$60 is crazy per tire to get mounted and balanced...how about Walmart? :)

[Paul Hawker]

That changes things a bit. If you carry in your tire it might be cheaper because they do not need to tie up a bay and remove your rims and reinstall/retorque them.

If it is just one tire, the price is really not worth the discussion.

If it is a set of 4, again, you can take it anyplace that gives you the price and service you desire.

If you are not taking your Viper in, then how will the installer know to charge you the "Viper Tax"

Since obviously they are going to buy you a new set if they do anything wrong, you should go to the cheapest place and hope for the best : >)

 

[bluesrt]

dont put a bet on them buying you a wheel if they damage it- GOOD LUCK WITH THAT IN TODAYS WORLD!!!!!

 

[blackandblue01]

I would gladly pay 60 bucks a tire for a quality job. My last experience was with a Goodyear dealer that scuffed my wheel and tore the bead on one of my new tires.(and would not pay to fix or replace tire) Part of the reason they are powder coated black now. Had to take them to another shop after paying Goodyear and paying the pc guy because of vibration. With what I went through I would almost pay a 100 bucks a wheel.

 

[Viper Specialty]

From my experience, the guy who is only willing to pay 15$ to mount and balance a 500-2000$ rim/tire assembly is also the first one to turn around and finger point about any mark left on the wheel.

You get what you pay for. Do you really think a shop who regularly bills out at $120 an hour is going to spend two hours on a set of Viper wheels for 60$, with THAT kind of risk? I dont think so.

And if they are doing it much faster than that, they either have a MAJORLY expensive machine, and/or they aren't really taking the time to clean the old weights off, balance and check again, etc.

Reality check guys: A tire shop is technically putting something just as fragile and expensive as your HOOD into a clamping system, and working on it with tire bars in most cases.

Congrats if you found some place who is crazy enough to do it for nothing and not screw it up, but dont be surprised when they cause a little damage, and then tell you to get bent when you call them on fixing it. These are exceptions, not rules. Most places wont go near these kinds of wheels for these reasons, at any price.

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

From my experience, the guy who is only willing to pay 15$ to mount and balance a 500-2000$ rim/tire assembly is also the first one to turn around and finger point about any mark left on the wheel.

You get what you pay for. Do you really think a shop who regularly bills out at $120 an hour is going to spend two hours on a set of Viper wheels for 60$, with THAT kind of risk? I dont think so.

And if they are doing it much faster than that, they either have a MAJORLY expensive machine, and/or they aren't really taking the time to clean the old weights off, balance and check again, etc.

Reality check guys: A tire shop is technically putting something just as fragile and expensive as your HOOD into a clamping system, and working on it with tire bars in most cases.

Congrats if you found some place who is crazy enough to do it for nothing and not screw it up, but dont be surprised when they cause a little damage, and then tell you to get bent when you call them on fixing it. These are exceptions, not rules. Most places wont go near these kinds of wheels for these reasons, at any price.

Totally agree Dan, we have our Viper Techs get your car on the lift and then do all the work themselves (they are the ones you trust to handle your baby), we could do it cheaper to if we had a $10/hr Tech working on your $100K Viper and knew we were not going to have to pay for any potential rim damage. Even the most careful guys can have problems and the cost associated with it is to great to trust to anyone but a Viper Tech in our store, which costs money.

 

[DrumrBoy]

I'm sure there are really really competent folks at some Walmart somewhere who can mount a big tire on a wide wheel, but I wouldn't think there are many...so you're really taking chances with it.

Why not find a race shop/tuner in your neighborhood that has the experience with big meats......they'll probably charge you $20-$30 and might even do better than that if they;re interested in striking up a relationship with you.

Or you can roll the dice on a Wal Mart or Costco. Either way, I hope it works out for ya.

 

[uvbnbit]

reinstall/retorque them.

retorque ? good one! I think the only retorque the techs know at most tire shops these days is 120 ft lb torque stick with air at impact set at 130.
I've had 2 lug studs break on me (on removal of nut) the last 3 months because of over-torque.
(customer cars, not mine) I ALWAYS use calibrated torque wrench on mine and customers vehicles.

 

[bluesrt]

how can you find a competent folk for 7.00 a hour?- mcdonalds even has gone down hill,when is the last time a fast food place has rock and rolled your order and has actually been hot, all these places now days have 7.00 hour fog heads working at these places and dont give a dam. go spend 200.00 at a first class place and be done,or have a 7.00 hour fog head do it and ruin 1,000.00 wheel and tire,and then say,sorry we cant help you

 

[VYPR BYT 94]

how can you find a competent folk for 7.00 a hour?- mcdonalds even has gone down hill,when is the last time a fast food place has rock and rolled your order and has actually been hot, all these places now days have 7.00 hour fog heads working at these places and dont give a dam. go spend 200.00 at a first class place and be done,or have a 7.00 hour fog head do it and ruin 1,000.00 wheel and tire,and then say,sorry we cant help you

Makes total sense. Why chance it?

