Warning About DR. TIRES

[toolman44092]

I wanted to let everyone know how I got screwed by Dr. Tires. This guy sells used street tires on eBay.

I saw that most of his tires were auctioned in sets of two. Since our cars have offset sizes, I emailed him directly asking for the appropriate sizes. He had them in Kuhmos, saying the fronts had 70% tread life and the rears had 60% left. We agreed on $300 shipped.

Sounds like a good deal, huh?

It was until I received the tires. The rears were almost bald, and one of the fronts had a tear in the bead that went down to the steel belt.

I emailed him with my concerns as his claimed return policy says "If you are unsatisfied with your tires you may return them back for a full refund. Buyer must pay for shipping."

To make a long story short, he has refused to respond to any of my emails? I was very polite too! How do I know he got the emails? I emailed him using my other account asking for tires. I got quick responses wanted to sell me tires!

Please stay away from Dr. Tires. I was unable to leave negative feedback, as these were not purchased through eBay. Also, my complaint to Paypal was worthless.

Please take the time to drop this guy a line email address deleted - Rob letting him know that he can't screw with one of us. I would greatly appreciate this guy knowing that he lost business over a $300 deal that he obviously could care less about.

Note: While I can understand and appreciate your frustration, you do need to be aware when purchasing items through EBAY, sight unseen. I also do not want anyone here posting other people's email addresses and telling them to go and send them an email chastising them for their business practices regardless of whether they are right or wrong. Please refrain from doing this here in the future.

-Rob Loszewski, Site Administrator
Corvette Action Center
4-29-05

 

[medicine man]

Used tires? Who wants that trash? I have 21K on my Firestone's and thinking of new already.

 

[toolman44092]

Used tires? Who wants that trash? I have 21K on my Firestone's and thinking of new already.

I bought them for autocrossing.

 

[medicine man]

OK didn't mean to to so negative about used tires on a Corvette. didn't know the use
of the tire. I have about 1/2 tread left on mine, you can have them for free when I decide to get new. that will be within the year. I'd like to go back to Goodyear for the run flat warrenty.

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

I bought them for autocrossing.

We often use Kumho tires on the track for play. As a matter of fact I have a set of them on thunder at the moment. They are good for one weekend and a trip to the re-cycle yard I would never try 2 track days on the same set.
Sticking somebody else’s used tires on for competition is begging for disaster. You have no way of knowing how or if they were shaved or heat-cycled. A tire failure at any speed in a Vette under competitive conditions will cost a lot more $$$$ than you saved buying used tires.

For a few $ more you could buy new Kumho racing tires from Tire Rack. They will heat-cycle and shave them for you as well.
Have a look at this Kumho VictoRacer V700

 

[Bob Chadwick]

If your paypal account is tied to your credit card try disputing the charge. I had good luck oding that. Once the dispute came up paypal's radar they became very interested.

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

If your paypal account is tied to your credit card try disputing the charge. I had good luck oding that. Once the dispute came up paypal's radar they became very interested.

Yelp, on the positive side PayPal has setteled a problem on my behalf as well. I have only been screwed one time on eBay and that was when I was dumb enough to pay by Western Union. In general eBay runs a clean show...Good luck and please do not put worn tires to the test... one day I would like to meet all of the CAC members!

 

[G WIZ]

Thanks for the info toolman. I was actually considering used tires on ebay as well. I think I will just belly up and buy the eagle F1 supercar tires. I just purchased bilstein shocks as well. Expensive stuff.

 

[rwpeders]

We often use Kumho tires on the track for play. As a matter of fact I have a set of them on thunder at the moment. They are good for one weekend and a trip to the re-cycle yard I would never try 2 track days on the same set.
Sticking somebody else’s used tires on for competition is begging for disaster. You have no way of knowing how or if they were shaved or heat-cycled. A tire failure at any speed in a Vette under competitive conditions will cost a lot more $$$$ than you saved buying used tires.

For a few $ more you could buy new Kumho racing tires from Tire Rack. They will heat-cycle and shave them for you as well.
Have a look at this Kumho VictoRacer V700

What is "heat-cycle" and "shaving" and why would you want it?

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Please take the time to drop this guy a line email address deleted - Rob letting him know that he can't screw with one of us.

This sentence concerns me. I would prefer that if CAC members do contact this person that they keep the CAC name out of it and try to keep the email civil with no flaming.

