Did I just get raped on tires?

[fuzzybabybunny]

So I went to Discount Tire to get my tires replaced with $50 tires pricematched from Tirerack.

I thought $320 was all I was going to spend.

Turns out at least two of my steely rims are bent and wobble a bit. They showed me the wobble and said all they had in stock for 14" are these $75 alloy rims. They said alloys are stronger than steelies and they didn't have any 14" steelies in stock even if I wanted them.

So I'm looking at spending an extra $300+ on rims that I'm going to have to do financing for. Because they already took my tires off and I can't order ones from Tirerack or else I'll get charged a second time for wheel replacement.

Did I just get screwed? It's a 2000 Echo with 125K miles. Does it really deserve brand new alloy rims? They look ugly too BTW. 14" alloy rims never look good. Will they hold up to hard off road driving in the national forests and stuff? Washboard roads and the like, potholes, etc.

 

[MikeMike]

there is no doubt in my mind your wheels are bent... no doubt

 

[Mermaidman]

Is there someone who could take you to an auto salvage yard to find used wheels?

(BTW, I thought steel wheels were stronger than alloys.)

edit: It seems a waste to spend money on fancy wheels for a 2000 Echo, not to mention your habitual driving on unpaved roads. If you have managed to bend steel wheels, I'd hate to see what you do to alloys!

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
Is there someone who could take you to an auto salvage yard to find used wheels?

(BTW, I thought steel wheels were stronger than alloys.)

Too late now. On the spot I didn't know what to do so I just said, sure, I'll get the alloys.

They had already taken off the old tires by then anyway, and steelies on Tirerack are $40 each + shipping.

But is a somewhat wobbly rim all that bad? I've driven across the country multiple times on them with no issues... damn it! I kinda wish I would have just told them to screw it and just put my old tires on my old rims, wobble be damned.

 

[brblx]

i've seen wheels with noticeable bends that caused zero issues. if it's just a small bend, and is not enough to affect the bead seating properly, i wouldn't be too worried about it. on the front of the car, though, yes, a bent wheel will often cause a vibration, and it's not typically something that can be corrected with weight.

i'm not much for cheap aftermarket wheels. i'd have just gotten replacement steel wheels from the dealer or online.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
Will they hold up to hard off road driving in the national forests and stuff? Washboard roads and the like, potholes, etc.

Um... should you really be doing that with an Echo in the first place? I mean, if you're taking an occasional trip slowly down a dirt forest road (driving to a camp site, for example) it shouldn't be an issue, but if you're going at a moderate speed and flooring it over bumps and holes ("off-roading"), you're going to break / mis-align your suspension or even twist the frame.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: CurseTheSky

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
Will they hold up to hard off road driving in the national forests and stuff? Washboard roads and the like, potholes, etc.

Um... should you really be doing that with an Echo in the first place? I mean, if you're taking an occasional trip slowly down a dirt forest road (driving to a camp site, for example) it shouldn't be an issue, but if you're going at a moderate speed and flooring it over bumps and holes ("off-roading"), you're going to break / mis-align your suspension or even twist the frame.

It's been ok so far!

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Wow. Total bill comes out to $700 for 4 tires + 4 rims for a cheap-ass beater Echo. I honestly feel like I'm going to puke. Even though I have 3 months to pay off $350 of that, I still feel sick.

 

[halik]

One my my 18" rs4 reps has a bit of lateral travel, no issues for the last 10k miles.

 

[Greenman]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
So I went to Discount Tire to get my tires replaced with $50 tires pricematched from Tirerack.

I thought $320 was all I was going to spend.

Turns out at least two of my steely rims are bent and wobble a bit. They showed me the wobble and said all they had in stock for 14" are these $75 alloy rims. They said alloys are stronger than steelies and they didn't have any 14" steelies in stock even if I wanted them.

So I'm looking at spending an extra $300+ on rims that I'm going to have to do financing for. Because they already took my tires off and I can't order ones from Tirerack or else I'll get charged a second time for wheel replacement.

Did I just get screwed? It's a 2000 Echo with 125K miles. Does it really deserve brand new alloy rims? They look ugly too BTW. 14" alloy rims never look good. Will they hold up to hard off road driving in the national forests and stuff? Washboard roads and the like, potholes, etc.

That right there is why you have bent rims.

 

[ChaosDivine]

Might have been a good idead to pickup a cheap set of steelies at a yard for ~$100 or os like I did for my 98 Cavalier (to put winter rubber on).
I do understand that you car was already apart though.

 

[CTrain]

Yes you did.
I would have looked on craigslist and could have gotten a used set of wheels and tires for ~$200. Its for an echo for god's sake.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: CTrain
Yes you did.
I would have looked on craigslist and could have gotten a used set of wheels and tires for ~$200. Its for an echo for god's sake.

 

[NaOH]

people practically give steelies away on forums.

 

[Squisher]

Discount Tire put a loaner chrome wheel (yeah, I was 1/4 blinging) on my truck so I could drive it across town to a junkyard where I picked up a stock aluminum wheel.

I wouldn't say they screwed you over, but they certainly didn't go out of their way to try to give you some cheaper options.

 

[Arkaign]

You paid average retail for new 14" steelies, so it's not exactly like they ripped you off or anything, it's just that there are much cheaper sources for those wheels. If your brakes can get clearance, it might have even been a decent idea to try to find some 13" + tires with even more sidewall, given that you're taking it to some pretty rough areas.

You might consider selling the Echo and getting a 4-banger Ranger or B2300, or perhaps an S10, all are available with extended cab, are pretty durable, and will be a lot better suited for mixed use like that.

 

[kevman]

if they were shoved up your ass then yes you were raped.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
Wow. Total bill comes out to $700 for 4 tires + 4 rims for a cheap-ass beater Echo. I honestly feel like I'm going to puke. Even though I have 3 months to pay off $350 of that, I still feel sick.

So return them!!!

 

[PandaBear]

$700 is about right, no rip off for a set of new.

Buying used from craigslist can be risky too, they can also be bent. So if you are not a risk taker then your $700 is part of the driving cost.

Wait till you see tires that are $700 per axle.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: PandaBear
$700 is about right, no rip off for a set of new.

Buying used from craigslist can be risky too, they can also be bent. So if you are not a risk taker then your $700 is part of the driving cost.

Wait till you see tires that are $700 per axle.

Buying them off CL shouldn't be risky at all. All you would have to do is tell the seller that you want to make sure they aren't bent, and that you want to make sure they check out. After agreeing on a price, have him meet you at the closest tire place to do the exchange.

 

[Muadib]

DP