Hello, this is my first post so I will do my best to make this as "NON NOOB" AS I can. lol. anyways, I was reading evil_demon_01 thread on "Car safety checks" ( http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=128808 ) and saw he did something quick and good about tires. Well, I Work at costco as a Michelin certified tire sales men and installation technician. So I seen a few dumb things people can do to their tires! I love cb7tuner.com and love the community we have compared to some other car furom websites. I dont know if anybody has really mentioned or wrote up a thread about tires but there are sometings I want my cb7 freinds to be aware of about tires! 
Now before I get started, I thought I'd mention that costco only works on OEM tires. We dont sell custom rims like most tire dealers do like Discount Tires or NTB, but we do work on aftermarket tires on aftermarket rims. So I am not an expert about offsets or tire size recommendations for after market rims. personaly I go to www.bigwheels.net for recommendations. you can enter your vehicle year, make and model and it'll show you what they recomend for your car.
ANYWAYS back to what bugs me!!! I hate it when I check tire pressures and they're inflated to 40psi or 45psi when the vehicle only needs 30 psi or 35 psi. Or when a noob comes in wanting tires and they want us to inflate their tires to the tires max pressure. Or these people want to put a tire on that has a lower speed and/or load rating (UTQG)DO NOT INFLATE THE TIRE TO THEIR MAX PRESSURE UNLESS YOUR VEHILCE CALLS FOR IT OR INSTALL A TIRE THAT HAS A LOWER SPEED &/or LOAD RATING. and this is why:
The simple reason is that many people go to college and get there big degree as engineers. Alot of those people get jobs at Honda, GMC, Lexus...etc. These people are getting payed LOTS OF MONEY for what they do BEST and went to school for many years for!!! they'll design a car and take into consideration every fact about the car like engine performance, suspensions, braking and the weight of the vehicle. They take all these facts and figure out what type of tire to use. when they do so they make sure its going to be SAFE and reliable for the car and the user. They figure out what the tire pressure should be and how much the tire needs to hold. They do numerous test on these vehicles to make sure the vehicle performs at its best!!!!! And above all, the tires has alot to do with it considering its the only part of the car the touches the road!
REASONS not to inflate a tire to the tires max pressure or over is because when doing so your pushing the center of your tire outward more then the rest of the tire; therefore, causing the tire to wear more in the center of the tread. Also, this is very noticable to a tire specialist which can void warranties. Also, when you do inflate the tires max pressure, you are putting more strain onto the tires belts and plys, this can cause tire failure such as a blow out wheather on inpact of a pot whole or a curve, or even on the road. Most of the time you can find your vehicle recomendation tire inflation on you driver door sticker (it is on our cb's), or if not on your gas lid, glove compartment lid or in your vehicle manuel book.
I know alot of people say it helps save gas, NOT TRUE!!!!! If you inflating your tires to the max, your only bulging out the center of your tread VERY little, not enough to save mpg; your actually causing more damege to your pockets then anything else. Like I said before, it makes the tires life last SHORTER then the tires life expectancy, so your going to need new tires sooner than you would have if you had just inflated them to the vehicles recomandations; So really your not saving money at all!!!! Also, your risking a tire failure which is also risking damage to your car or people inside your car like friends and family...not worth it! The only way you can notice your mpg higher is if you buy aftermarket rims that have a way bigger diameter then the stock rim and tire...thats from the top of the tire to the bottom of the tire, not rim to rim. you can put 18's and still have the same wheel diameter as your stocks. Then one can argue that when installing big enough tires and rims, your adding weight to your performance, which makes your engine work harder to turn the wheels...leading to not only wasting money on rims and tires to save mpg, but you loose mpg...thats a loose/loose situation and should have your nuts slapped because thats the face expression you'll have when you realize your a noob.
