Frustrating

[Bobkatt]

Got a 15 Big Horn and recently had same issue with one year old Goodyears. After going through the same mess that you did with all the rebalancing, got into a set of Michelin tires. Truck now runs quiet and smooth. Don't ever want to by another Goodyear tire for truck

 

[JoeCo]

Update- Firestone road force balanced and rotated the tires, finding the fronts that were balanced by the dealer were off by 2oz. Currently I have a random shake that at times happens at 45, 55, and feels like a cobblestone road. This thread has gone all over the place, so a recap;
Had SRAs with 26000 miles, rotated religiously and psi at 39 all around. Thin on both side of the tire. No shake or vibration.
Bought Alenza Plus , mount balance and alignment. Picked up truck, dealer installed wrong tires and truck pulled left. 3 1/2 hours
Dealer installed correct tires 3 days later and reluctantly corrected alignment, said they didn’t have time after I had been waiting 3 1/2 hours. Trucks shakes at 50-60
Dealer balanced back tires again, still shakes. 3 hours.
Dealer balanced again, truck still shakes 3 hours.
I contacted Bridgestone they said to replace. Dealer said they were not set up to warranty Bridgestone tires.
Firestone store replaced the rear tires, still shakes.
My frustration is with the dealer. All told I have spent over 13 hours waiting, 4 trips to dealer at 30 minutes each way, and at no time offered a loaner, and was even told I lived outside the range of their shuttle.
My truck is my transportation for work. I used to love the truck, but now I dread the thought of getting the current issue repaired, since I can no longer afford the time it takes to have the dealer take a stab at fixing it.
Most times I take the truck in for a repair, such as the ram thump, the 1st response I get is “that’s normal “. It took me 3 visits and a ride along with a tech to get them to admit it wasn’t normal. They did a software update that corrected the issue, but on the way out said don’t be surprised if it comes back, which it has 8000 miles after the update.
FCA should be all over these dealers to make sure they do exemplary warranty work, since that is what I paid for when I bought the truck. The dealer didn’t hand me the keys and say “best of luck in the service department, and make sure you have plenty of time to waste.

I think you should take the advice of many on here and stop screwing around at this dealer. I can't believe you'd still be trying to get tires through them, aside from the frustration, how would you even ever really trust them? I'm not saying to not fight the dealer to get a refund, but jeez man move on and get some tires from a tire shop and have the use of your truck.

I've never even heard of people buying tires from dealers, did you check around town for prices from actual tire places, or online? I can't imagine the dealer is competitive with them, so you could probably get a better tire for the same money. Either way, big picture, I would want to have my truck and would have lost any faith in that dealer I had and wouldn't trust them with something as important as tires, and just go to an actual tire place and move on with your life, and fight like hell with the dealer for a full refund.

Also hopefully this can forewarn some people, don't go to dealers for anything like this unless you need to (such as warranty claims)...

 

[RAMHON]

have a 2016 Laramie with air ride. Had the SRAs got 20K, replaced with Bridgestone Dueler Alenza Plus (80k tire) got terrible gas mileage and poor wear. Recently traded them in at 24k prorated warranty at Firestone for Destination LE2s and could not be happier. Quiet, comfortable and seems to have added 2mpg. My Firestone Complete Care dealer is the best - would never buy tires anywhere else.

 

[Jbp19classic]

Op, just out of curiosity, when you say the dealer installed the wrong tires at first what does that mean? Not the tires you asked for, or wrong size or something?

 

[Eds34pc]

The dealer installed Alenza not Alenza Plus.
The dealer was by far the cheapest around with the rebates FCA was offering.
Thankfully, The local Firestone store has been very accommodating trying to resolve the issue, at their expense even though I didn’t buy the tires from them.
I’m not sure how to find a competent dealer, since the one I am having all of the problems with has almost all 5 star reviews on Dealerater.

 

[Lee DeTro]

I would highly advice against using a dealership for tires.......That said I've had great service from independent tire shops, they are more likely to make sure everything is right. I moved to Prescott Valley, Az. in Dec 2016 and ended up have issues with newer Hercules tires and found a local Tire Pro shop. extremely happy with them. have purchased a set of tires for my Ram and wife's Chrysler 300C. Plus they replaced 2 Hercules tires under warranty that had been purchased in San Diego. The other Hercules dealers in the area told me that I had to go back where I bought them. I would talk to them about going somewhere else and getting tires taking the tires from the dealership and demanding your $$$$ back. If you weren't having the ride issue with the old tires if the dealership didn't screw something up ne w tires correctly mounted and ballenced should fix your issues.

