[abcmatthew]

I pulled the trigger on new tires and rims for my stock 2 door jk. I spent much time researching to find the right combination and used The Tire Rack for the purchase. They had the good price and had alot of useful info on their site. I even called them and found that the operator really did know alot about their products so I built the package and clicked accept. Three days later my UPS driver was rolling 5 new rims with pre mounted ( balanced ?) tires up my driveway. All was good till I noticed that the tire beads where not fully set on the rims.I also noticed that there was aleast a 1/2 pound of weights on each rim. Feeling ripped off, I installed on the jeep after putting 60lbs in to pop the beads out. Well, I found out what "Death wobble" is! Right around 50 mph jeep started to shake and the steering wheel felt like it was coming off. Pissed off with a wife saying I should have left it stock, I called the Tire Rack. They where very surprized and told me to have the tires checked at a local tire shop and fax them the bill. My local NTB shop rebalanced the rims and said that the guy who did them the first time was not even close! In the end The Tire Rack paid the bill for the rebalance and was very sorry for the mess up. Buying on line is always a gamble but The Tire Rack was so professional about solving the problem that I would have no problem using them again.Any one having a hard time solving their " death wobble" my advice is to recheck tire balance and make sure the guy checking knows what he is doing.

[Jerzjeep]

I was going to have mine mounted from an online store but I have to swap over those stupid pressure sensors from my stock wheels. what did you do with those or does your 08 not have them.

[abcmatthew]

I had Tire rack install new ones and left the old ones in the original tires. I got someone who is buying the old ones from me and wanted them for his jeep.The bad part is the new wider tires feel great at 30 psi which is too low for the system. So I still have to hear the beep every time I start.

[Jerzjeep]

I was told by the guy at a local tire shop that they can be reprogramed. I asked because I thought the new tires would be at a different pressure. He said "No, we can fix that" BS or truth, anyone know?

[sean2857]

I've seen them use up to a half pound of weights on wheels before. I work for a large automotive warehouse and they have a tire and wheel section where you can buy everything mounted and balanced. some of the swampers that they have are really rough on the speed balancer haha. in you're case tho tire rack is definitly to blame. i'd call them up and have them refund the money it cost you to get them re balanced.

[Jerzjeep]

he said they did

[BigDumbBear]

The bigger the tire, the more weights needed to balance it out(especially with cheap rubber). There was a guy around here running some 49.5 in tires on his k1500 chevy(yeah it was rediculous) but he had big weights on the inside and outside of most the wheels.

It sounds to me like the guy installing the tires was hung over and the guy on the balancer didn't care enough to send the tires back to the first guy. Slackers.

[guitarguy]

Originally Posted by Jerzjeep

I was told by the guy at a local tire shop that they can be reprogramed. I asked because I thought the new tires would be at a different pressure. He said "No, we can fix that" BS or truth, anyone know?

The AEV Procal Module can reprogram the computer to allow for the lower pressure... When I decide to finally get some new tires, I'm gonna buy one at the same time...

Just out of curiosity, how much did TireRack charge for the new TPMS valve stems in the new tires? I've heard they're like 60$-70$ to buy them seperately...

[RockyClymer]

A local Discount Tire dealer quoted me $25 each - they all have a battery life of around 6 to 8 yrs I am told. The battery is only used when the sensor is on, hence if you keep aired down a lot, then the battery life may be shorter. I figure the only way you would know the battery is bad is by airing down and NOT getting a signal - seems unsafe to me in that unless you make this check, you might, after a few years, be running around with low pressure and never know it?

[abcmatthew]

I was charged 48.00 per rim for the sensors. I am not sure I understand the concept that low tire pressure is dangerous? I have owned a lot of cars and never felt unsafe if my tires where low on air. I want the correct handling for my car and I can tell if the car is driving correct or not, not sure a sensor is needed. I wish car companies could use common sense about these inventions. Just cause you can make it does not make it a good idea! I also drink tap water and I do not use a helmet when I ride a pedal bike. When I was young that would get your *** kicked!

[Sgalway]

Originally Posted by abcmatthew

...Any one having a hard time solving their " death wobble" my advice is to recheck tire balance and make sure the guy checking knows what he is doing.

This is not "death wobble". This is just (as you found out) improperly balanced tires. Improperly balanced tires will make the truck shake every time you approach the resonant speed. "Death wobble" happens at speed when you hit a seemingly random bump that sends the front end into a violent side to side vibration. The steering wheel will physically try to turn. It is not predicatable to know which bump will cause the wobble. It might happen at 30mph or 65mph, you never know.

[CSCmrwizard]

READ THIS.............................................. .................................................. ............................................

hope this helps someone

MORE INFO http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/tech.php?bulletin=t2

TIRE-WHEEL MATCH MOUNTING FOR OPTIMUM UNIFORMITY

Mickey Thompson® is pleased to advise you that all Baja Radial MTX™ light truck tires will be identified with a yellow "match mounting mark" (yellow dot) on the sidewall (see Figure 1). The purpose of the match mounting mark is to provide an aid in matching these tires to a rim, when the tire is first mounted, to provide the best possible ride.

Details and procedures for proper match mounting are as follows:

Rim Details:
New passenger and light truck vehicles:

(A) Ford and Chrysler passenger and LT steel rims, and most steel replacement rims, have a paint dot or small painted daub in the drop well portion of the rim at the rim low spot.

(B) GM and most Japanese vehicle manufacturers use the valve hole to mark the low point.

(C) Other manufacturers are using a removable colored sticker or a brightly colored washable paint mark on the rim flange area of the rims. These are generally removed by the vehicle dealer upon sale of the vehicle.

Aluminum and polycast rim low spots are located at the valve hole.

Unmarked rims of all types generally have the low spot at the valve hole.
Procedures:
Locate the yellow dot on the sidewall of the Baja Radial MTX tire. On a raised white letter tire, the round yellow dot will appear on the white sidewall side (either above or below the white sidewall). Blackwall tires will have the round yellow dot on the sidewall opposite the tire identification number (also known as the D.O.T. or serial number). This indicates the high spot of the tire. Note, the match mounting mark on a Baja Radial MTX tire will only be in the form of a round yellow dot. No other marks or any other colored dots should be considered as a match mounting mark.

Using the rim guidelines above, try to find the low spot mark on the rim. If no mark is evident, then use the valve hole as the rim low spot.

Lube both tire beads and the rim on both outer flanges (where the bottom of the tire beads will make contact with the flat portion of the rim when seated).

Proceed with assembly, mounting and balancing in accordance with RMA procedures.

After the beads have been seated, visually check the positioning of the tire bead aligning rings molded into the tire. If spaced uniformly around the rim above the flange, the tire is properly positioned on the rim. If the tire is not positioned properly on the rim, deflate the tire and relube both tire beads and the rim before proceeding with reassembling.

The match mounting mark has been applied with paint. It is designed to remain for a period of time in the event future service is required. Should the consumer desire the mark be removed, it may be removed with a moistened steel wool soap pad or a small amount of bug and tar remover. You should not use petroleum based solvents to remove the paint mark as these may cause rubber degradation and lead to tire failure.

Additional uniformity improvement on larger radial LT sizes may be gained by:
Locating the yellow match mounting dot at the 12:00 position when tightening the wheel nuts.

On dual tires, each tire/wheel assembly should be installed with the valve 180 degrees opposite each other.

Ride will be optimized if the above match mounting procedures are followed during mounting. Mickey Thompson recommends tires be dynamically (spin) balanced

[BiGEN]

i dont trust getting my tires mounted and balanced online.. i like to be there when there doing it so i know its done right...