ALSO, we need to be aware of speed and load ratings. here are our cb7's specs:
1990-1993 cb7's
ex,se, all wagons = 87(load rating), H (speed rating)
lx,dx = 87(load rating), S/T (Speed rating)
Load index range from 0 to 279 and indicates how much weight the tire is certified at maximum inflation pressure (can reduce the tire wieght carrying ratio if inflated over the tires max inflation) this is indicated before the speed rating on the tire size
speed ratings are in order from A(lowest) to Z(highest) with a few exception: the H rating is between U and V. Q is the lowest rating commonly used for passanger tires (usually snow tires) and is indicated after the load rating of the tires size
I know alot of us, including myself, buy custom rims for our cars. Alot of tire manufactures make alot of the tire sizes we want for our new rims for our cars. Well, not all tires, even if the size are the same, aren't build the same AT ALL!!!! make sure, whatever tire size you have, that the load & speed rating meets or exceeds our vehilces recomandations listed above.
These can be found after the size is listed on the tire...it'll say somehting like this...: 215/40ZR18 "89W" or 195/60R15 "87H"
Alot of times when we use a lower profile tire, it can be hard to meet these rating; But DO meet them!!!! This is one of the most important decisions when picking a tire for your vehicle. When the load & speed rating is dropped, it can effect your cars performance such as braking distance, turning capability and acceleration. Now I know I'm not the only one who likes to lay harder on the pedals then we should be, so it is important that we meet these specs, especially if were dropping turbos and suped up motors in our cb's! other wise we wont feel the cars capability on the road, and I know we all want to feel eveything!!!! Not only that, but you are again risking the vehicle and the people inside; If the tire can not hold up the vehicle, it can cause tire failure such as a blow out, and can damage the vehicle.
Ok, now alignment issues, like evil_demon_01 mentioned, check for alignment wears!!! This is very important aswell!!! THE POINT OF ALIGNMENT IS TO PREVENT TIRE WEAR!!!!. If alignment is bad, it can wear down one side of your tire down to the belts and cause a blow out in a matter of a few hunders miles or less!!!!! THIS is one of the most common blow outs I notice in the field!!!! Also, this voids warranties; I have members at costco agrue and get mad because they recently bought tires from us and they blow out due to poor maintenance, not our fault! If you hit a bad pot whole and mess up your alignment, it will eat your tire faster then a fat man eats a double meat cheese burger (DAMN I'M HUNGER NOW LOL). So please check your alignments regularly, I recommend to all my members I sell tires to to have your alignment checked AFTER you get new tires even if they were wearing fine.
One more thing before I let this rampage of tire information end...lol... BE SURE YOUR LUG NUTS ARE TORQUE TO THE VEHICLES MANUFACTURE SPECS!!!!! I know for alot of Hondas, including our cb7's, the torque specs are 70 foot pounds of torque. When lugs are not tightned properly, it can cause your brakes to warp, causing a pulsing in your brake pedal when applied. Also can cause your brakes to wear faster aswell, which means more money you didn't have to spend if you had gotten your lugs torque properly (a simple task) And of course, if not tightended enough, lugs can come off, and you know what that means. Also, if tightened too tight it can cause your lugs to seize or strip. AND dont say you dont have a torque wrench, harbor freight, northern tools or sears sells them...yeah they might be a little pricey, but if your taking of your wheels and doing work to your car, you should have the proper tools from begining to end of whatever your working on. If not you can go to discount, or ntb and ask if they can quickly check your lugs. I'm sure they wont charge...if so they suck! lol costco wont charge...especially if your a member.
Now I know for a fact alot of yaw are going to say alot of this is BULLCRAP!!! Alot of yaw are going to say "I have lower speed & load rating, inflated my tires to 100 psi, never gotten an alignment done and hand tightened my lugs and I am perfectly fine"...if so GOOD FOR YOU!!! I dont want to here any noobs saying this info is crap. I am just suggesting to do what is best for the car you love and spend so much money on. I do want to hear inputs, correct whatever I am wrong, just not "crap talk" about my info like saying all this is bullcrap. Like I said I am certified by mechilins certifcation tests for sales and installation and have been doing this for about 2 and 1/2 years now. ALSO I am so sorry of how long this is!!!! I said in the beginning that I wont try to "noob this thread up" and I hope the leight of this has not done so...if so I am sorry!!!
