Toyo Tires and Warranty - Page 3

pjpvi · 06-03-2008, 10:51 PM

TwoLost -

I got mine installed as well and noticed all the same characteristics you mention. In particular, I noticed the very mild wandering on the freeway that I never had before (along with a very mild pull to the right).

They certainly are a lot more stout and give the van a different look. I feel a lot more confident driving on them than the set they replaced.

Have fun in Alaska. We are at 10 days and counting until we leave.

Phil

charlie56 · 06-03-2008, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjpvi

They have never brought up spacers as an issue and I certainly haven't offered it up as a topic.

Regarding SMB Spacers and Discount Tire.

After four months my American Eagle 186 powder coated wheels are showing signs of cracking. (It was SMB West who actually found the cracks.) SMB sent me to the Clovis Discount Tire store to have them replaced. The store didn't have a style I wanted so they drop shipped new wheels to the Santa Rosa Store where I could get them installed where I live. On install day I purposely brought up the issue of spacers with the local store manager before they started work. He said right away, that there is a corporate policy against wheel spacers and he could not make the swap. I asked how that could be when the Clovis store was all set to make the swap. He said he would call Clovis and get back to me. A few days later I talked to Jay, the manager of the Clovis store who had just had a meeting with SMB West. He said that the no-spacer policy does not include OEM spacers that are physically bolted to the hub. They (Discount Tire) consider the spacers on SMB to be OEM wheel adapters and have no problem working with them. I asked if I was stuck in Yuma with a bent wheel, would that store have the same understanding. He said to make sure to tell them the adapters are an OEM product and if they have any problem with that to give him a call. I called the Santa Rosa store, made an appointment and they swapped out the wheels. Of course when I picked the van up they had installed the wrong style wheels, but that is another story.

Greg In Austin · 06-04-2008, 07:19 AM

Charlie,

How many miles had you put on your wheels in those 4 months?

...so I can start watching for problems also...

.

charlie56 · 06-04-2008, 08:41 AM

The milage was at just over 5,000. The cracks were hairline. Where I saw them was inside the lug nut holes. I was able to feel them more than see them.

sdwindansea · 06-04-2008, 08:44 AM

Wow Charlie, I can't believe they would start to show stress cracks so early on. Are these the wheels that SMB recommended/installed? Do you know what their weight ratings are? What size wheels/tires are you running? Finally, are they covered by any kind of warranty?

Sorry for all of the questions, but I'm still researching new tires/wheels for our SMB. Glad to hear you were able to get things worked out with Discount Tire.

charlie56 · 06-04-2008, 08:54 AM

These were the wheels in the SMB wheel & tire package. Eagle 186 x 17" diameter. They were powder-coated black post manufacturer. Load range is 3,420#. The tires are BFG LT315-70-17-D. The wheels are covered by the SMB Warranty.

Greg In Austin · 06-04-2008, 08:54 AM

Charlie,

I think you have the same teflon coated wheels that I do. Could the cracks be in the teflon coating and not the structure itself?

Either way it needs to be fixed, one is a bit less worrisome than the other.

.

charlie56 · 06-04-2008, 02:47 PM

Mine were not teflon coated. If I have this correct, SMB bought polished wheels from Discount Tire, then had a 3rd party powder coat them. The cracking was in the alloy not just the coating. The cracking was radial in nature not concentric. I was told if it was concentric then they would have been immediately unsafe to drive, but since it was radial cracking there was no danger of the wheels actually spinning off the hubs. Thankfully this was the case as I had a 2,000 mile trip starting the day after they found the problem. I had no new SMB problems on the trip!!!

Note that no crack is good, but these are really tiny. No way would I have noticed them if SMB hadn't pointed them out to me. I had a friend tell me that when he was in the Reserves they used to check for cracked helicopter rotor blades by spraying them with a liquid that would fluoresce under a black light.

I don't want to start rumors, pass along incorrect information, get people worried for no reason, or make less of this than it is, but I believe SMBW is on top of the situation and will be working out an inspection procedure very soon for those with the same wheels.

Skywagon · 06-04-2008, 06:34 PM

I just ordered an '08 SMB and they will no longer mount those Eagle wheels. Apparently, the heat from the powder coating process is causing the rims to crack as you indicated. SMB has even taken all those rims off the Qatar vans and replaced them with substitutes. When I was at SMB a week ago to order my van, they indicated that they were looking for equivalent rims (appearance-wise), but without the problem.
It's a bummer, because I really like the look of those Eagle rims, and really DON"T like the looks of the fake bead-lock rims that they are using as replacements.
Maybe one could just use the old style and instead of powder coating them, one could bead blast them and simply paint them
Bill