[Versa12]

Hey Guys,

I figured since I worked at Firestone Complete Autocare and know quite a bit about the tires they sell and the services they offer I would answer any questions you guys might have! I don't work there anymore so I dont really care if its good/bad. But, if you have any questions or experience with them I would like to know since it is relatively the same over the auto industry!


Tires:

First, Bridgestone (Japanese owned) is the parent company and owns Firestone, Tires Plus, Wheel Works, and a couple other tire/service companies.

Tire companies make VERY little off of tires. All of the profit comes from the BS of mounting, balancing, and installation. The mileage warranty is only good if you have the tires rotated regularly and either wear too fast or have a manufacture defect. Curbing a tire generally creates a bubble in the sidewall and we would not warranty the tire for a driver being stupid.

Primewell - This is Firestone Complete Autocares (FCA) value tire. They are made in China and the main focus is cheap cheap cheap. We never really had any quality problems with them.

* 830/860 are 40,000 mile all season tires car tires. One is directional and the other is bidirectional. They definitely lack sipes and technology to get rid of water and snow. Ride quality isn't going to be the best.

* PZ900 are also considered all season tires and are directional but that is bullcrap! They should only be used in summer....def not snow or anything else! I dont think mileage warrantys are offered.

* Valera Touring are 50,000 mile passenger tires and are slightly better than the 830/860.

* Valera HT are for trucks and even come in various load ratings. Plus, they come with a 50,000 mile warranty that even the Firestone transforce series do not! They are very heavy and I would recommend them.

I don't want to explain all the tires for BS/FS so if you have a question about specific ones or general costs or anything like that just ask away! Ill do my best to remember!

 

[JoshG]

I've had my Firestone tires(205-60-15) for 2 years and I'm happy with them. I've had nails in 2 of them and have had them fixed with no issues. :thumbsup:

 

[Versa12]

I've had my Firestone tires(205-60-15) for 2 years and I'm happy with them. I've had nails in 2 of them and have had them fixed with no issues. :thumbsup:

Awesome! Do you remember what Firestones they are?

They only use patch-plugs to repair tires which is the best method. Take the tire off the rim, scuff up the rubber around the hole, apply glue for patch and pull the plug through. However, we used to get alot of irritated people because we would not fix tires. Our rule was that if the tire is more than 10 years old, less than 3/32nds of tread, the nail is outside of the last sipe, or is within 180's of another patch we would not fix it.

 

[JoshG]

Firestone Affinity Touring. They're wider than factory tires so the car feels more stable. The car is serviced at Nissan so the tires are rotated regularly. I also have Road Hazard protection.

 

[Versa12]

Awesome! The Affinity Touring were great tires and had a great mileage warranty too! They have a TON of sipes to evacuate water and increase traction in wet conditions! Definitely a great tire for the price and longevity! I don't think I ever ran into any problems with them....and every so often they would run a super good deal on them where they would be like only $5 more per tire than our cheap Primewell tires.

 

[JoshG]

Thanks. Feels good to know that I have good tires. They were on sale when I got them...Buy 3 Get 1 Free! They have 70K mile warranty so I have about 50K to go. :thumbsup:

 

[Versa12]

Glad to hear!

The Buy 3 get one free is usually a very good deal! In most cases we either lose money or BARELY make a few bucks off of that. When they run a Buy 3 get 1 free they try very very hard to sell the road hazard package or lifetime warranty to actually make a few bucks on them!

If they showed you the screen that lists every tire in that size they could hit one button over and it will show you what the store pays for each tire! Sometimes, we would have people come in and say "if you can lower the price a bit ill buy the tires right now". So, we would check what we pay for the tire and usually make a deal! If you ask they generally will work with you on price because we have to beat sales from the same month over the previous year!


Also, I was just a sales associate because I had absolutely zero desire to move up in the company. Therefore, I did not really receive any "bonus" for sales of any type. The "manager of tire sales" received a couple bucks for each tire sold over the same month of the previous year. So I was ALWAYS honest with customers about the quality of the tire or service they were receiving because I had nothing to gain. Unless my sales numbers were poor I never really pushed for premium services or the stupid Firestone credit card.

With that being said, if a customer was a complete jerk (there were alot even though I was courteous to everyone) I would NOT work with them at all for price adjustments. It was either pay full price or get the heck out. Being a complete dick does not really get you any better service and if the technician hears about it they may not be happy as well..... Just a warning!


On a side note - the name on a building means NOTHING. The only thing that matters are the people who work inside of it! So just because you have a positive or negative experience at one place does not mean the same store at a different location will be the same.

 

[hemifan87]

Sometimes, we would have people come in and say "if you can lower the price a bit ill buy the tires right now". So, we would check what we pay for the tire and usually make a deal! If you ask they generally will work with you on price because we have to beat sales from the same month over the previous year!

This I know will come In handy when I buy tires next : D

 

[JoshG]

Hey I didn't mind paying a little extra for the RHP...anything to keep my baby in good shape. :thumbsup:

They offered a TPMS kit but I already had my factory kit. :shrug:

 

[Versa12]

This I know will come In handy when I buy tires next : D

Good! Just make sure you didn't hear that from me! haha The price difference wasn't night and day but usually I would knock off 10% or so off the grand total and that could make a pretty decent difference! It really just depends on the employee that you are talking with.

