If you are purchasing a set of tires and wheels from a "discount" tire store, well needless to say you get what you pay for...
You should establish a relationship with a tire dealer, most reputable shops are more than willing to allow the customer to measure stagger before and after, Record the date codes etc. JMartz wrote:"I doubt any tire shop will balance your wheels 1st before mounting tires on them." All you have to do is ask the tech to verify eccentricity (run-out) and balance of the wheel prior to installing the tires.
They may charge you extra to do this (I've never been charged extra when I asked politely), but it's well worth the added expense (if any).
Additionally, you can have your tires dismounted from the rims, and take them home (or to another shop) to have the wheels checked for run-out and Dye Penetrant (or magnafluxed if steel) inspected. Jmartz wrote: "W/o the eccentricity data then there is no way the tire would be be mounted on the rim as you suggest to minimize rolling vibration". Tire manufacturers provide that data as temporary markings on the sidewall, and installation proceedures specificly for the purpose of cancelling run-out in the tire / wheel combo.
Some on-line retailers (like TireRack.com) already provide this service as standard proceedure. When ordering tires, you should ALWAYS specify to the sales agent that (if purchasing non-directional tires) the date codes are all the same, along with the Tire Mold Coding.
This gives you your best shot at getting tires that have the same circumference (stagger). The date codes are especially important as the rubber compounds start oxidizing (aging) from the moment removed from the mold. If you choose tires with large differences in date codes, you're only asking for trouble. Pay Attention to these codes. If purchasing directional tires, or different tire sizes for front and rear, you still need to specify that the build dates are the same or similar.
And then you will need to verify the circumference prior to the tech mounting the tires (as described in the original post). Again, establish a good relationship with a reputable dealer or shop, if purchasing race tires, the sales / installation techs expect to do the above already. JMArtz wrote:"These are things that maybe happen at a NASCAR garage or at your own if you were wealthy enough to own you own tire changing and balancing machines. " Actually, these are the proceedures I follow when buying tires; doesn't matter if for my daily driver or for my race karts or one of my sports cars, and you don't have to own "expensive equipment" to do much of what is described. A set of run-out guages and an accurate tape measure and something to record the data on. Of interesting note is that many tire shops (including the discount shops) are offering nitrogen service now, for all of their customers.
If using one of these shops, make sure they evacuate the mounted tires PRIOR to servicing with nitrogen. Lastly, you get what you pay for, especially when it comes to purchasing tires and wheels. Most important is that you educate yourself and know that DOT and other government agencies require specific data as a permanent record / part of the tire markings. It's only to your advantage to be aware of what these markings are and what they mean. Be an Informed Buyer, politiely ask for service, and you'll be pleasantly surprised how the shop "bends over backwards" for you.
Don't be an uninformed dumba**...
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