 

[MARKL488]

The people on this forum crack me up, you pay all the money for a very nice car and then pinch pennies when it comes to mounting the second most important piece you can put on your car outside of the engine. If you really think a idiot working at Walmart is the person to trust with your life and your cars life then you deserve everything that happens when the tire explodes at 120mph, Hope at that point when the tire blows off the wheel and you are spinning out of control the $50.00 you saved comes in handy. Maybe what you should consider is buying a Camry because the tires are very cheap to mount and your dumb a$$ could afford to do proper maintenance on that car. Or go out and buy a $10,000 tire machine A $8,000 balancer and do them your self and when you scratch your own wheels you can buy a new one.

 

[uvbnbit]

I can't wait to see where we go from here

 

[plumcrazy]

pos rep to markl488

 

[Viper Specialty]

THUMBS UP

 

[WDW MKR]

I'm in no way supporting the Walmart tire shop suggestion, but there is a difference between pinching pennies and making sure you're not getting ripped off. I'm very selective with who touches anything I own, choosing to do most things myself, yet I've never had to pay anything close to $240 for mounting and balancing of (4) wheels/tires. I find that just as crazy as dropping a Viper at Walmart.

 

[Viper Specialty]

I'm in no way supporting the Walmart tire shop suggestion, but there is a difference between pinching pennies and making sure you're not getting ripped off. I'm very selective with who touches anything I own, choosing to do most things myself, yet I've never had to pay anything close to $240 for mounting and balancing of (4) wheels/tires. I find that just as crazy as dropping a Viper at Walmart.

That's because up until somewhat recently, every new car made didn't have ridiculously expensive wheels. Shops are now getting smart about this, and not doing it for those prices anymore.

To do the job RIGHT, you can be in 2 hours for a set of wheels. How can anyone argue that 180-240, a typical 2 hour shop charge, is not still reasonable when you get down to it? I mean really, the wheels on my Jeep SRT for Christs sake are almost 2K each to replace. What shop in their right mind would touch 10K worth of wheels and tires for 60 bucks, and lose 120-180$ in shop time doing it? Seems lose-lose to me.

I dont think you can fault a shop for not making a bad business decision. If you want to gamble with your wheels, have at it. But shops are getting tired of gambling with their own livelihood to match some competitors price on a job which is fundamentally not worth doing.

 

[WDW MKR]

That's the thing... I'm not gambling. I'm using a very capable shop, with individuals that take great pride in what they do, and I pay half of that. Even at 2hrs, tire shops do not charge $120/hr for labor.

 

[Viper Specialty]

That's the thing... I'm not gambling. I'm using a very capable shop, with individuals that take great pride in what they do, and I pay half of that. Even at 2hrs, tire shops do not charge $120/hr for labor.

You are missing the point of what I was saying. My point is that everyone needs to stop blaming the shops that DO charge more, as it is still reasonable given the job. If you find a cheap shop, congrats- most of those loopholes will eventually close.

There are many other types of shops that can do this other than Tire Shops. In general, tire shops have some of the WORST equipment I have seen. Ironic doesn't even begin to cover it. Specialty Shops, Custom Shops and similar businesses generally have the best machines, and charge more for tires, and per hour.

Just because joe-blow down the block is willing to take 15-20 bucks per tire and gamble with your wheels, doesnt mean that another shop has to do the same. Have a wheel get damaged, and then you will separate the men from the boys. Most of these "cheap" jobs are done at that price, because deep down, they have no intention of taking a risk on your wheels and paying for anything that may happen. The end result is often your problem. A GOOD shop with better equipment, employees, and experience can afford to take that risk, as they know their equipment is truly up to the task, and generally will be fine 99.9% of the time.

 

[Voodoo Rob]

The people on this forum crack me up, you pay all the money for a very nice car and then pinch pennies when it comes to mounting the second most important piece you can put on your car outside of the engine. If you really think a idiot working at Walmart is the person to trust with your life and your cars life then you deserve everything that happens when the tire explodes at 120mph, Hope at that point when the tire blows off the wheel and you are spinning out of control the $50.00 you saved comes in handy. Maybe what you should consider is buying a Camry because the tires are very cheap to mount and your dumb a$$ could afford to do proper maintenance on that car. Or go out and buy a $10,000 tire machine A $8,000 balancer and do them your self and when you scratch your own wheels you can buy a new one.

^^^^ This. ^^^^^ Go on with your bad self Mark!

 

[GTS Bruce]

Only a complete ***** would take a Viper to Walmart and just leve it. They just don't have the knowledge or experience. However if they let you stay with them you can coach them on how and where to lift your car,torque values,etc,etc. Otherwise NO GO. GTS Bruce

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

when the tire explodes at 120mph, Hope at that point when the tire blows off the wheel and you are spinning out of control the $50.00 you saved comes in handy.