One time a very nice customer left his car with us and returned with donuts and other treats for everyone! I gave him road hazard protection for free!

Hey I didn't mind paying a little extra for the RHP...anything to keep my baby in good shape. :thumbsup:

They offered a TPMS kit but I already had my factory kit. :shrug:

Gotcha! I really would recommend the TPMS kit as it is only $5-6 per kit. The TPMS sensor is your valve stem which is directly connected to the sensor itself. The TPMS kit includes a rubber seal and a new washer/nut. Anytime you get a flat repair or new tires the whole sensor is removed and when it is reattached the rubber seal may not seal as well as it did before and can cause a minor to major leak. It is not a new TPMS sensor which costs alot more.

 

[JoshG]

That's good to know. Would it be too late to get the TPMS kit after 2 years?

 

[Versa12]

That's good to know. Would it be too late to get the TPMS kit after 2 years?

You can get a new TPMS kit anytime you want. But, if it is not leaking now there really is no point in replacing it since your tires are still pretty new! It really is just a precautionary thing. If I were you I would not worry one bit about it until you get new tires or get a flat tire fixed. You're good!


Also, I would not recommend aftermarket valvestem caps. We saw it quite a bit where valve stem caps (Even factory) would corrode on to the valve stems. So, when someone goes to remove the valve stem cap it would cause the valve steam to either break or create a hairline crack that would cause a major leak! We charged anywhere from $80-120a piece for new TPMS sensors which are required if your valve stems do crack/break. Not sure about the Versa, but if you get new TPMS sensors some vehicle have to be reprogrammed which was an additonal charge. But, just to let you guys know you can install rubber valve stems without any adverse side effects - the only thing that happens is that the TPMS light will be on 24/7.

The first thing I did when I bought my Versa was to put anti-seize on the stems to prevent corrosion.

 

[sgvaibhav]

Hey Guys,
Curbing a tire generally creates a bubble in the sidewall and we would not warranty the tire for a driver being stupid.

What does this exactly mean?

I have 2 new front tires (Dunlop)....
They have a Red Dot on them which i did not see when the tires were new i think....
this means my warranty is invalid now?

 

[Versa12]

What does this exactly mean?

I have 2 new front tires (Dunlop)....
They have a Red Dot on them which i did not see when the tires were new i think....
this means my warranty is invalid now?

When you curb a tire (rubbing your tire into/against a curb or parking block) it can creat and actual lump on the sidewall of your tire. Therefore, that is human error not manufacture - hence no warranty. It can happen due to a faulty tire, but it is obvious if there are scuff marks on the tire from curbing.

I am not sure exactly what the red dots are without looking at them but generally alot of new tires come with red or yellow dots about the size of the penny on the sidewall. This is where the plies begin so you should line up the dot with the valve stem to try to create a more balanced tire.

 

[Versa12]

Any other questions?

If you live in snowy/wintery climates and want snow tires I would suggest Bridgestone Blizzacks as they are AWESOME! Firestone makes Winterforces but they are not nearly as good...but do cost a bit less.

 

[08versailles]

Are the Blizzaks ice rated? I'm not in the market yet, but i always wondered if "ice rated" tires are significantly different/advantageous.
Have second season Falkens on the V, Toyo G-02 Open Countries [seventh season] on the Alty. Pleased with quietness and traction of both so far.

 

[Versa12]

Are the Blizzaks ice rated? I'm not in the market yet, but i always wondered if "ice rated" tires are significantly different/advantageous.
Have second season Falkens on the V, Toyo G-02 Open Countries [seventh season] on the Alty. Pleased with quietness and traction of both so far.

Good question! I don't recall if they are ice rated persay but they are amazing in snow conditions. The rubber is VERY soft and pliable and has mico silica in the tread to add an extra bite on the ice and in the snow.

No tire is going to give you quality traction on ice unless it had studs in it. Some of the Blizzacks do have holes that accept metal studs. Sorry I couldnt have been more help!

 

[versa122]

Just an FYI, 195/65/15's fit on the vehicle and do reduce the amount of fender/wheel gap. However, during winter snow will get compacted in the space as well as the mud flaps and will require it to be cleaned out. I've got Bridgestone Turanza w/ Serenitys on it now and it has dropped the MPG by more than I thought it would.

 

[Cobb]

I wonder if 235/75r15 will fit? I got the tool for rollin the fenders and some spacers to lift the vehicle. >

I hear the NITTO tires are pretty good on snow and ice, but not everyone sells them.

These OEM ones arent bad, but I like bigger tires myself. Id like to get a ten lb alloy rim and go up 10-20 lbs on the tire. >

 

[Keith Wagner]

Changing tire size does have an impact on the car. Not sure about Nissan, but most automakers use a setting of Wheel/Tire Revolutions Per Mile to set calibration of Speedo/Odo.
When you put different size tires on, it will throw your Speedo/Odo calibrations off. It will also change your final drive ratio and effect fuel economy.