me a dime today. Who knew, 2/4 brand new tires can both be out of round.

[Uberhare]

How could a brand new tire be made "out of round"? I just don't see how that can happen unless they get inferior materials or maybe the tire molds are worn out. The chances of getting a "bad" tire just seem really low to me, especially from a company like Goodyear.

edit: Just noticed his tires are Kelly brand. I know they are a less well known brand but my question still applies.

[Live-Wire]

How could a brand new tire be made "out of round"? I just don't see how that can happen unless they get inferior materials or maybe the tire molds are worn out. The chances of getting a "bad" tire just seem really low to me, especially from a company like Goodyear.

edit: Just noticed his tires are Kelly brand. I know they are a less well known brand but my question still applies.

Manufacturing defects can happen. It makes sense that most of his tires were defective, since they are probably from the same batch. Typically the manufacturer will be able to trace the how and the why to a problem with the equipment or process around the date of manufacture. They can then instruct the retailers to take back any tires that people are complaining about, without hassle.

Do get the ball joints looked at, my friend ended up with a nearly collapsed front end while pulling away from the parking curb at a friends place in one of those Fords. The front suspension is a known problem area... Good thing the suspension separated at low speed, she could have been hurt as she had just been driving on the highway hours prior.

I've never heard much good about Kelly tires. A friend of mine had them on his TSX (Kelly Navigators I think)... It didn't drive right, despite being a certified pre-owned from an Acura dealer. He test drove the car with the original (worn) tires on it. Dealer said it was getting new tires and brakes before it went to him. Great. The tires very quickly became out of balance. Two had "shifted belts". They replaced them. A few weeks later, all the tires had "shifted belts". My friend got mad at the Acura dealer for putting inferior tires on. The dealer accepted to split the different on Michelin sport-touring tires (typical to what would be on a TSX)... Zero problems since. I've heard of other stories, but this one parallels your own story so well. Maybe see if your tire dealer can swap them for a more reputable tire. Nothing worse then a bad tire - they affect everything about vehicle performance and comfort.

[skineepuppy]

Either the shop is trying to screw you, and your ball joints are fine.

OR

You need ball joints.

Nothing burns through ball joints worse than the F150s of that vintage and earlier. They go ALL the time. It's not outside the realm of possibility that your ball joints are, indeed, shot.

So. If it were me, I'd take it to at least two other shops. Don't say anything about ball joints. Just ask for an overall "front end and suspension" inspection. See what they come back with.

this guy is right i work at a bfg/michelin dealer and the long and short of it is that if you have alignment wear on the tires due to suspension problems of just being off it voids the warranty. as for the out of round it sounds like that is due to, at the least, the alignment being off, or the suspension problems..... when you go to the next shop ask to see the movement in the ball joints ect then you know they are not lying hope this helps you out man