 

[CBXer6]

Sorry to hear about your problems with your Goodyear tires. If your wearing the inside and the outside suggest low tire pressure. I always run 3 to 4 psi more than the factory recommended psi, and 5 or 6 psi over if I'm pulling my trailer. I get 50K plus with my Goodyear tires. In fact, I put the same tires back on. Your driving style must be a lot different than mine. As far a replacement tire, I'd go with the new B. F. Goodrich, or the Michelin or the newer Continental's.

 

[TomB 1269]

OP, you keep saying vibrations at 50 to 60. Does it smooth out above 70? If so that is clearly a tire balance issue. If it is intermittent, does it correspond with a good bump in the road or a moderate application of the brakes? Road bump, would suggest wheel bearing, tie rod, ball joint. Brake application would suggest hanging pad or caliper. If the vibration is coming from the rear and the tires are balancing up perfect, then it is possible you could have a driveshaft balance or rear wheel bearing issue, highly unlikely however.
As for your dealer, is there another nearby? I have had only limited interaction with dealers over the years, but for the most part I have found that it does not matter what dealer services your truck. The only benefit to using the dealer you purchased from is for the "unwritten" perks, but it sounds as if yours does not provide those perks, i.e. loaners, etc. So find a closer dealer, get to know your service rep and take your truck to them. Great service centers are not due in part to the dealer. They are solely due to the service centers manager. His attitude, outlook and take on customer service will influence his staff and therefore directly affect the quality of service you get. I like to take my cars back to the dealers for the small stuff, oil changes, etc. when they are new and still in warranty, as it helps me establish a rapport with them, and to also understand what their customer service ethics and attitudes are.

 

[Rijrnnr]

Might try playing with tire pressures. At least air is still free, kinda!

 

[18ram18]

NEVER ever get ANY work done at a dealer unless its warranty work. Then cross your fingers and hope they get it right the first time.

 

[lifesave]

I don't normally post but I live in Florida as well and feel the need.
Firstly one person said possible shock absorber. I agree
Secondly a wheel out of balance will go in and out of balance on roughly a 12mph increment ie bad 50. Ok 55ish bad again around 62. Bad again around 70 etc..

i run nitto nt41q tires on 22 inch rams great set up
Remember to at least put on light truck tires
Let me know where in Fla and I. Can suggest dealer or shop
DW

 

[Eds34pc]

Since I have no confidence in any of the work the dealer did associated with the tire mess including an alignment, I had an alignment done at Firestone today. I’m glad I did, and was not surprised to find that all aspects were way out of spec.
Currently, the truck rides pretty good, with just a hint of a shake at various speeds. I have considered a bad shock, but at 28,000 miles? Other than replacing , how can you tell if they’re bad?
I’m in the North Pinellas area, and will start to look for another dealer to do warranty work. Unfortunately, the passenger side power fold mirror is now sporadically not working. Add to that the Ram Thump(2nd time around), I guess I can look forward to more time at a dealership.

 

[Addicted2fishing]

Since I have no confidence in any of the work the dealer did associated with the tire mess including an alignment, I had an alignment done at Firestone today. I’m glad I did, and was not surprised to find that all aspects were way out of spec.
Currently, the truck rides pretty good, with just a hint of a shake at various speeds. I have considered a bad shock, but at 28,000 miles? Other than replacing , how can you tell if they’re bad?
I’m in the North Pinellas area, and will start to look for another dealer to do warranty work. Unfortunately, the passenger side power fold mirror is now sporadically not working. Add to that the Ram Thump(2nd time around), I guess I can look forward to more time at a dealership.

I had a shock blow at like 30,000 kilometres so don’t rule that out. If it’s downright blown looks for oil around or under the shock. Check where you park all the time and see if you have little oil stains.

I drive my truck fairly gingerly and the most off-roading I’ve done is a buddies gravel driveway so it was just a ****** shock. It’s possible


Tiped on ifone using Tapatalk and auto correct. Can’t you tell?

