Selling My Beloved Genesis Because Of Tire Scarcity

[Doc W]

It's 10am Monday morning as I type this, and we've been stuck in this motel since Saturday afternoon after a sidewall failure on one of the front tires (245/40ZR19) on our 2015 Genesis 5.0 Ultimate. Santa Rosa, CA is a suburb of San Francisco and you'd think tire availability would be good. . . and you'd be WRONG!

All the tire shops in town don't stock this size, and it's the same story with all Hyundai dealers within a 100 mile radius. The big tire chains (Les Schwab, Big O, Discount Tire, Walmart, Costco, etc) tell the same story, and consider this to be an oddball size. Further, they all mumble that the sidewalls are very weak and that frequent failures are expected from potholes and running into curbs. Two replacements are being dispatched by courier from SF, and they should arrive late this afternoon.

What makes this frustrating is the fact that the EXACT same thing happened when one of the rear tires blew out last weekend in Kingman, AZ. That also required an overnight stay, while replacements were dispatched from Las Vegas.

My wife is beside herself, and is convinced our beautiful car is cursed. And frankly, I'm starting to agree with her.

This trip has cost us a small fortune due to unanticipated motel expenses, tire purchases, delivery fees, etc.

The bottom line is that I'm going to sell the car when we return from this trip. We simply cannot travel in a vehicle which uses tires that are so scarce.

So thanks, Hyundai, it was fun while it lasted. We absolutely love the car, but can't afford these tire-related issues.

Doc

 

[Comp1]

I'm so sorry for your experience. Unfortunately this is becoming all to common with modern cars today. Manufacturers are skimping on spare tires and jacks to save weight to increase fuel economy and we the consumers are paying for it. I refuse to buy any car that does not include a spare tire and jack. A can of goo with a sidewall blowout is not the answer. I only have 5 months to go with my Ultimate and can't wait to get rid of it because of tires and suspension. While the car and the technology is wonderful the weak link with this vehicle is the suspension and tires. Hope you are enjoying an early glass of wine to get you through the wait. Best wishes for a speedy return to the road.

 

[BARRYW]

It's 10am Monday morning as I type this, and we've been stuck in this motel since Saturday afternoon after a sidewall failure on one of the front tires (245/40ZR19) on our 2015 Genesis 5.0 Ultimate. Santa Rosa, CA is a suburb of San Francisco and you'd think tire availability would be good. . . and you'd be WRONG!

All the tire shops in town don't stock this size, and it's the same story with all Hyundai dealers within a 100 mile radius. The big tire chains (Les Schwab, Big O, Discount Tire, Walmart, Costco, etc) tell the same story, and consider this to be an oddball size. Further, they all mumble that the sidewalls are very weak and that frequent failures are expected from potholes and running into curbs. Two replacements are being dispatched by courier from SF, and they should arrive late this afternoon.

What makes this frustrating is the fact that the EXACT same thing happened when one of the rear tires blew out last weekend in Kingman, AZ. That also required an overnight stay, while replacements were dispatched from Las Vegas.

My wife is beside herself, and is convinced our beautiful car is cursed. And frankly, I'm starting to agree with her.

So change to a different brand or size tire. That is not the only tire that will fit that vehicle. Getting rid of the car because you do not like the tires is pretty lame.

 

[2for1]

I usually buy my tires online. This is what tire rack has to offer

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Tire...9&rearWidth=255/&rearRatio=40&rearDiameter=17

 

[VegasG2]

Ya, seems as tho one could buy a set of aftermarket tires and wheels for less than it would take to change vehicles.

 

[glennk]

A larger tire was chosen for the rear to alleviate traction issues with the V8. As some one else pointed out, you should change brand and/or model of tire. The ProContact TX's that Hyundai used were designed to be quiet, thereby choosing a soft sidewall and tread made this possible. BF Goodrich G-FORCE Comp-2 A/S, Continental Extreme Contact DWS06 and Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ are just a few tires that are excellent replacements.

 

[1FstYota]

What caused the sidewall failure?

