Slightly used tires

I just got tires. They are slightly used. I think they said they balanced them. When on the road my car feels like it is vibrating or bouncing up and down when I’m at about 25mph - not smooth like it should be. On the freeway sometimes too. What is that? The place is closed today so I have to wait. Is it balancing or crappy tires? They look like good tires almost new, but…
To Caddyman: LOL. Yes! I went back. They were open on Saturday Big O Tires. - They switched them out with a different set that just came in today that looked very good. They tested them for leaks and balanced them first. The bumpy ride is gone!. He said there was a new guy working who balanced my tires yesterday, and when he inspected the set he took off he said there was a slight flat spot from where they may have set too long somewhere that could have caused the bumping up and down or a combination of that and the balancing. It cost me $175 for 4 tires 175/70R13. The name on these tires is Milestar All Season. It saved me $50. With my 10% discount from Walmart, the cheapest I could have gotten new for is $225. The $50 dollars is for free repairs and warranty. I’ll take my chances on previously owned tires this time. Usually I don’t do that, but money is tight right now. They also have rims for $20/EA and $20 to put my studs on them. I may do that. Lots of places charge $50/EA for my sized rims. That is a future purchase. Sometimes places don’t even have 13" used rims in stock to sell - recycled parts places. It’s cheaper to change tires to stud tires when they are on the rim and eventually it will pay off if I put them on rims.
CORRECTION: Not Big O Tires, but BIG B TIRES as B movies perhaps. I had Big O in the Brain for some reason. They sell new tires. at Big O.

Now you know why the person who bought them NEW took them off…You could TRY a re-balance. What size, brand, type of tire are they??

I’m Surprised That A Shop Would Sell Used Tires.

It could be balance, but chances are they were taken off a car because it had the same problem with them that you are experiencing.

Even square tires can be balanced, but you can just imagine the ride.

I’d bet the tires are defective. Tell the shop what’s going on and they will probably try a rebalance. Ask them to check the tire tread and your rims for radial and lateral run-out while they’re at it.

If your rims are good and the tires still won’t run smoothly, get your money back and put it into new tires.

Make, Model, Model-Year of car ?
Was the car smooth before you got these tires ?
What kind of shop is this ?

CSA

In addition to the good information that has already been posted, I think that the OP should ask himself the following questions:

How often did the previous owner hit curbs with those tires?
How often did the previous owner run those tires with low air pressure?

Of course, you would have no way of knowing the answers to those questions, and that is precisely why I would never buy used tires.

In addition to the possibility that these tires were defective from the beginning of their life, the previous owner could have damaged the internal cord structure of those tires by jamming them into curbs and/or running them with low pressure. The type of damage that these scenarios would cause are not visible, even from the interior of the tire–and that is why I would never buy used tires.

VDCd, Jill Might Not Be A Him.
CSA

You have a lot of good feedback so far. I’d just like to add that a definitive evaluation of the tires & wheels can be done on a machine that does “road force balancing”. These machines simulate roadforce by pressing a spinning drum against the tread as the tire spins. They’ll detect internal damage and tire imperfections that regular balanciing machines will not.

And if they’re Continentals it may be impossible to get them to run smooth. I bought a set of 4 Contis once and it was simply impossible to get them smooth. I made the shop change them out for BF Goodys and never had another problem. And I had the vehicle for 338,000 miles.

Common sense Ans. Thanks for the info: "check the tire tread and your rims for radial and lateral run-out"
And Thanks the same Mountainbike for "machine that does "road force balancing"
Thanks for all other comments too. I will check into these tests for future ref.

Oh, Also I have AAA, so if I get a blowout I can call them.

time to go armor all my tires and check for big marks where they may have hit curbs
:frowning:

VDCd: I am not a HE. Can’t you tell by my gabbiness?

Oops I guess the Car Talk guys are gabby too, but that’s on radio and they can’t have dead air.

I talk more when I’m insecure, unsettled or have a lot of Mtn Dew.

Jill, Thanks For The Update (Above At Original Post).

It’s good to hear you’re off and running smoothly, again.

CSA

Then sometimes I talk because I need to talk because I don’t get to talk to people much. Ok I’ll shu up now.

VDCd, Jill Might Not Be A Him.
CSA

Hee, hee. Could be, but with a Boy Named Sue, who knows?

VDCd: I am not a HE. Can’t you tell by my gabbiness?

No, not really, we have some regulars who can chatter on at great length. Blush.