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Home > Jeep Articles > General - Product Reviews > Leaving it to the Pro's, Discount Tire |
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Leaving it to the Pro's, Discount TireArticle written by Carl "Silverback" SchaibleDate Added: 11/09/2008 Like tires, tire companies come in all types and sizes. One; however, stands out among all the rest; and that is Discount Tire. |
 When we approached Discount Tire about new tires and wheels for the Beast, we informed them that it was a daily driver, trail runner, weekend rockcrawler, better than average tread life, and we want you to walk our readers through a proper tire installation.. Discount Tire set us up with a a set of 35" Cooper Discoverer Radial STTs and a set of 17" Liquid Metal Rhinos, only available from Discount Tire by the way. Follow along, we learned a few things that all new vehicle owners with air pressure monitoring systems NEED to know.
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With our seriously inadequate stock tires tossed to the side the crew prepped the JK for the receipt of the new wheels. These factory installed clips keep everything thing together on the assembly line and need to be removed. |
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Discount Tire explained assembly line wheels come with insets around the lug holes; something after market wheels do not have. |
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If they were to leave these clips on, the wheels will not mount flush to the rotor, causing wobble, and possible damage to the rotor and other components of the JK. Caution: IMPORTANT EDUCATIONAL STUFF TO FOLLOW!
Our JK, and most new vehicles for that matter, now use some variance of a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System). When installed from the factory on a vehicle, it is a Federal Offense to remove or tamper with the TPMS system in any way. Make sure that whoever does the tire and wheel replacement orders a TPMS rebuild kit for you as part of the installation as they are critical to the proper functioning of your new tires. We won't go into the rebuild of the TPMS but know that it must be rebuilt each time tires are removed from the wheel. |
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Caution: MORE EDUCATIONAL STUFF!
The valve caps used with a TPMS are not the any old valve caps. The valve caps contain an o-ring to keep contaminants out of the not so cheap monitoring system contained within your wheels. Without this special valve cap the life of your TPMS system will be severely shortened. |
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***Due to the fact by we're required by federal law to have the TPMS (must be checked if you local area has safety inspections) system functioning, and the system is not cheap to replace, MOABJEEPER Magazine highly recommends getting a few extra valve stem caps and taping them to the inside of your glovebox. Not having one of these on your wheels valve stem could result in a fairly costly repair*** |
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With the TPMS rebuilt and installed on our new wheels the tire installation is pretty normal but attention needs to be paid to where the tire is started on the wheel. Shown in our picture, the bead must be started opposite of the valve stem and TPMS components or it could be damaged. |
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Once the tires are mounted, Shawn pointed out that for safety Discount Tire puts all tires into a cage for airing up. While Shawn has never seen a tire blow out, it certainly is a possibility and could cause a lot of injuries. Additionally, Discount Tire wants to ensure a proper bead seat on your new wheel so they slightly overinflate the wheel and then bring the tire back down to standard pressure, something us shadetree mechanics likely never thought of! |
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When balancing the tires, from personal experience, I have seen anywhere from five to ten ounces of weight used to get a large tire and wheel combination balanced properly. The guys at Discount Tire managed to get this combination down to only needing around one and a quarter ounces of weight. The wheels were prepped and then the weights were installed and re-balanced, all five coming out to zero, which is a perfect reading. |
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Here is where the service and attention to detail at Discount Tire really shined for me. After taking the time to go in greate detail about the Jeep JK and the subtle differences; I would have been perfectly happy had they mounted the wheels on the Beast in this condition. It is a Jeep after all, and shiny is not something I necessarily worry about. |
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At this point we were ready to roll out on our new meats, Shawn disagreed. He actually scrubbed not only the wheels, but the tires as well. He takes pride in his work and wants you to take pride in the product your ride is sporting. |
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 Final ThoughtsThe Discount Tire crew was professional and took pride in what they were doing. Nothing more needs to be said. | |||||||||||
Purchase / Vendor Info
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| Vendor Name: | Discount Tire (Layton, Utah) |
| Address: | 881 W Hill Field Rd Layton, UT 84041 |
| Phone: | (801) 544-0104 |
| E-Mail Address: | |
| Website: | www.discounttire.com/dtcs/home.do |
Our
Thank You's!
MOABJEEPER would like to thank Bryan, Shawn, and all the guys out at the Discount Tire in Layton, Utah. Without hesitation I would send my own Grandmother to you guys knowing you will take care of her.