 

[slacadjuster]

I have a 17 1500 limited, which I used to like. Recently, I replaced the original Goodyear SRA’s with 27000 miles and wearing thin on both the inside and outside. The truck rode great with the Goodyear’s, but the wear was unacceptable considering they were rotated every 3000 miles and 39 psi at all times.
I replaced them with Bridgestone Alenza Plus through the dealer. When they installed the tires, they put on the wrong tires and the truck pulled to the left due to screwing up the alignment. 3 days after, they installed the correct tires and corrected the alignment, but the truck had a shake at 50 plus.
Today, after the dealer balanced the tires 3 times, and my local Firestone balanced and rotated them 3 times, the truck still shakes at 50 plus.
I have little to no confidence in the dealers ability to correct the problem, and they basically stopped returning my communications.
The truck is probably a decent vehicle, but if you can’t get service performed competently, what good is it. I am still under factory warranty and have an extended to 72 k.
I think Ram puts the Goodyear’s on because of soft sidewalls that mask various suspension issues.
I have collectively spent over 20 hours in waiting rooms trying to get a problem corrected and have run out of patience.
I had Ford trucks up till this truck, and as soon as I find a good deal I’ll go back to Ford.
FCA must have done a significant improvement on the 19 to get the accolades they have. My 17 is a disappointment.

I had Goodyear tires on my vehicles before too. Crap tires! Bottom line.

I was even told this by 2 reputable tire shops.
Neither shop had any "ties" to Goodyear, as they both sold numerous different brands of tires.

I was told, that the manufacturers spend so much money developing and building these trucks, that they try and cheap out everywhere they can. And tires, (specifically, some Goodyear tires) are cheap, and just plain crap.

 

[Jendsley06]

Nothing new here, mentioned in other posts but my 2 cents:

Truly sorry to hear of the problems you're having...been there. Those shakes are infuriating. My '16 Ram got the shakes from bad SRAs at 12k miles...even had one rear tire blister and come just short of blowing out. GY dealer shop replaced under warranty and told me the tires provided to manufacturing lines can be far less in QC...it's a deal made with the manufacturer on what QC and performance specs are to be delivered per year...and is usually driven by costs. (Think back to the Ford Explorer/Firestone fiasco in the 90s on how lowering specs can literally blow up in your face.)
My '18 4x4 is getting first hint of one of the SRAs shaking now at 19k. I already had assumed Michelins (I swear by them) will be coming onboard when I bought.

Again, the shake is infuriating, no doubt. But IMO, you have a bad dealer service group making a simple tire or alignment issue 10x worse. 95% dealer service ops are volume based/bottom line $$ operations, just gotta know that is their priority versus return business via good service. (Gotta catch the ones that are on a cycle for top service rating, rare but they exist. The service Manager's comment of he can't make money on the issue is ridiculous! Who cares if he is making money if/when his shop has screwed up a job? His job is to see it through to be done right!)

Give a quality service group a chance to make it right or make that walk onward to get happier. Good luck on the journey resolving either way.

Just my 2C here. Like everyone else. I work at a tire factory (it's hot in here right now too). The tires we provide to OE have to meet HIGHER specs than our aftermarket tires all day long. In some cases, OE only, and same tire has no aftermarket availability so if not TOP spec, it is scrap. Not sure specifics on some of these, but I have seen it here first hand. That said, imy 18 4x4 has the bridge stones and my son's 18 4x4 has the Goodyear's. Both same size. Different driving styles but both almost exclusively on the road. I have about 34k miles on mine and rotate at every oil change. He has I think about 15k on his and rotated at oil changes also. My tires still look almost new. Not sure of tread depth, as I haven't measured, his not so much. I would guess his to be about 50%. (he drives more agressive than I do, but I pull a trailer loadeded frequently). No complaints from either tire from ride or handling. We both plan on General Grabber or Continental tires of some kind when the time comes to replace as we get a good discount as employees. I would recommend our brand not just because we both work here, but reviews are excellent in almost all cases. That said, like others have said, a bad tire or truck component can get through QC anywhere that's the main reason for warranty, and it should be used as such when needed, but followed by manufacturer also. Good luck to the OP in getting this resolved. Terribly frustrating to have a serious problem with a new to you brand. That doesn't do much to ensure brand loyalty when the dealer doesn't do their part.

 

[Octane]

Sometimes the tires can be rotated on the rim 180 degrees and they'll balance out better.Shops sometimes are too busy or lazy to do it.