HOPE YOU ENJOY THE INFO
Now before I get started, I thought I'd mention that costco only works on OEM tires. We dont sell custom rims like most tire dealers do like Discount Tires or NTB, but we do work on aftermarket tires on aftermarket rims. So I am not an expert about offsets or tire size recommendations for after market rims. personaly I go to www.bigwheels.net for recommendations. you can enter your vehicle year, make and model and it'll show you what they recomend for your car.
ANYWAYS back to what bugs me!!! I hate it when I check tire pressures and they're inflated to 40psi or 45psi when the vehicle only needs 30 psi or 35 psi. Or when a noob comes in wanting tires and they want us to inflate their tires to the tires max pressure. Or these people want to put a tire on that has a lower speed and/or load rating (UTQG)DO NOT INFLATE THE TIRE TO THEIR MAX PRESSURE UNLESS YOUR VEHILCE CALLS FOR IT OR INSTALL A TIRE THAT HAS A LOWER SPEED &/or LOAD RATING. and this is why:
The simple reason is that many people go to college and get there big degree as engineers. Alot of those people get jobs at Honda, GMC, Lexus...etc. These people are getting payed LOTS OF MONEY for what they do BEST and went to school for many years for!!! they'll design a car and take into consideration every fact about the car like engine performance, suspensions, braking and the weight of the vehicle. They take all these facts and figure out what type of tire to use. when they do so they make sure its going to be SAFE and reliable for the car and the user. They figure out what the tire pressure should be and how much the tire needs to hold. They do numerous test on these vehicles to make sure the vehicle performs at its best!!!!! And above all, the tires has alot to do with it considering its the only part of the car the touches the road!
REASONS not to inflate a tire to the tires max pressure or over is because when doing so your pushing the center of your tire outward more then the rest of the tire; therefore, causing the tire to wear more in the center of the tread. Also, this is very noticable to a tire specialist which can void warranties. Also, when you do inflate the tires max pressure, you are putting more strain onto the tires belts and plys, this can cause tire failure such as a blow out wheather on inpact of a pot whole or a curve, or even on the road. Most of the time you can find your vehicle recomendation tire inflation on you driver door sticker (it is on our cb's), or if not on your gas lid, glove compartment lid or in your vehicle manuel book.
I know alot of people say it helps save gas, NOT TRUE!!!!! If you inflating your tires to the max, your only bulging out the center of your tread VERY little, not enough to save mpg; your actually causing more damege to your pockets then anything else. Like I said before, it makes the tires life last SHORTER then the tires life expectancy, so your going to need new tires sooner than you would have if you had just inflated them to the vehicles recomandations; So really your not saving money at all!!!! Also, your risking a tire failure which is also risking damage to your car or people inside your car like friends and family...not worth it! The only way you can notice your mpg higher is if you buy aftermarket rims that have a way bigger diameter then the stock rim and tire...thats from the top of the tire to the bottom of the tire, not rim to rim. you can put 18's and still have the same wheel diameter as your stocks. Then one can argue that when installing big enough tires and rims, your adding weight to your performance, which makes your engine work harder to turn the wheels...leading to not only wasting money on rims and tires to save mpg, but you loose mpg...thats a loose/loose situation and should have your nuts slapped because thats the face expression you'll have when you realize your a noob.
