“Michelin are the best.”
When should you get a new set of tires?
Generally speaking, experts advise that you should replace your tires every six years, before 50,000 miles, or when the tread starts to wear down to the point where it affects driving safety—whichever comes first.
One would hope that when they buy new tires, the problems with their wheels will stop. However, this isn’t always the case, as one TikTok user recently learned.
In a video with about 4,000 views, TikTok user Anna Dahl (@annadahlofficial) explains that she recently followed the advice of her viewers and purchased a new set of Bridgestone tires for her car.
“Bridgestone—like, good quality ones,” she summarizes.
According to Dahl, however, problems with the tires began almost immediately.
“Pick it up from the shop, driving down the highway, and the whole car starts shaking aggressively—as if there’s an enormous Shake Weight tied to the roof,” she recalls. “So, I call the shop, and I’m like, ‘Think the alignment’s off, guys.’”
Dahl says she then took the car back into the shop. When the workers looked at the tires, they found something strange about the tires themselves. Specifically, “all four tires are slightly oblong.”
“So, I got another new set of tires, and things are riding more smoothly now,” Dahl states. “But I just wanna say, I could have got a new car.”
It’s uncommon for a tire to be 100% perfectly round. However, tires are usually round enough that any minor variation is not a particularly large issue.
That said, this variation can occasionally cause problems. Individual tires can be slightly taller, stiffer, or differently shaped than other tires. While it’s likely rare for all four new tires to have issues like these, it’s not impossible.
Why exactly this happens can vary. Sometimes, it’s simply a manufacturing defect. Other times, it’s the result of an incorrect mount, with the tire bead not sitting evenly on the wheel. Finally, a wheel that’s been sitting in a single place for a long time can temporarily develop a “flat spot,” which may cause issues similar to the one Dahl experienced—though Michelin notes these flat spots are often temporary and can disappear with regular driving.
Replacing all of the tires may fix this problem, no matter its cause. If the problem was the tires themselves, replacing them would obviously fix the issue. If the problem was with the mount, mounting new tires would, too, fix the issue.
But if the tires themselves are the problem, is there really no way to fix them without replacing all of them entirely?
As previously stated, flat spots can often be fixed by just driving the car. Deflating a tire, remounting it, then rebalancing the wheel may also solve the problem.
Furthermore, a shop looking into this issue may find that there could be other problems exacerbating it. For example, the problem may not be with the tires but with the wheel balance. This can be fixed by adding or repositioning wheel weights.
Next, a bent rim could also cause this issue. The wheel itself may be repairable, or it could need to be replaced entirely.
But if the problem truly is a manufacturing defect, there is no way to meaningfully repair the tire. In a situation like this, the best course of action is to reach out to the tire shop that installed your tires and have them take another look. Typically, a new tire is covered under warranty. This means that you will likely be able to get your defective tires replaced at no additional cost.
In the comments section, users were divided about whether the tire shop was being honest about the issue or whether the problem really was the tires themselves.
“No chance all four tires were oblong,” declared a user. “This shop doesn’t know how to mount tires. Find a new shop.”
“They fed you BS. All new tires get balanced before installing them on the vehicle. If in fact all 4 were oblong, which not likely, they would have seen it during the balancing,” alleged another.
“Same thing happened to me,” countered a third. “Bridgestone are garbage!”
“You couldn’t pay me enough to get Bridgestone tires. Michelin or Nokian only,” stated a further TikToker.
Motor1 reached out to Bridgestone via email and to Dahl via Instagram direct message and email. We will update this story if they respond.
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