Where are people getting new Michelins with WWs?

[Dan Szwarc]

No. The idiots at discount tire could not get it off. Simple green, mineral spirits, bleche white, would not get it off.

Eventually they did get it off. They had to use a heat gun.

[Gerald F. Chase]

I guess that I'm getting old. I had thought that "flat spots" in tires went away with the old nylon bias-plys.

Having a second set of tires....seems like a big hassle...and additional expense. The alternative of jacking the car up for the Winter (to take the weight off the tires) is a hassle, too. It depends of which method and whether it's worth the time & effort, I guess.

One of my strongest pet gripes is . . . we can put a man on the moon.....but why is tire imbalance and related problems causing undesirable vibrations...still a problem...here in the 21st century?

Finally, how common is it for stock, OEM wheels to be out-of-balance....even ones seldom stressed, etc.? A friend, a known Chrysler 300 letter-car mechanic, balanced his stock wheels BEFORE mounting his tires. That
seems to be the best way to go, in my book. It may well be nigh-unto-impossible to balance a mounted tire on a wheel that is not 'true', maybe slightly 'bent', or out-of-balance....for some oddball reason.

[Dan Szwarc]

When grease monkeys are doing the balancing for just above minimum wage, what do you expect?

They are just trying to push the customers through. There is no thought, no engineering, no problem solving, nothing involved when you have them put slightly imperfect tires on an imperfect rim. I'm not surprised at all.

If you want precision, you've got to pay for it. You're not going to get that at Discount Tire. You'll get that at a performance specialist. And it costs 2-3 times as much.

[CaptainDave]

Gerald, what do you think of those "flatstopper" tire chocks? http://www.raceramps.com/flatstoppers.aspx

[Dan Szwarc]

If you don't want flat spots, pump the tires up to the maximum PSI indicated on the sidewall for storage (usually 42-45 PSI).

[Gerald F. Chase]

Captain Dave, The item you mentioned, "flatstoppers" tire chocks, are new to me. It seems like a good concept. But ultimately, whether they provide what an owner wants.. could only be judged by someone who has tried them, along with determining whether they're worth the cost.

I tend to agree with Dan's advice: pumping up the air pressure... up to the max stated on the tire sidewall.

[malibu9in]

I didn't take the time to go through the whole thread. It may have already been mentioned. But I have a brand new set of hancooks on my Lincoln with the thin white wall. I took them to Houston and had 1 and a half white walls cut in. Cost $100. Looks great. The man told me he gets better results cutting in when it's a white letter raised tire. So for the guys wanting michelins, maybe buy them with white letters, have them cut in the white walls?? I love mine. Only if they still made westleys bleach white.

[JimLinc62]

Only if they still made westleys bleach white.

Does that mean you think they don't make it anymore? If you can't find it locally, Amazon has it: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywor ... f13vh8mu_p

[malibu9in]

That's not westleys

[JimLinc62]

That's not westleys

You are absolutely right! Looks like Black Magic bought Westley's, evidently changed the formula, but kept a very similar looking label which, giving it a quick glance, fooled me.

Black Magic Ruined Westley's Bleche-Wite Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-3pTVbgE-g

Good to know - thanks.

[78_towncar_460]

I used to use bleche white, but it sort of made the black part of the sidewall look weird. Simple Green or really any sort of soap and a light brillow pad or whatever those green sponge things are called do just fine.

[jon schapiro]

I guess i can now refer to this as NOS! Blue Coral used to make the stuff.

[malibu9in]

Would you sell me one of the bottles? I understand if you don't wanna.

[Dan Szwarc]

Bump, baby. Bump.

[TonyC]

Discount Tire gave you grief, Dan? I'm sorry to hear that. I never had a problem with them, whether I used them in Texas or Ohio--in fact, they were the only tire shop that knew what I needed when I told them, and they did it with little to no issue. They even were able to get nearly all the blue shipping paint off. And, I didn't even have to wait that long for them to get Frankenstein in. I had learned to trust them above all other places.

Really sorry they didn't treat you well.

---Tony