I purchased a set of 4 sumitomo HTR+'s from tirerack.com about 3 weeks ago and have been having problems with them. They are stock size 215/50/17 and on my stock rims.

I got all 4 installed and balanced along with an alignment. When I first took it on the road and got up to 65 I noticed moderate vibrations in the steering wheel that would come and go every minute or so.

I took the car back the next day to have the tires rebalanced and initiallyI thought everything was fixed.

The more I continue to drive it the more I notice vibrations and a ride that is in general more bumpy then on the old stock tires. I also definitely still have a issue that is reproducable at around 70+ MPH where the steering wheel vibrates. It isn't quite as bad as before but the problem is still there.

So I read about these tires for a while on this forum and I see most people have had great results. However I have come across a post or two about people complaining how these tires are a bitch to balance (don't know why that would be -- but that seems like the problem I am having). Also I read one post saying they found one of their Sumitomo's was "out of round".

My question to you all is how should I proceed? I am 90% confident there is still a problem and it seems like the tires would be the only likely cause. Should I go back to the same shop again and have them check the balance for a 3rd time? Should I take the car to another shop and eat the cost for them to look at it?

How would I find out if one of the tires is "out of round"?

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

beestea, what's up...I've got sumitomo htr+'s also. 235.55R16 though...Never had a problem at all with them. They ride great, and have a warranty, which my S0-3's didn't have...I'd contact TireRack and discuss the issue with them. Like I said, I've never had a problem with them at all, first and only time they've been balanced was perfect. Call TireRack, they may swap them out with you provided you haven't put a kajillion miles on them...

(btw, I got 7,000 miles out of the Pole Position S0-3's. I highly suggest either I change my driving habits...wait, I'm talking to myself again...)

 

I have 225 r17 on my car. no problems at all...

 

Bring your car to a diff. place and have it rebalanced. The place where they balanced your tires might have "issues".

 

Aha, you found somebody to listen to yourself.. I agree, try to get TireRack involved. They make us go through the hoops to get tires from them (correct size, weight/speed ratings). I have to think that most likely the place that is doing the balance is not doing it correctly, or they have a bad piece of equipment. Then again it is possible there is a defect in "one" of the tires, buy doing a couple of tire rotations you could determine which tire is not working properly.. YMMV

 

I have the same tires, and there is a difference in the way they "feel" as oppossed to the stock tires. The softer rubber, the wider grooves, and the ultra high performace design that makes it stick better, also makes it a little "rougher" riding, not as smooth at highway speeds as the highway tread we used to have.

If your shop followed the instructions and mounted the yellow circle near the valve as the tech bulletin states, you are probably in balance and just need to adjust pressures to get the feel you are looking for. After the first day at 32psi all around, I was ready to pull them off. Then I played with the pressure. After a week of experimenting, I found that 35 front (cold) and 32 rear (cold) made all the difference for me. That 65mph "vibration" disappeared. Remember, our car is heavy and these are not the same load rating as OEM and need more air to keep centrifical force from distorting them at higher speeds. Try 35-36 in the front and I think you'll be happier.

http://www.sumitomotire.com/technicalBulletin.pdf

 

Well I just took a look to see if the yellow dots were lined up with the valve stem and unfortunately I couldn't find yellow dots on 3 of the tires. The one I did find it on was within 3 inches of the valve stem so I guess thats a good sign.


I suppose I will play with the air pressure a little and then if that doesn't work take it to another shop (probably the dealer) to have them rebalance.


Thanks for all the tips!

 

235/45/17 40PSI front/ 36PSI rear and no problems. You probably have a bad tire.