Incorrect Tyres Fitted - Higher Load and XL

BraveHeart

Mildly_Miffed said:

BraveHeart said:

I most certainly can feel a difference in road handling and comfort with the 94Y XL tyres.

Compared to new 91Y of the same make/model, on the same wheels? Or compared to the old tyres that were coming off?

The stand in manager was the person who fitted the tyres - is he not duty bound to check the order/product before fitting?

They were the brand, size, and speed rating you ordered. They more than meet the load rating requirement for your car.

The only reason to contact Goodyear is for them to be aware of the poor service provided by HiQ

Not quite - provided by the franchised fitting centre your contract is with.

I have always had standard tyres on my vehicle, not XL.

Regardless of tyre pressure, XL tyres are reinforced which affect the ride.

The new tyres that I had ordered would have complemented the other two already on the vehicle of the same brand/size/load

BraveHeart

Herzlos said:

BraveHeart said:

The stand in manager was the person who fitted the tyres - is he not duty bound to check the order/product before fitting?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you're probably the first customer he's dealt with who has complained about getting higher load ratings than paid for. As long as the minimum spec is met then I assume virtually no other customers care or could notice the ride quality difference with such a minor change. 

I'm assuming all else being equal; I'd be upset if I ordered good 91Y and got cheap 94Y but I wouldn't care if it was the same brand.

Did you leave the car with them so they can change to the 91's you want without the 94's being used? I think they should be offering to replace them for you on the assumption that they can resell the 94's.

As highlighted in my original post, by the time the keys were handed back to me, it was end of business hours and the stand in manager was contemplating what to do.
For a moment he did take my keys back and had intended to change the tyres back to my old - but then decided against due to the time.
This would have been captured on internal CCTV
Instead he said to drive away and he would contact head office the next day!

BraveHeart

Baldytyke88 said:

Herzlos said:

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you're probably the first customer he's dealt with who has complained about getting higher load ratings than paid for. As long as the minimum spec is met then I assume virtually no other customers care or could notice the ride quality difference with such a minor change. 

Some people want all four tyres to match. That would be my preference too, but I would not pay ££ more to achieve that.

I have recently bought some "viners executive suite cutlery2 from ebay, they were probably made in the 80s, I didn't want to buy a new set, so I bought some replacements of the same type.

I don't consider myself a weirdo; surely we all want things to match.

This is my point exactly.

BraveHeart

Still no contact from the HiQ branch or HiQ head office.
This case seems very clear cut in my favour - I have given them an opportunity to correct their error but they have failed to respond.

molerat

Pro road tests have found any negative points of XL rated tyres are almost imperceptible to the human senses, any noticeable difference is most likely in your head as you "know" the ride is harsher due to the "wrong" tyres being fitted.  I will always go for XL in preference over SL.

Ayr_Rage

I agree with @molerat, you're now driving on new tyres with a lot more tread and grip and your impression of the ride is skewed because of your annoyance.

Have you checked the tyre pressures?

Mistakes are not uncommon.

Your case against the supplier is strong but against the card company much weaker as you have and are using the goods.

photome

BraveHeart said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

BraveHeart said:

I most certainly can feel a difference in road handling and comfort with the 94Y XL tyres.

Compared to new 91Y of the same make/model, on the same wheels? Or compared to the old tyres that were coming off?

The stand in manager was the person who fitted the tyres - is he not duty bound to check the order/product before fitting?

They were the brand, size, and speed rating you ordered. They more than meet the load rating requirement for your car.

The only reason to contact Goodyear is for them to be aware of the poor service provided by HiQ

Not quite - provided by the franchised fitting centre your contract is with.

I have always had standard tyres on my vehicle, not XL.

Regardless of tyre pressure, XL tyres are reinforced which affect the ride.

The new tyres that I had ordered would have complemented the other two already on the vehicle of the same brand/size/load

Have you checked them

Mildly_Miffed

BraveHeart said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

BraveHeart said:

I most certainly can feel a difference in road handling and comfort with the 94Y XL tyres.

Compared to new 91Y of the same make/model, on the same wheels? Or compared to the old tyres that were coming off?

The stand in manager was the person who fitted the tyres - is he not duty bound to check the order/product before fitting?

They were the brand, size, and speed rating you ordered. They more than meet the load rating requirement for your car.

The only reason to contact Goodyear is for them to be aware of the poor service provided by HiQ

Not quite - provided by the franchised fitting centre your contract is with.

I have always had standard tyres on my vehicle, not XL.

Regardless of tyre pressure, XL tyres are reinforced which affect the ride.

Yes, the sidewalls are slightly heftier construction - hence the <10% higher load rating.

I repeat - I VERY much doubt you would notice any ride quality difference comparing 91 and 94 load rating like-for-like.
I also repeat - if ride quality is an important factor for you, then why are you driving a vehicle with 45 profile tyres?

Baldytyke88

molerat said:

Pro road tests have found any negative points of XL rated tyres are almost imperceptible to the human senses, any noticeable difference is most likely in your head as you "know" the ride is harsher due to the "wrong" tyres being fitted.  I will always go for XL in preference over SL.

I would look at the tyres a,b, c,d ratings on grip and economy

leosayer

The OP seems to be getting a lot of grief on this thread but I'm with them on this.

Will there be any noticeable difference in ride quality / handling / grip / road noise / fuel economy? Impossible to tell without back to back tests but rightly or wrongly it would annoy me every time I drove the car if I didn't get it resolved.

Firstly, I'm not sure why the fuss over the OP's tyre size. 225/45/17 is a fairly standard size on most family hatchbacks - they're hardly the rubber bands that you find on sportier models with 35 or 30 profile. I've driven my car (Audi A3 1.4) on both 225/45/17 and 205/55/16. There's very little difference in ride quality. 

Secondly, the OP did nothing wrong. They ordered a specific tyre and a different one was fitted. One that's probably different to the manufacturer's specification albeit completely legal. 

Thirdly, we don't know if HiQ got it wrong on purpose or by accident. If on purpose then they could have asked the OP before fitting. 

HiQ should be taking this seriously. Just because 99% of customers wouldn't notice is irrelevant. They should be offering the customer the choice of replacing with the correct tyres or offering a discount for the inconvenience.