Sorry guys, I need to vent.

Got a set of 4 Goodyear ATD2s on my 99 Ranger from Sam's Club as a
birthday gift last summer from the gf.  All my misgivings about
Sams/Walmart aside, it seemed like a sensible thing to do- I had almost
100K on the original Firestone Blowup Tires and they were hard as a
rock and dry rotten everywhere.  I have no complaints about the
Goodyears, really.  They look nice, ride relatively nice and quiet, and
are awesome in the rain and snow.

However, I've been back to Sam's club several times in the last 17K to
have them re-balanced.  Each time they tell me "oh yeah, there was XXX
oz. off on one of them", where "XXX" is usually 1.25 to 2.5 oz.  With
all due respect to these guys my own former experience in working with
tires suggests that 2.5 oz is kind of a *lot*.  More on that later.
Yet each time I'd take it to them, they'd do their thing and when I
drive away the truck would shake and shimmy just like when I took it
in.  Sometimes the speed at which it was most evident would change, but
usually it was 25, 45 and 65.

So after awhile I thought that maybe their balancing machine was out of
calibration, I had a bent rim, or a messed up tire.  These things
happen, and if any of them are the case I'm not upset at them or
anyone.  That's just the breaks.  So I took it to the local garage down
the road one day for an oil change, brake inspection and to have the
tires rotated.  I usually rotate them @ every oil change.  It's
probably excessive to do it every 3000 but it's been my habit for
years.  I also asked them to spin balance the tires too.  Different
machine, different guys, all that.  This isn't a quicky-lube place
either, it's a real honest-to-goodness and reputable shop.  Had them do
lots of work there and they do it well.  So the tech there immediately
brings me over to show me the right front on the balancer.  He let it
spin and it's definately out of round, with about 2" of motion.
Perfectly balanced, but shaped like an egg.  Ok cool, that explains
everything.

Took it back to Sam's, along with the invoice I got from my mechanic
which states that the right front was out of round.  Sam's said they'd
look at it.  But when they gave it back I got the usual "oh yeah there
was XXX oz. off on one of them".  I explained (nicely) that I wasn't
here for a re-balance, but that there was a defective tire that needs
to be replaced.  The woman behind the desk went back out the door and
talked with her guys at length.  Eventually she came back in and said
"Yeah, he says it's got a 'hop' in it but you just need to rotate it a
few times and that will go away."

I was speechless.  I stopped myself from just screaming at her at the
top of my lungs.  I left to go cool off.  Later when I spoke to them
they still maintained that lack of rotation is the reason for this
tire's condition.  Nevermind that I get them rotated every 3000, and
nevermind that every time they've balanced the tires they put them all
back on different corners than where they came off- sort of defeats
their own argument.  Problem is I can't prove anything after the fact.

I am formerly an ASE-certified auto mechanic myself.  Sure, I haven't
worked in the field for many years, but I *do* know a number of things,
tires being one of them.  I'm not trying to toot my horn or get up on a
high-horse, but when I talk with these guys, it really shakes my faith
in their abilities.  I mean this in the kindest way possible, but
either they're trying to bullshit me, or they are very mis-informed and
ignorant about the job they do.  I realise that's what I get for going
to Sam's and not a real tire store, but nonetheless here's my
connundrum.

I've tried to reason with them, and explain to them as kindly as
possible that rotation has everything to do with even side-to-side
treadwear and fuckall to do with the shape of the tire, and that out of
roundness is either a broken cord, damage from the tire machine or a
molding defect at goodyear.  Nonetheless, I am at their mercy, and
they've apparently got the power.

Of course these tires are Sam's-Specific, I can't just go to a Goodyear
dealer and work with them.  Of course there's no other Sam's with in a
hundred miles or so, and that'd be a pretty rough trip with the tire(s)
like they are.  At 65mph it's like sitting on a washing machine on the
spin-cycle, and at times it slightly affects the ability to control the
vehicle.

It's a real hazard, and something needs to be done.  I could *buy*
another tire from them for $85, but that means they 'win'.  I really
doubt that they deserve any more business if they're going to be this
incompetent.  I could continue to bitch and moan till I'm blue in the
face, but to be honest I'm not much for debating.  I don't like to do
it, and thusfar I've proven that I'm not very effective.  I could go
see if a real, honest-to-goodness tire shop can sell me the closest
thing they have to that tire.  Might make it handle funny, and once
again, I'm the one getting stuck with the problem.  Or I could buy a
whole new set of tires somewhere else and sell 3 of these to recoup the
cost.  I'd have a hard time selling the 4th one to anyone, at least not
without telling them what's wrong with it.

*sigh*

Sorry for the rant.  Any suggestions?  Am I being unreasonable?

thanks

-phaeton