Any one have recommendations for installing tires in Houston. I am looking to order a new set of rears and looking for some one who is careful in installing 19's.

you might go to Tirerack's website and click on installers... then you plug in your zip code and a list of their recommended installers will come up - they seem to list a lot of "Big O" and Tire Discounters shops, but weed through the listings and you'll likely see some independent Porsche, BMW and MB shops. There's also a spot in the installer's listing that lists their equipment. You want to use someone who has a "road force" balancing machine.

I use an independent MB shop here in Vegas, and they have a Hunter road force machine, are very careful with my wheels, and Tirerack ships directly to them. If you buy the tires from Tirerack (which I would recommend because they are a sponsor here) you can have the tires shipped directly to the installer - when they arrive the installer calls you to make an appointment, and you go in and get them mounted and balanced.

If you use Tirerack, click through to their site from the their banner ad in the sponsors section, and the CC gets some credit for the sale...

brad

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21-year PCA Member
PCA DE Instructor

I saw their list and they are mostly NTB and Firestone dealers which do not give me a lot of comfort.

Go check out one or two of the locations. In my area I can pay from $20 to $65/tire for 35 serries mounted and balanced. The $65 is my local Porsche tuner specialty shop. The other is a privately owned small garage. They both have the same equipment for mounting and balancing tires, so my $45 would not be going to the machinery.

I used to work at an NTB in my younger days (it was called NTW then). Usually, one of the managers would oversee or do the work himself on a more expensive tire and wheel combo. If something were to cause a loss to the store, it goes against the manager so they take more care when the hit could be substantial. I would go in and talk to the manager. You want to get it right, but not over-think it. Good luck.

I see you're a PCA member - you might consult the local newsletter and see of there's a local independent Porsche shop or two that have the equipment to do this... or use the newsletter for the listings of the region's officers - give one or two a call - their numbers are usually listed - and see if they can recommend someone... it's one of the great things about PCA membership - your fellow members are usually very happy to help.

Road force balancing is a must, though - hard for me to believe there's no one good in the Houston area for something like this...

brad

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21-year PCA Member
PCA DE Instructor

As Beez said, be sure and order your tires through Tire Rack by clicking on the banner on the home page to go to their site and then place your order and we will get a small comission to help the site!

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If you are in Lone Star PCA region then contact Burnell Curtis at bpcurtis@verizon.net who is president of the region for a recommendation.