[Giveen]

I couldnt really afford to buy 4 brand new tires, so I figured I would buy just two and have them installed on the front (after all Foci are FWD). Went to walmart, told them I want them installed on the front only. They said okay.
i come back 4 hours later, and was told, that they didnt do it because Walmart's policy is to ONLY install on rear if there are just two tired then cycle the back two the front. But my back two tires are too low on tread, so they didnt do it.

So now, rather than having at least two good tires on, I have my nearly bald tires on, and cant afford the other two tires till late July

 

[OmniFocus]

Just swap the back two to the front yourself and go back.

...or bring them the wheels off the car, in which case the policies don't apply.

 

[jinstall]

Did you look online?

 

[o2_designs]

Yeah, take the fronts off and do carry in. Their policy applies to installing the tires to the car, not to the wheels.

 

[Egz]

Its better to put the better tires in the rear anyways. Safer that way.

 

[HuTcH]

uhh I COMPLETELY disagree with rear tires being safer

in brakign all the force goes to the front tires
Steering is mostly force on the front tires

and oh yeah it's front wheel drive so the drive wheels are front tires...

 

[poondobber]

Dont go to Walmart. Seriously. The turnover of Walmart employees is too short for most of them to even finish training. We took a car there once and ended up with horrible balance issues. When we took it somewhere else to have the tires re-balanced the studs came off with the wheels.

 

[2xtremefocus]

That is the stupidest policy I've ever heard of.

I work for a company-owned Goodyear shop in Ann Arbor, MI. We don't have a policy like that. We'll put the tires wherever the customer wants them.

Wal-Mart Tire work = GARBAGE

I had a friend get some tires there on his Taurus, and I did brakes on the car for him. I pulled the tires off, and there were at least 4 wheel weights on the inside lip of the front wheels, all in different locations. This is 100% the WRONG way to balance tires. It' called chasing weight. It will never give you a proper balance whatsoever. WalMart is notorious for this type of horrible tire work.

 

[TJs98GT]

we have the same policy in our company, just started about 6 months ago after a few lawsuits endured with michelin bridgestone and firestone.

the reason being is oversteer, if your driving the car in slick conditions with bald or less grippy tires on the rear the car is more likely to slide the ass end around. it would be better on the front because you have more grip with the front tires because of the weight of the engine and the control of the steering.

its all about hydroplaning resistance more or less. this policy will become more widespread as time goes on.

 

[OmniFocus]

I've heard of that policy many times... it doesn't surprise me.

Too many tire companies have been sued for oversteer hydroplaning by idiot customers who are a) too cheap to have proper tires and b) can't drive.

In the ideal world, the tire companies will do what we tell them to and we accept all risk/liability on our own.

In the REAL world, people are a bunch of sue-happy morons that end up making things complicated for the rest of us.

 

[TJs98GT]

exactly, it sucks, it makes it a pain in the ass and difficult for both sides. its all about covering your own butt though

 

[Giveen]

So if I take the tires off OR go to like a les schwab you think they would do it?

 

[HuTcH]

me personally I always go to the little shops they always take care of me and are generally cheaper than the big chains.

 

[Giveen]

me personally I always go to the little shops they always take care of me and are generally cheaper than the big chains.

walmart is $3.50 a tire, which is why i went to them in the first place.:dunno:

 

[o2_designs]

nothing against the employees of most TLE's at WalMart. But usually the equipment given is not always inspected, and the policies they have to follow are obsurd. Its the company covering their butt.

But I agree, if you got a good deal on the tires, buy the tires and have them mounted somewhere else, or take the wheels in(carry in) and have them mounted then put them on the car yourself.

 

[sleeperlove]

walmart is $3.50 a tire, which is why i went to them in the first place.:dunno:

Thats an absurdly low price. I pay 15 a tire around here and am extremely happy with that.

But call around and ask places if they will mount tires to wheels if you didn't buy the tires from them.

 

[MichaelXi]

Just take the front rims to a different WalMart. Or maybe even the same one if you don't have one every 10 miles like around here...
You DO have a jack, jackstands, and Lug-wrench.... Right?
:dunno:

 

[Honkeytonk Monkey]

I take my Contour to a local place that sells used tires. They swapped my winter wheels for my summer wheels for nothing, I pulled into the bay, he asked what I needed then did it. When he's done he just told me not to worry about it it was a simple job. Been buying my tires from them ever since. I can get 4 brand name 90% or more tread life P215/30R18 tires from them for under $200. The only problem is thier stock is dependant on wrecked cars since they back onto a junkyard. I give them a call every couple weeks to see if anyone wrecked something with 18s :lol:

No matter how goo a deal Wal-Mart has, I would recommend not taking a car to them for any work, especially considering thier history of forgetting to torque lugs on the cars they let out. I halped manage a Wal-Mart for almost 5 years and the ammount of customers that came back with massive shakinung issues was ridiculous.

 

[Bparks717]

Thats why you dont go to walmart!!!!!!!:bang:

They will actually report you if your tires are to balled.:rant:
My friend went there to do the exact same thing as you. and once again they wouldnt do it.
But on top of that they were going to tow his car because they reported it as "not road legal". So he had to dish out like 300$ to get them all replaced.:thumbdown

I say we all burn down our local walmart:rock:

 

[kbetts]

You can't ding Walmart for this. They'll get sued if they put them on the front when you hydroplane the rears and end up doing 360*s down the highway.... happened to my dad after he retired the fronts.

Bottom line.... blame the lawyers, not Walmart.