Firestone Destination LE's and 70 MPH...

[justrfb]

Hello All,
I am not quite sure where to put this thread so if it belongs some where else, let me know... Our '06 Pilot tires were bologna skins so we went to the local STS and got ourselves some Firestone Destination LE's. I read here and elsewhere that most people were satisfied to very satisfied with their Destinations so I was feeling OK about the $620.00 we were about to spend. We got the car back, tires look good, everything seems fine until we went onto the highway... 70 MPH we felt and heard a constant and continuous "bmp"... Not quite a thump or bump but a bmp... The Pilot drove perfectly fine at any speed with the bologna skins and you could and can take your hands off the wheel til you have to turn so the car is fine, I told the person this when we initially went for the tires too. We dropped it off the next day to fix it and they gave it back and said there were a few rocks stuck in the tread... Well last night we went onto the highway again and same thing! We called immediately and they said, "bring it in again, we will check it out..." Third time it is going in to be fixed! What would you say or do? Thank you.

[N_Jay]

You could have got them from tirerack for about $460 and about $100 or so to install.

Sounds like you have a bad tire or a bad balancing job.

I have not bought Firstones since about forever.

[colorider]

Moved to "Tires and Wheels"

Not much help to you - but I had the Firestone LE's on my CR-V and had good luck with them, although they were a bit noisey. Sounds like perhaps a defective tire - perhaps they can isolate it by rotating the tires and see if they can detect which one is bad.

Good luck!

[rocky]

They've taken you once, and therefore I suggest you be extremely cautious of them.

Have them rebalence every tire and watch them. Sometimes the shop monkeys can do a decent job.....

[justrfb]

Great news!! Mark, from my local STS, called first thing this morning and told me they rebalanced, rotated and even checked the alignment... He said the vibration is still there. He said he is going to swap out my Destinations for Grabbers, no cost. He called a few minutes ago and said we are good to go! Amazing. I told him how appreciative we are and thank you. He said he took our Pilot up to 75 MPH, smooth as butter. My wife is on her way to get the car. Way to go Mark at STS in Stanhope, NJ!!! Thank you too for your answers...

[N_Jay]

I remember a few threads about vibration at 70 MPH early on.

Just as our pilots are sensitive to tire noise, they (or some of them) may be more sensitive than most to tire balance and/or roundness.

[humanoid]

I had balance problems when I got my new tires from JustTires. Balanced them 2x and it still had the dreaded 65-70 MPH vibes. Did some research and decided to get them balanced at a America's Tire Center where they used a Hunter Balancing Machine, solved the problem the first time I was there.

[armpilot]

Originally Posted by justrfb

Great news!! Mark, from my local STS, called first thing this morning and told me they rebalanced, rotated and even checked the alignment... He said the vibration is still there. He said he is going to swap out my Destinations for Grabbers, no cost. He called a few minutes ago and said we are good to go! Amazing. I told him how appreciative we are and thank you. He said he took our Pilot up to 75 MPH, smooth as butter. My wife is on her way to get the car. Way to go Mark at STS in Stanhope, NJ!!! Thank you too for your answers...

Here is a good example of dealing with a brick n mortar store that can provide the service, and back you up, cause they sold you the tires. How much more of a pain in the ass would this situation have been if you saved the $100 and bought them at tire rack. I'm not against saving dough, just gotta be smart about it.

BTW, glad to hear you got rid of the firestones, they suck ( worst than Goodyears).

[N_Jay]

Looks like those tires have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee

Treadlife Warranty: 5 Years / 60,000 Miles (P-metric & euro metric)
Excludes LT Tires
Uniformity Warranty: First 1/32" of wear
Workmanship & Materials Warranty: 5 Years / Free replacement first 3 years, then prorated until 2/32" remaining depth
Manufacturer's Road Hazard Warranty: None
Manufacturer Warranty Brochure: Download PDF
Manufacturer Special Warranty: 30 Day Buy & Try Guarantee(1)
Additional Information: (1)full refund or exchange
Overall Tire Warranty Rating*:

[rocky]

Originally Posted by N_Jay

I remember a few threads about vibration at 70 MPH early on.

Just as our pilots are sensitive to tire noise, they (or some of them) may be more sensitive than most to tire balance and/or roundness.

Which reminds me, I need to get my tires rebalanced before I head to SC next month.
Yup I have the 70plus wobble.

[NJGuy]

Originally Posted by justrfb

Great news!! Mark, from my local STS, called first thing this morning and told me they rebalanced, rotated and even checked the alignment... He said the vibration is still there. He said he is going to swap out my Destinations for Grabbers, no cost. He called a few minutes ago and said we are good to go! Amazing. I told him how appreciative we are and thank you. He said he took our Pilot up to 75 MPH, smooth as butter. My wife is on her way to get the car. Way to go Mark at STS in Stanhope, NJ!!! Thank you too for your answers...

Good to hear that your local shop came up with a good solution for you. I used to go the tirerack route when purchasing tires, but I now prefer to go to a local shop in case I have any issues. That way it is a bit easier to have them taken care of if they arise. However, tirerack still serves as a useful research tool for me.

I didn't know you were in Northern NJ. Although I don't think STS is a bad place to shop for tires, I've found two tire shops that would likely beat their prices. One place is in Andover, but I haven't bought tires from them; so I can't comment on their service. The other place is in Randolph, and I came across them by chance. The tires at this place actually end up being cheaper than tirerack pricing + shipping, and I've been pretty happy with their service. I also used to go to ETD for their price and service, but they are a bit further away in Denville.

Anyway, please keep us updated on how the Grabbers handle the hills and weather of Northern NJ.

[colorider]

Originally Posted by armpilot

Here is a good example of dealing with a brick n mortar store that can provide the service, and back you up, cause they sold you the tires. How much more of a pain in the ass would this situation have been if you saved the $100 and bought them at tire rack. I'm not against saving dough, just gotta be smart about it.

Although I have purchased tires (successfully) from TireRack once, I have used them numerous times for comparison pricing when buying my tires locally. Most decent tires shops will price match.