 

[jimmygez1961]

i switch to dsw06 way better then the stock tires

 

[Rick5086]

I know the feeling. I spent an extra night at a hotel in NJ, when I had a sidewall failure on a rear tire. Not one of four local Hyundai dealers had a tire, so I had to wait until Monday when the tire distribution warehouse could deliver a Continental Pro Contact in 275/35-19. The installer also noted that mi car had 16,500 miles and the other rear tire was close to the wear bar. Really poor performance for these tires.

 

[MNgen]

Me... I'd put on the spare and drive to the nearest Discount tire or equivalent in another city. Bites to replace all 4 at 19k but its the right decision and an easy one in your shoes. Discount tire had new Falkens for me in one day and I love them. Dealerships dont stock tires, never will.

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[Aquineas]

I do understand your frustration, and I'm sorry you're having that experience. I got lucky a couple of years ago when I blew out both passenger-side tires outside of Memphis (on my way to Chicago). The Hyundai dealer that my car was towed to had both tires in stock. Nevertheless, I completely understand the conclusion you've come to. Being out-of-pocket for unexpected overnight stays really sucks.

 

[SuperKing]

Weird, I've never had problems getting tires. What I had a problem with was the price of the OEM tires. After the first blowout, I swapped over to the DWS06.

My first blowout happened when I was driving down to Portland from Vancouver, BC. Hit a pot hole on the i5 in Vancouver, WA. I changed the tire (let me tell you, you haven't lived until you changed a driver side tire on the i5) and drove to the hotel. Called the Hyundai dealer the next morning and they were able to get OEM tires or DWS06 in 30 mins from the distributer. This was a small town Hyundai dealer in Vancouver, WA (in hindsight, I should've bought them in Portland and saved on taxes). I had to call an Uber to Ruth's Chris the first night but I was able to enjoy the rest of my vacation.

I also had to change the tire on the same wheel 6 months later because a pot hole made a decent size bulge in the sidewall. I've come to accept that this will continue to happen with big wheels and thin sidewalls.

 

[Seejay]

I replaced the OEM Michelins (MXM4 Primacy I think) with Yokohama YK 740 GTX. Not much in the way of potholes in Houston, but right now, the place is littered with nails and fasteners from the remediation work caused by Harvey. So far, so good. The tires are rated at 100V load index, so the sidewalls are stiff and slightly degrade the ride. They are very quiet.

 

[jarred52]

I refuse to buy any car that has two different size tires, no matter what make. The improvement in traction is not worth the potential problems and cost to me.

I also keep a matching full size factory wheel with tire (not always the same brand tire) along with the appropriate tools to change a flat. The last 3 cars that I've owned had enough space in the factory,s "donut tire" hole for the full size spare.

 

[PMCErnie]

I'm planning on dumping my Genesis when the ashtray gets full.

 

[VegasG2]

i'm planning on dumping my genesis when the ashtray gets full.

hahaha

 

[cj428cj]

I have a 2015 Genesis 5.0 and I've also had two sidewall blowouts due to hitting big potholes. Fortunately I discovered that if I lift up the carpet in the trunk, there's a jack, a lug wrench, and low and behold, a spare tire that works on either the front or the rear. My downtime in both instances was about 10 minutes.

In the first instance, I placed an order for a replacement tire through Tirerack. It showed up on my doorstep the next day. In the second case, I took the ruined tire to Big O. They called up Tirerack for me and had the tire replaced using Tirerack's complimentary road hazard warranty. Overall, it was a pretty painless and relatively inexpensive experience.

 

[greekgeek]

I'm planning on dumping my Genesis when the ashtray gets full.

Ha! Seriously though, doesn't the roadside assistance cover the overnight expenses? I bought an extra OEM front rim and tire, full sized spare. Great peace of mind for road trips although might be overkill, the donut in the Genny is about as nice as they come.

 

[Aquineas]

I refuse to buy any car that has two different size tires, no matter what make. The improvement in traction is not worth the potential problems and cost to me.

I also keep a matching full size factory wheel with tire (not always the same brand tire) along with the appropriate tools to change a flat. The last 3 cars that I've owned had enough space in the factory,s "donut tire" hole for the full size spare.

I also replaced my donut with a full-sized spare.

 

[lobsenza]

My suggestion would be to buy a front OEM rim (new or used) or an aftermarket equivalent. Mount the front sized tire on it. This rim and tire should fit in the spare tire well (I think). it will fit front or rear