 

[Casper]

I have a 17 1500 limited, which I used to like. Recently, I replaced the original Goodyear SRA’s with 27000 miles and wearing thin on both the inside and outside. The truck rode great with the Goodyear’s, but the wear was unacceptable considering they were rotated every 3000 miles and 39 psi at all times.
I replaced them with Bridgestone Alenza Plus through the dealer. When they installed the tires, they put on the wrong tires and the truck pulled to the left due to screwing up the alignment. 3 days after, they installed the correct tires and corrected the alignment, but the truck had a shake at 50 plus.
Today, after the dealer balanced the tires 3 times, and my local Firestone balanced and rotated them 3 times, the truck still shakes at 50 plus.
I have little to no confidence in the dealers ability to correct the problem, and they basically stopped returning my communications.
The truck is probably a decent vehicle, but if you can’t get service performed competently, what good is it. I am still under factory warranty and have an extended to 72 k.
I think Ram puts the Goodyear’s on because of soft sidewalls that mask various suspension issues.
I have collectively spent over 20 hours in waiting rooms trying to get a problem corrected and have run out of patience.
I had Ford trucks up till this truck, and as soon as I find a good deal I’ll go back to Ford.
FCA must have done a significant improvement on the 19 to get the accolades they have. My 17 is a disappointment.

xxxx
Blaming the truck for grease monkey incompetence--I bet they over torqued and took one hub out of true. unless you can balance on the truck it wont show.

I went from Badyears to Michelins and have had none of the symptoms you describe. Ergo, its the monkeys, not the truck.

 

[Eds34pc]

The “grease monkey incompetence “ is the responsibility of the Ram dealer. When I buy a truck with a warranty (and maxcare warranty) I expect the dealer who is going to do service including warranty repairs and replacements of items they recommend and advertise, in a competent manner.
I have had 3 warranty issues in 26,000 miles, 2 of which took 2 visits for me to convince the dealer it wasn’t normal for the truck to do what it was doing.
It took me 4 trips for the dealer to attempt to get the install of a new set of tires they sold me correct. After that, 3 trips to Firestone for them to finally correct the install. What are the chances it was the same “grease monkey” working on the truck on those visits?
The hours spent at the dealer is time I will never get back. I asked for a loaner each time and they never had any. The round trip to the dealer is a little over an hour.
Now I am faced with going to a different dealer who I hope is more competent, but round trip is 2 hours.
So the blame lies indirectly with the truck, since part of the purchase is the idea that I would receive competent service. The blame also lies with the dealer and ultimately with FCA. I would find it hard to believe I am the one customer who the dealer fails to provide competent service to.

 

[1stRam1500]

" Grease monkey incompetence", not a stretch. Some larger dealers have "specialists." One or two guys change tires. Not all mechanics in a shop will.
Possibly you have issues with the truck being the culprit but, there are others that have issues with your dealer. And others have had issues with tires. If the balancing, rotating and front end alignment did not completely fix the problem, then the tires are the problem. I stated before, get another set put on the truck. That will tell the tale.
You are having other issues with the truck that the warranty, at a competent dealer, will address. If you will not be satisfied with your truck after all the issues are repaired, trade it for a Ford or Chevy or Toyota. There is a chance, you will get a dud there as well. All of these vehicles are assembled with humans in the mix. Things go wrong. That is why there are warranties. I hope your next dealer will handle you complaints timely and effectively.

 

[JoeCo]

The “grease monkey incompetence “ is the responsibility of the Ram dealer. When I buy a truck with a warranty (and maxcare warranty) I expect the dealer who is going to do service including warranty repairs and replacements of items they recommend and advertise, in a competent manner.
I have had 3 warranty issues in 26,000 miles, 2 of which took 2 visits for me to convince the dealer it wasn’t normal for the truck to do what it was doing.
It took me 4 trips for the dealer to attempt to get the install of a new set of tires they sold me correct. After that, 3 trips to Firestone for them to finally correct the install. What are the chances it was the same “grease monkey” working on the truck on those visits?
The hours spent at the dealer is time I will never get back. I asked for a loaner each time and they never had any. The round trip to the dealer is a little over an hour.
Now I am faced with going to a different dealer who I hope is more competent, but round trip is 2 hours.
So the blame lies indirectly with the truck, since part of the purchase is the idea that I would receive competent service. The blame also lies with the dealer and ultimately with FCA. I would find it hard to believe I am the one customer who the dealer fails to provide competent service to.

That's funny, you correctly primarily blame the dealer/tech but find a way to indirectly blame the truck. I'd also primarily blame the dealer/"mechanics" that worked on your truck, but I'd place the indirect blame on you. Dealers are not trustworthy, everyone should know this by now, high rating or not. Why anyone would go to a dealer for anything other than expensive or difficult (or both) warranty work, is beyond me. The truck can't control where you take it, be a better owner! That being said I'm sure you won't make that mistake again and maybe this thread prevents others from doing so as well.

Just how good of a deal were you getting on these tires? Hopefully you find a dealer that does decent work with that maxcare warranty you have, clearly it's not the one that managed this whole debacle.