Toolman, I am sorry this person has not honored his word of "return-for-full-refund-if-unsatisfied". That is shameful when a person does not uphold their publicly stated promise. Hopefully this can be resolved to your satisfaction in a timely manner with him. (I'm hoping, anyway...)
Heidi

 

[Eric]

The biggest concern I would have with a used tire (or new for that matter) is age. Old rubber is old rubber, used or not. And old rubber is weak rubber.

 

['04 Torch Red]

I wanted to let everyone know how I got screwed by Dr. Tires. This guy sells used street tires on eBay.

I saw that most of his tires were auctioned in sets of two. Since our cars have offset sizes, I emailed him directly asking for the appropriate sizes. He had them in Kuhmos, saying the fronts had 70% tread life and the rears had 60% left. We agreed on $300 shipped.

Sounds like a good deal, huh?

It was until I received the tires. The rears were almost bald, and one of the fronts had a tear in the bead that went down to the steel belt.

I emailed him with my concerns as his claimed return policy says "If you are unsatisfied with your tires you may return them back for a full refund. Buyer must pay for shipping."

To make a long story short, he has refused to respond to any of my emails? I was very polite too! How do I know he got the emails? I emailed him using my other account asking for tires. I got quick responses wanted to sell me tires!

Please stay away from Dr. Tires. I was unable to leave negative feedback, as these were not purchased through eBay. Also, my complaint to Paypal was worthless.

Please take the time to drop this guy a line email address deleted - Rob letting him know that he can't screw with one of us. I would greatly appreciate this guy knowing that he lost business over a $300 deal that he obviously could care less about.

Note: While I can understand and appreciate your frustration, you do need to be aware when purchasing items through EBAY, sight unseen. I also do not want anyone here posting other people's email addresses and telling them to go and send them an email chastising them for their business practices regardless of whether they are right or wrong. Please refrain from doing this here in the future.

-Rob Loszewski, Site Administrator
Corvette Action Center
4-29-05

toolman,
Once again the "criminal" wins and the "victim" loses..............this is not just your loss... its our loss also...when this happens it hurts us all especially when "justice", as in this case did not prevail...it will continue happening unless checked:W

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

What is "heat-cycle" and "shaving" and why would you want it?

Heat Cycling: The idea is to bring the tire up to operating temperature gently the first time the tire is used, heat the tire through, and then cool it gradually. First, increase cold pressure 4-6 psi. Then, there are two methods; I don't know which is best. One is to drive 150 continuous highway kilometres. The other is to drive about ten minutes on the track with the objectives of bringing the tire up to operating temperature gently and heating the tire completely - not low lap times. Then take the tires off the car, drop the pressure 4 psi below normal, and store in a clean, cool, dry place away from the sun (24 hr. minimum, 48 hr. recommended). Force-cooling should not be used.

Shaving: The reason is heat. The tread rubber on tires in general -- and racing tires in particular - is hysteric by design. This means that it generates heat when it is flexed.
Heat is a double-edged sword when it comes to tires --
A certain amount of heat is necessary to produce good grip.
Excessive heat will cause the tire to lose grip; it can cause the tire to wear exceptionally fast; and, in extreme misapplication cases can cause separation in a tire.
The key is to allow the tire to generate enough heat for good grip, but not so much as to be detrimental to its performance.
Think about a spot on a tire -- let's say a tread block. As it rolls through the contact patch, it becomes distorted and is flexed. This flexing generates heat. If the car happens to be in a long sweeping corner when the ambient temperature is high and the track is very hot, it can generate a lot of heat. But then, as that tread block rolls out of contact and into the air stream rushing by and around the tire, it begins to dissipate the heat. In other words, it begins to cool off. The' tire goes through this heat generation/dissipation cycle with each revolution. If the rate at which the tire dissipates heat is more or less constant, then the faster you go, the more heat that is generated. This is because the tire is generating heat faster than the tire can dissipate heat. This is where a problem could arise.
How does shaving tread rubber off the tire affect heat generation? It actually affects it in two ways. Remember -- work equals energy and energy can be translated into heat.

• First, by reducing the thickness of tread rubber, you reduce the amount of flexing (work). This means less heat (energy) is generated.
• Second, the reduced thickness of rubber cuts down on the amount of heat that can be stored within the tread rubber. Therefore, heat is able to dissipate faster from a lesser amount of rubber. So, by shaving rubber off the tire, the tire runs cooler.

Shaving then, is a useful tool for controlling the amount of heat your tires generate. The key is to allow the tires to generate enough heat to work effectively, but not so much that performance is hurt.


All tires have an optimum operating temperature range. To get the most out of them, you need to operate in that range.

