Miata Mailing List: November 1999, Message #476

sponsored by

In a message dated Fri, 5 Nov 1999  9:14:43 AM Eastern Standard Time, Peter Brusa <peter_son@yahoo.com> writes:

> Seems like I'll be visiting Butler Tire here in GA for
> the third time...twice because I keep finding my wheel
> weights in my drive way.  <SNIP>
> 
> These are the double sided sticky tape weights that
> lay flat on the inside of the wheel.
> 
> Anyone have this problem as well or any suggestions. >>

Peter,

Let me take a *wild* guess here...Butler Tire in Austell, GA perhaps???? Hmmmm???  Its not you and you are not the only one that has had to /waste/ their time going back there for the same problem.

They mounted my T-1S and 5 minutes down the road I heard a clunk...pulled over and all lug nuts were there so proceeded.  10 - 15 minutes down the road another clunk and a noticeable shimmy.  Got down on the ground (in my skirt) and figured it out....missing wheel weights.  Lost a third by the time I could get back to the shop a few days later and got a good size nick in one of my rims from one of the weights bouncing off the road and hitting it.  I went back and had the weights applied...butit only took me one return trip!  Butler said they usually don't have this problem and that its the lip on my tire.  Phfffttt!  They stuck them on and then I /insisted/ that they also *clamp* them on over the tape, but they said they wouldn't guarantee they'd stay on and if they came off again just to come back and to plan on having them replaced each time we rotate the tires (ummmm, I always get my tires re-balanced when I rotate but seems not all do....and I don'tthink I'll be returning !
there for the rotate and balance).  They have held since, but the T-1S does have a big lip near the rim so for autox I taped them in place with some duct tape just to be sure.  Seems to have worked fine for me.  Don't know what kind of tire you're running but seems the double sided tape and clamp over *both* should work fine for you for normal street driving and Butler *will* do this if you /request/ it.  If you are going to the Butler in Austell ask for Steve (? oh, poo I'm awful with names - about 5'10", early 40's, thin but not skinny, brown hair, brown eyes, balding, mustache and goatie...may have been Bob or Michael, oh I dunno, but look for a guy with that description...bad with names but observation skills are keen ;).  Watch them through the window while they work and check your air pressure when they get done.  I told them 28 all around and I got varying psi from 32 down to 27 when they mounted mine.  You ain't crazy baby, customer service seems to have taken a vacati!
on in the area recently!!!    

Good luck Peter!  

FWIW,
Cat still CATTOYless
Team - Maybe today?