greyjhu

I went to Merchant's Tire (part of Tire Kingdom chain), and noticed that they are offering a 40,000 mile treadwear warranty on the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S!!! Needless to say, I wanted to learn more. They told me that as long as I rotate the tires, have alignments, and keep tire pressure inflated to propper levels, the warranty will be maintained.


Question: My camber in the rear is off by -1.6 left and -1.4 right. Will a camber kit (i.e. SPC #67090) correct my rear camber so that I would have "0" alignment issues, and would not risk voiding the warranty stated below?? I believe my front alignment is acceptable, 0 or something very very close. I called SPC, and they said that their camber kit would return my car to manufacturer specs. Is this true?? My dealer told me that once the geometry of the springs changes, the alignment may never be "true," but with a camber kit can it return to oem alignment??


No where on the "Limited Mileage Warranty" does it state that the warranty will be voided if aftermarket parts are used, but it does state the following:

"Merchant's will check alignment, treadwear, tire presssure and the mechanical condition of the vehicle anytime at no charge at any Merchant's location." And "It is your obligation to see that your tire/wheel assemblies are in balance and properly aligned, that your tires are operated at vehicle manufacturer recommended cool inflation pressure and that your vehicle is well maintained."

"Tires with premature or irregular wear or damage due to improper inflation, misalignment of wheels, mechanical defects of vehicle or tires on vehicle where necessary vehicle repair or maintenance has not been performed."

Under "Other General Warranty Terms and Conditions":
"Proper tire care and vehicle maintainence are necessary to obtain maximum tredwear and service froma tire. It is your obligation to properly maintain your tires and the vehicle upon which they are installed including:
1) operating your tires at the manufacturers recommended cool inflation pressures
2) insuring your tire and wheel assemblies are in balance
3) tires rotated on a regular basis (every 6,000 miles)
4) vehicle in proper wheel alignment
5) vehicle steering, suspension, and driveline components are well maintained"


Merchant's Tire normally sells the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 235/45/17 tires for $187.99, or $213 each w/ install and balance. But like this upcoming weekend, they have 15% off sales for Michelin and BFGoodrich tires, making the price only $159 each!!

I was concidering the Bridgestone Turanza LS-Zs (40,000 mile treadwear) for about $220 each, but heard that there was a "flat spot" problem in cold weather, which I don't want to experience.

Comments and thoughts are appreciated. I think the only solution to prevent voiding the warranty would be to get a rear camber kit.

By the way, this warranty is a Merchant's Tire warranty, and is not a Michelin warranty.

Marine1

I put 40,000 miles on a set of 222/50/17 Pilot Sport A/S. I could have easily gotten another 10,000 miles on them. 85% of my driving is highway driving. This does make a difference. I rotated my tires every 5,000 miles.

These are very good tires. I had to replace one once because of a nail in the sidewall. It took 7 weeks to get a replacement through NTB. Other than price, that was the only negative.

riceburner503

I think you should go with the pilot sports and get a camber kit to fix that negative camber.

greyjhu

Anyone? Will a camber kit give my car a "perfect" alignment?? Anyone have experiences w/ treadwear warranties, CT springs, or camber issues?

riceburner503

I thought with the ct springs there would be no camber issues.

greyjhu

With CT springs, the front suspension usually has no camber problems, but the rear usually does run a degree or so off.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Actually, that's not entirely true. If you're using the Comptech kit and you need a camber kit for the rear then you are in the minority. I'd say of all of the people on here who have lowered their cars with Comptech, 98% of them do NOT need a camber. If it was H&R, Eibach or Neuspeed... then that would be a different story. Also keep in mind that tires and rim offsets can play a part if you need a camber kit.

As for the issue at hand.... the camber kit should allow the shop to get your car back to spec.... I mean, that's what camber kits are for . As for the warranty, you should do is talk directly to the store, preferably the manager at the place you're looking to buy the tires from and see what they say. You'll get tons of opinions on here, but only that shop can answer you since, in the end, it's their decision to replace the tire or not should a problem arise.

greyjhu

Word, thanks Juniorbean!

You won't believe it. I was at Costco in Beltsville, and one of the guys I know was showing me his new 19" Giovanni (spell right?) on his 1st Gen, and I was showing him my new CT drop....

until he noticed a huge fist size bulge on the side of one of my front tires!!! I checked after hitting a huge pothole a couple days ago, but it blew up big....

Looks like I may consider putting these Pilot A/Ss on this weekend .