Tire Shaving

chili_pepper said:
I won't question your story, but with exception to certain types of vehicle racing, I've never heard of the need to shave tires. To me, it sounds like there is a quality issue with the chosen tire model and/or brand.

I suspect you're going to have a hard time finding anyone to do it in this day and age. First, I doubt most shops have the equipment or experienced techs anymore. Second, liability, modifying a tire to be used on the road could put the shop in a bit of legal pickle if something goes wrong and is believe to be related to the rubber.
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I ran through a set of ProComp M/Ts in under 20k. I switched to the Interco M/T. I wasn't buying really low level tires. When running a tire on the highway, it's going to experience a lot of wear and tear especially if it's not running smooth. The only thing it does to the tire, administratively, is probably void the manufacturer's tread wear warranty (if it even has one). There's nothing legally wrong with having it done. If the shop damages the tire, that's something else, probably have to figure that out prior to having it done.
 
In my racing career, we saw out-of-round tires in both AMA Superbike (now MotoAmerica) and C.A.R.T. (the original "Indy" car series), but it was extremely rare. And those tires had more QC, and were made in quantities much smaller, than production tires. It's 100% believable that Jeff Lundberg had an out of round tire that was made round and worked. A better solution to shaving is catching the out-of-round when new and getting a warranty replacement!
 
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mrblaine said:
I've had too many tires warrantied or swapped out before I left the tire store because I watch them on the balanced.
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This was my thought. I'm not sure about years/decades past, but it's 2023 and MT's aren't cheap. If I see a $400-500 tire that isn't balancing or that rides like crap once installed. I'm going back to the shop and getting things corrected or using the warranty process. Another reason I like Discount Tire, they've never given me any issues. (Even got a free $500 tire on my last set because they had a logistical issue that was their fault and didn't have my tires when I showed up for my appointment.)
 
JEEPCJTJ said:
Was that 1/4" all in the same place or 1/8" on opposite sides?

Either way was there any regrooving of the tread done after the shave?
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I don't remember exactly where on the tire the depths were, but I do remember that from the highest point of the tire to the lowest point, there was 1/4 of an inch difference. You could see a little bit of blade mark on the tread, like someone dragged a scraper of it, but it was all smoothed out after some driving. Then it looked like a normal tire.
 
bbaldwin237 said:
This was my thought. I'm not sure about years/decades past, but it's 2023 and MT's aren't cheap. If I see a $400-500 tire that isn't balancing or that rides like crap once installed. I'm going back to the shop and getting things corrected or using the warranty process. Another reason I like Discount Tire, they've never given me any issues. (Even got a free $500 tire on my last set because they had a logistical issue that was their fault and didn't have my tires when I showed up for my appointment.)
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They're definitely not cheap. M/T's just have so much tread that it seems it's never even, which makes the tire out of round. They say it's a flaw in the manufacturing process, and you're kinda lucky if you get a good one.
 
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Jeff Lundberg said:
They're definitely not cheap. M/T's just have so much tread that it seems it's never even, which makes the tire out of round. They say it's a flaw in the manufacturing process, and you're kinda lucky if you get a good one.
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To each his own and buy the tires you like, but I wouldn't buy tires for something I'm driving on the street from a manufacturer that says "good luck" on their tires being suitable for the job. I've never run Interco but have some experience with Cooper, MT, BFG, Yokohama, Pit Bull, and Nitto and never had an issue. Heck, some friends with 40-42" Nittos and Pit Bulls don't have issues with them being out of round. Interco sure is charging premium prices for not seeming to keep up with the competition on quality.

Edit: Actually I did have a friend that ran Thornbirds on an old Ranger on the street, but those are Thornbirds so I don't know if you can really even call them round?! lol they look a little more like I imagine the first stone wheel looked.
 
Jeff Lundberg said:
I ran through a set of ProComp M/Ts in under 20k. I switched to the Interco M/T. I wasn't buying really low level tires.
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I'll have to take you on your word that these are good brands. I've never heard of either but I'm also relatively new to the 4x4 world.

Jeff Lundberg said:
There's nothing legally wrong with having it done
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I think you missed the point, I wasn't suggesting that it isn't legal to modify the tire, only that anyone who does will automatically accept the liability of making the modification. If an accident occurs due to failure at some point, I'd bet the tires being modified after manufacture would be looked at as a potential issue.
 
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bbaldwin237 said:
To each his own and buy the tires you like, but I wouldn't buy tires for something I'm driving on the street from a manufacturer that says "good luck" on their tires being suitable for the job. I've never run Interco but have some experience with Cooper, MT, BFG, Yokohama, Pit Bull, and Nitto and never had an issue. Heck, some friends with 40-42" Nittos and Pit Bulls don't have issues with them being out of round. Interco sure is charging premium prices for not seeming to keep up with the competition on quality.