• If your tires are running hotter than this range, you need to shave your tires.
• If your operating temperatures are below or within this range, then you don't need to shave your tires.

Next question - How much do you need to shave off of the tires? Obviously, this will depend on how you plan to use them.

• Typically for most road race use, we take about 2/32" off. This reduces the tread skid depth from the originally molded 6/32" down to 4/32".
• On more abusive tracks and in hot weather, reduce the skid depth even more.

I think this came from a Goodrich or Porsche site I do not remember but it gets to the heart of the matter with out too much BS.

On the race cars we heat-cycle all of the tires we are going to use during practice sessions. The tires are never allowed to sit on the contact surface. The cars are lifted as soon as the car comes into the pits and the tires/wheels are removed and stored on special stands we have made. Last weekend we still lost a podium position to tire failure.:W:W:W

 

[Mr. Lucky]

How does shaving tread rubber off the tire affect heat generation? It actually affects it in two ways. Remember -- work equals energy and energy can be translated into heat.

• First, by reducing the thickness of tread rubber, you reduce the amount of flexing (work). This means less heat (energy) is generated.
• Second, the reduced thickness of rubber cuts down on the amount of heat that can be stored within the tread rubber. Therefore, heat is able to dissipate faster from a lesser amount of rubber. So, by shaving rubber off the tire, the tire runs cooler.

Shaving then, is a useful tool for controlling the amount of heat your tires generate. The key is to allow the tires to generate enough heat to work effectively, but not so much that performance is hurt.

[. . .]

I think this came from a Goodrich or Porsche site I do not remember but it gets to the heart of the matter with out too much BS.

Great write-up, and I found the source:
http://www.porschenet.com/bfgtires.html

I do question the explanation offered regarding the benefits of shaving however. The ability of an object to dissipate heat and the speed at which it occurs is a function of surface area. This behavior is governed by the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Reducing the thickness of rubber does not cut down on the amount of heat that can be stored within the tread rubber, it cuts down on the ability of the tire to dissipate the heat! The tire is going to heat up no matter what. Shaving works because of the first statement: less flexing = less heat generated. Also, the bullet point about a tire running at higher than optimum operating temperature range needing to be shaved is overly broad. A tire running at higher than optimum operating temperature could simply be underinflated, as alluded to in the Dealing with Pressures section.

 

[JBsC5]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll remember not to buy from him and to warn others along the way of your dissatisfaction.


Dr. Tires....someone not to do business with.

Hope you can resolve your issues at some point.

 

[Vette Dawg]

**** you Dr. Tires

 

[jrose7004]

That's why I wouldn't buy used tires sight unseen!

 

['04 Torch Red]

**** you Dr. Tires

I agree......***k Dr. Quack

 

[atmmac]

I wanted to let everyone know how I got screwed by Dr. Tires. This guy sells used street tires on eBay.

I saw that most of his tires were auctioned in sets of two. Since our cars have offset sizes, I emailed him directly asking for the appropriate sizes. He had them in Kuhmos, saying the fronts had 70% tread life and the rears had 60% left. We agreed on $300 shipped.

Sounds like a good deal, huh?

It was until I received the tires. The rears were almost bald, and one of the fronts had a tear in the bead that went down to the steel belt.

I emailed him with my concerns as his claimed return policy says "If you are unsatisfied with your tires you may return them back for a full refund. Buyer must pay for shipping."

To make a long story short, he has refused to respond to any of my emails? I was very polite too! How do I know he got the emails? I emailed him using my other account asking for tires. I got quick responses wanted to sell me tires!

Please stay away from Dr. Tires. I was unable to leave negative feedback, as these were not purchased through eBay. Also, my complaint to Paypal was worthless.

Please take the time to drop this guy a line email address deleted - Rob letting him know that he can't screw with one of us. I would greatly appreciate this guy knowing that he lost business over a $300 deal that he obviously could care less about.

Note: While I can understand and appreciate your frustration, you do need to be aware when purchasing items through EBAY, sight unseen. I also do not want anyone here posting other people's email addresses and telling them to go and send them an email chastising them for their business practices regardless of whether they are right or wrong. Please refrain from doing this here in the future.

-Rob Loszewski, Site Administrator
Corvette Action Center
4-29-05

Whats the harm in sending some offensive emails to this crook??? Guys like this shouldn't get away without some serious guilt.....

 

['04 Torch Red]

Whats the harm in sending some offensive emails to this crook??? Guys like this shouldn't get away without some serious guilt.....

========================================================
The greater majority of people wouldn't think there would be anything wrong with emailing that bastach