I had a tire explode at 120mph. It was a thrill but it wasn't Hollywood. Calmly brought the car to a stop, got out and said, "Dammit, I should have pitted when I had the chance."

 

[aloushi]

correct me if I'm wrong guys and gals, for the rear rims/tires they need special adaptors for their machine right?? thus making it more than your average tire to have mounted/dismounted...I know my local goodyear had to run my rear set down to pep boys to borrow their machine...just say'n...

 

[jckrieger]

Find a Tirerack preferred installer who is also well known in the area. I paid $30-$35/tire with valve stems and balancing locally. Generally the price is based on the aspect ratio of the tire. I never told the shop what vehicle the wheels came off of. They were in shock when the narrowest tire being mounted was a 295.

I once took a pair of auto-x tires to Walmart for my Omni. After the employees fought the tires for 30 minutes, they finally broke the nylon guide on the machine and had to give up. I took everything home and mounted the tires by hand in 15 minutes. It's all about technique, and that's something the cheaper places don't have.

 

[Viperless]

correct me if I'm wrong guys and gals, for the rear rims/tires they need special adaptors for their machine right?? thus making it more than your average tire to have mounted/dismounted...I know my local goodyear had to run my rear set down to pep boys to borrow their machine...just say'n...

No special adapters required.

They also do NOT need to change the mount/demount head after each tire change like one shop told me. It also doesn't take three guys to change a Viper tire. I realize that most people don't know a thing about how to mount tires but come on.

 

[Viper Specialty]

No special adapters required.

They also do NOT need to change the mount/demount head after each tire change like one shop told me. It also doesn't take three guys to change a Viper tire. I realize that most people don't know a thing about how to mount tires but come on.

I beg to differ. SOME machines will need adapters. And also, SOME tires sizes which can be used on a Viper certainly do need 2-3 guys to help the machine twist when installing the second bead. Try mounting a 375/20/21 and let me know how many people you use, lol!

There are a lot of generalizations in this thread where there cant be. OE 18" sizes are not bad. but get into the 19, 20 and 21 sizes with lower profiles, runflats, etc... and the game TOTALLY changes.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Summary.
$60 per tire is pretty high end, but not unreasonable for taking the risk with uber expensive custom wheels.
You can still get tires mounted for $10, but that is for relatively untrained labor with perhaps older, equipment on smaller tires.
Perhaps a comprimise is a $30 mounting from a well equipped, well trained technician at a good reputation shop.

 

[Viperless]

I beg to differ. SOME machines will need adapters. And also, SOME tires sizes which can be used on a Viper certainly do need 2-3 guys to help the machine twist when installing the second bead. Try mounting a 375/20/21 and let me know how many people you use, lol!

There are a lot of generalizations in this thread where there cant be. OE 18" sizes are not bad. but get into the 19, 20 and 21 sizes with lower profiles, runflats, etc... and the game TOTALLY changes.

I said Viper tire and I'm speaking from first hand experience. I does NOT take more than one person to remove a 345/30-19 tire from a Viper rim. A simple rim clamp machine with an assist arm will do it without damaging the rim or the tire. I did it my first try with no practice on anything else and it was a Hoosier R6.

 

[Viper Specialty]

I said Viper tire and I'm speaking from first hand experience. I does NOT take more than one person to remove a 345/30-19 tire from a Viper rim. A simple rim clamp machine with an assist arm will do it without damaging the rim or the tire. I did it my first try with no practice on anything else and it was a Hoosier R6.

I am speaking from first hand experience as well... probably a great deal more than you are assuming; I am certainly talking about Viper Tires, seeing as that is pretty much the only car I deal with. You seem to be forgetting that half of the guys on this board have aftermarket wheels and different size tires, and this thread is just a generalization which would need to apply to them as well. This is what I alluded to in my post, and even listed a specific example of a tire size that absolutely is a Viper tire, and would require multiple people to mount. I have done plenty of them- 2-3 guys average.

The style of machine is not nearly as important in the context of what I was saying as the strength the the clamps and the twisting torque of that model. I have yet to find a machine that can do some of the tires like the one I listed without some assistance. If you try without, either the rim slips and is damaged because it is a reverse mount wheel in many cases, or it pops out of the clamps and the same end result occurs. A Hoosier R6 is cake compared to some of these run-flats and super low profile tires, and a 30 profile tire is not a big problem to start with.

 

[Viperless]

Well, this is straying way off topic and I've said all I care to say about it. The one thing I think we can all agree on however is for the OP to NOT take his stuff to Walmart.

 

[Viper Specialty]

The one thing I think we can all agree on however is for the OP to NOT take his stuff to Walmart.

I wouldn't even take a Big Wheel to Walmart.

 

[bluesrt]

ehh, i would trust them with my big wheel, the wheels dont come off!! lol