Edit: Actually I did have a friend that ran Thornbirds on an old Ranger on the street, but those are Thornbirds so I don't know if you can really even call them round?! lol they look a little more like I imagine the first stone wheel looked.
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Yeah, I learned my lesson with Interco, I had the 34 TRXUS M/T R, I had ordered them online, Took them to a shop to get mounted, the guy did the best he could, but they would really balance. I did in fact send that set back. The Interco rep sent me a whole new set. The next set was the same thing. A real pain in the ass. That's when the shop recommended the shaving. Problem solved. LOL, yeah the Thornbirds look like something that should be hanging off the back of a paddle boat!
 
If you want to drive to Utah there is a business called Hatch Alignment in Nephi Utah that shaves tires. He shaves tires all of the time to make them round. I have a Super C with Michelin tires on it that he just shaved and they were way out of true. Well worth getting them trued, also the balancing process is much easier as well since the tire is now true.
 
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Those who say a properly balanced tire is all you need have never run Interco Super Swampers. They are the hardest tires to get balanced and then as @Jeff Lundberg has described, can be quite out of round. I have run several sets of them and they do not like being on the road. They are great for Northeastern trails but suck on the highway.
 
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LONGJP2 said:
I had a set of Trxus M/Ts on my Scrambler (20 years ago). Wasn't a daily driver, but I thought they ran pretty good.
I've actually been considering them for my next set on the LJ.
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On the trail and in the mud, I loved them. Once I got em shaved, I loved them on the road too.
 
+1 for shaving any off-road tire over 29” that will be driven on the road. A force wheel balancing after is a huge upgrade also. Then if you put centramatic wheel balancers on you will be amazed.
 
Rubberup said:
+1 for shaving any off-road tire over 29” that will be driven on the road. A force wheel balancing after is a huge upgrade also. Then if you put centramatic wheel balancers on you will be amazed.
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If there are any tire re-treading places near you you MIGHT talk them in to doing your set. I'm sure they have the equipment and know how to use it.
 
You guys making fun of tire truing aka tire shaving must either be new or you are all very young.

In the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's, almost every good tire shop had a tire truing machine. Atlas Tire even ran an advertising campaign for several years promoting their tires as actually being round unlike tires from Goodyear, BG Goodrich, etc.

I still recall the local Kelly Springfield tire shop in my home town truing a set of Armstrong 11-15 flotation tires that my dad bought from Dick Cepek when Dick was still selling tires from his one-car garage in Southgate CA and running 1" classified ads in the back of Four Wheeler magazine. That was the spring of 1966. When I remarked that it looked wasteful to shave off all that rubber and that the tires would surely not last as long, it was pointed out to me that by shaving off the high spots, rather than the tire skipping and bouncing on the highway, all of the tread would be on the ground and the tires would actually last longer.

The last tire truing machine in my area was sold by that tire shop a few years ago because the original owner of the shop had retired or passed away and no one knew how to use it. Too bad, because even the best tires do not come from the factory perfectly round and trued tires are indeed easier to balance and do last longer, especially big, heavy tires.
 
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Mr. Bills said:
You guys making fun of tire truing aka tire shaving must either be new or you are all very young.

In the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's, almost every good tire shop had a tire truing machine. Atlas Tire even ran an advertising campaign for several years promoting their tires as actually being round unlike tires from Goodyear, BG Goodrich, etc.

I still recall the local Kelly Springfield tire shop in my home town truing a set of Armstrong 11-15 flotation tires that my dad bought from Dick Cepek when Dick was still selling tires from his one-car garage in Southgate CA and running 1" classified ads in the back of Four Wheeler magazine. That was the spring of 1966. When I remarked that it looked wasteful to shave off all that rubber and that the tires would surely not last as long, it was pointed out to me that by shaving off the high spots, rather than the tire skipping and bouncing on the highway, all of the tread would be on the ground and the tires would actually last longer.

The last tire truing machine in my area was sold by that tire shop a few years ago because the original owner of the shop had retired or passed away and no one knew how to use it. Too bad, because even the best tires do not come from the factory perfectly round and trued tires are indeed easier to balance and do last longer, especially big, heavy tires.
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We actually have a machine and occasionally will do a set of steer tires. I’m talking big trucks of course. I believe our machine would to smaller tires as well.
Big truck tires have really gone down in quality and, we run across steer tires especially that are out of round so bad they won’t balance. We warranty them out.
 
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