ALSO, we need to be aware of speed and load ratings. here are our cb7's specs:
1990-1993 cb7's
ex,se, all wagons = 87(load rating), H (speed rating)
lx,dx = 87(load rating), S/T (Speed rating)
Load index range from 0 to 279 and indicates how much weight the tire is certified at maximum inflation pressure (can reduce the tire wieght carrying ratio if inflated over the tires max inflation) this is indicated before the speed rating on the tire size
speed ratings are in order from A(lowest) to Z(highest) with a few exception: the H rating is between U and V. Q is the lowest rating commonly used for passanger tires (usually snow tires) and is indicated after the load rating of the tires size
I know alot of us, including myself, buy custom rims for our cars. Alot of tire manufactures make alot of the tire sizes we want for our new rims for our cars. Well, not all tires, even if the size are the same, aren't build the same AT ALL!!!! make sure, whatever tire size you have, that the load & speed rating meets or exceeds our vehilces recomandations listed above.
These can be found after the size is listed on the tire...it'll say somehting like this...: 215/40ZR18 "89W" or 195/60R15 "87H"
Alot of times when we use a lower profile tire, it can be hard to meet these rating; But DO meet them!!!! This is one of the most important decisions when picking a tire for your vehicle. When the load & speed rating is dropped, it can effect your cars performance such as braking distance, turning capability and acceleration. Now I know I'm not the only one who likes to lay harder on the pedals then we should be, so it is important that we meet these specs, especially if were dropping turbos and suped up motors in our cb's! other wise we wont feel the cars capability on the road, and I know we all want to feel eveything!!!! Not only that, but you are again risking the vehicle and the people inside; If the tire can not hold up the vehicle, it can cause tire failure such as a blow out, and can damage the vehicle.
Ok, now alignment issues, like evil_demon_01 mentioned, check for alignment wears!!! This is very important aswell!!! THE POINT OF ALIGNMENT IS TO PREVENT TIRE WEAR!!!!. If alignment is bad, it can wear down one side of your tire down to the belts and cause a blow out in a matter of a few hunders miles or less!!!!! THIS is one of the most common blow outs I notice in the field!!!! Also, this voids warranties; I have members at costco agrue and get mad because they recently bought tires from us and they blow out due to poor maintenance, not our fault! If you hit a bad pot whole and mess up your alignment, it will eat your tire faster then a fat man eats a double meat cheese burger (DAMN I'M HUNGER NOW LOL). So please check your alignments regularly, I recommend to all my members I sell tires to to have your alignment checked AFTER you get new tires even if they were wearing fine.
One more thing before I let this rampage of tire information end...lol... BE SURE YOUR LUG NUTS ARE TORQUE TO THE VEHICLES MANUFACTURE SPECS!!!!! I know for alot of Hondas, including our cb7's, the torque specs are 70 foot pounds of torque. When lugs are not tightned properly, it can cause your brakes to warp, causing a pulsing in your brake pedal when applied. Also can cause your brakes to wear faster aswell, which means more money you didn't have to spend if you had gotten your lugs torque properly (a simple task) And of course, if not tightended enough, lugs can come off, and you know what that means. Also, if tightened too tight it can cause your lugs to seize or strip. AND dont say you dont have a torque wrench, harbor freight, northern tools or sears sells them...yeah they might be a little pricey, but if your taking of your wheels and doing work to your car, you should have the proper tools from begining to end of whatever your working on. If not you can go to discount, or ntb and ask if they can quickly check your lugs. I'm sure they wont charge...if so they suck! lol costco wont charge...especially if your a member.
Now I know for a fact alot of yaw are going to say alot of this is BULLCRAP!!! Alot of yaw are going to say "I have lower speed & load rating, inflated my tires to 100 psi, never gotten an alignment done and hand tightened my lugs and I am perfectly fine"...if so GOOD FOR YOU!!! I dont want to here any noobs saying this info is crap. I am just suggesting to do what is best for the car you love and spend so much money on. I do want to hear inputs, correct whatever I am wrong, just not "crap talk" about my info like saying all this is bullcrap. Like I said I am certified by mechilins certifcation tests for sales and installation and have been doing this for about 2 and 1/2 years now. ALSO I am so sorry of how long this is!!!! I said in the beginning that I wont try to "noob this thread up" and I hope the leight of this has not done so...if so I am sorry!!!
HOPE YOU ENJOY THE INFO
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