tr6nut

Ultimately it's a balance of expertise vs price. Would you really want to save $40 and have Gorilla Joe trash your wheels and do a half-a**ed job of balancing?

ffk_pennywise

Well its not like the guys at the big chains have some sort of college degree in tire changing. lol. I stood over the guys shoulder the entire time and made sure they werent scratched. I'm not saying to drop your wheels off at gomer pyles house and leave them, but to find a respectable mom and pop shop like I did. My shop does a lot of big custom truck stuff and know how to handle wheels.

candymanjl

the shop I go to only sells wheels and tires, nothing else. that's all they do all day every day. their guys know not to damage the wheels and are very conscience about it since that's all they do.

last time I was there on one side of my car was a lamborghini gallardo and on the other a brand new BMW M5. I know they're taking care of my stuff when I'm around those cars plus celebrities and a lot of Miami Dolphins players shop there so they don't want a bad rep of messing up wheels. it's worth the $20 (at most) extra I spend going there to get stuff mounted and balanced.

tr6nut

No, its more like; What kind of equipment do they have?; What kind of cars do they service?; What kind of reviews do they get (on places like tirerack.com)? If someplace has modern "touch free" equipment for mounting/dismounting, I'm gonna give them the nod over they guys who are using the same equipment they had when steel wheels were the norm. If a place has dynamic balancing equipment, they're gonna get the nod over static balancing. If they cater to the custom and race car customer, I'm gonna go to them over the store that caters to the soccermom minivan crowd because I know they are familiar with handling wide alloy wheels and low-profile tires. If I see that a place gets bad reviews on tirerack.com, I'm gonna steer clear of them.

I just don't understand how folks can drop big bills on tires and wheels, then be perfectly happy with trusting them to some guy who looks like he was in the cast of The Hills Have Eyes just because he's $10 or $15 cheaper per wheel to do the job (and then whine like a little girl when the job's not done right).

Deadbeat

Finally got them installed today and couldn't be any happier. I didn't really notice a difference in handeling because of the break in period (500 miles, recommended). BUT, I do love the way they look.

She's a little dirty right now, but I thought I'd snap some quick shots before I wash her tomorrow and take her out for a spin:







You could bet in near future I'll start doing some performance mods(CIA/Tune, 4.10s, lsd, pulley). I've been looking forward to performance mods so I can't wait.

Edit: $20 a tire including balancing and sensor transplants.

tr6nut

Looks good. Now get it lowered.

howarmat

yes please! it sits higher than my truck!

mustang lover 73

In my town I got charged 25 per tire but, that is the top you should pay.

Deadbeat

Lol, I would have lowered her ages ago, believe me. But I can't part ways with her chin. She scrapes enough as it is. I wanted to get the 15's from brenspeed and hopefully eliminate the wheel gap, but it's a little too pricey for me at the moment.

candymanjl

looks good, I like the white lettering on the tires, like a race car