Lager tires void Cummins warranty!!

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I was at my local Dodge (5 star) dealer today to pick up a parts order. While there I decided to talk to the service manager about the possibility of them being able to change my tire size (rev/mile) in the onboard computer so that my speedometer and odometer would work when I put on my new tires and wheels. He said they had tried it twice and it wouldn't work. They are hoping for some new software in the future. Then he said "by the way you should probably be more concerned about voiding the Cummins engine warranty". I asked if he could be more specific and he told me that a larger tire size would most likely give Chrysler a reason to void the 100,000 mile warranty on the Cummins engine if I ever needed engine work. Once again this is a service manager at one of their 5 star dealerships. If you are listening Chrysler and want to dispute this, I would be glad to meet you at the dealership and discuss this in person with the service manager. Has anyone else been told this. What do you guys think??

Dave.

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99 QC SB 4x4 Auto
Factory Ordered
Most Options

 

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i think your service manager is a FREAKIN' MORON by putting on larger tires you will be effectively lowering your final gear ratio and in effect lowerin rpm at a given speed . if this is the case , how does making the engine turn at a LOWER rpm void your warranty ????

also what are they doing wrong ? what size tire are you going to ? when i changed my 245's to lt265's on my 98 1500 , the dealer was able to change the ratio in the computer with the drb scan tool and get my speedo to read correctly , it was off by 4 mph before as tested with a roadside radar speed limit sign before and after .

again another reason DC is on its way to bankruptcy #ad

 

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Dave, I agree with Mopar Muscle. Larger tires shouldn`t void your engine warranty or driveline warranty.

BTW: Abbott industires makes speedometer recalibration boxes. Simple 3 wire hook up.
Many members are running these to keep shift points, anti-lock system ect. consistant with larger tires. About $120

Home page: http://www.atrol.com/cx_era.htm#era

The last I heard they were still working out the bugs on the unit for the 4-wheel ABS equiped trucks.



[This message has been edited by HEMI®Dart (edited 10-27-2000). ]

 

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Mopa rMuscle is right - Tell 'em to go suck something!! I just put 305 70 16 on my truck and had to take it back for pulling to right side. (pulled before new tires) That Peckerhead told me to bring old tires up so they could do their TSB on my truck. They didnt even use my 245 tires they just replaced both calipers. They said since I didnt upgrade rims that it didnt matter. So I saved my old tires and drove them to the dealership for nothing

 

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I tell ya some of these stories are just insane! If that happen to me i would probly just snap right there the the shop. Id say go to a different dealer. I sure hope my truck never has to see a dealer again.

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2001 QuadCab,SWB,Auto, 4X4,4" Flowmaster Exhaust, Bosch 275 Injectors... ... ...
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4-Sale 1994 4X4 cummins, Two tone blue and silver,Auto, all stock 105k very well looked after
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Dave - I replaced my 245's with 265's and can't wait for them to wear out so I can return to the 245's. My RPM's dropped too much for towing. Another opinion!

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99' Quad 4x4 A/T LB 3. 54 30K Miles.
26' Terry w/slide 7500GVWR
"KISS your truck and it will be forever faithful"

 

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Tlippy, I was thinking of goin' w/ 265s instead of the 245s. Why do you not like the 265s.
Big A

 

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<font color=blue>Big A -

He says that they "dropped" his RPM for towing too much. He had a 3. 54 ratio with the 245's on the truck, when he went to 265's he lowered the ratio to 3. 42. And his feelings were that they "lowered" his RPM for his towing habits.

I have 4. 10 gear ratio on my truck and I tow absolutely nuthing, I got 4. 10 based on the fact I am going to be lifting the truck and putting 36" tires, which will then make my ratio 3. 60 or so with the new tires.

Hope this explains it... <font size=-2>

[This message has been edited by KatDiesel (edited 10-28-2000). ]

 

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Mopar-muscle-

From what I was told by Rickson and others, they used to change sizes using the scan tool but for some reason they aren't doing it now. I did call a dealer that the local Cummins shop recommended and they told me to come by and they would try their best to get it to take.

Hemi Dart-

Check out my other post under "Speedometer Correction" regarding what I was told is the latest info on the Abbott box. I will talk to them directly to see what else I can find out.

tlippy-

I am a big fan of KISS. I am going with the Rickson tires/wheels after much thought. The 245's have performed very well for me but they are pretty small looking to say the least. I have been stuck in a muddy field once already and don't want to repeat that. I have the 3. 54 gears but so do a lot of others who are using the 19. 5's. They report good results. Mine will be 33. 6" in diameter. I don't know about your 265's. How much of an RPM drop did you have?

I NEVER use the dealership where that service manager works (except for parts). That's where I bought my truck but after having to bring it back 3 times to correctly finish the dealer prep and talking to others I realized they have a terrible reputation. He was very specific though about Chrysler voiding the Cummins engine warranty if they found you have been running bigger than stock tires. I don't know how long he has been with Chrysler but he was there before I bought my truck more than two years ago and he is still there so he may have some credibility when it comes to warranty issues.

Dave.

 

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I suppose cancelling or voiding the warranty would be a mileage issue. The size of the tires, within reason, would not create damaging effects to the rest of the vehicle. However, larger tires and an unadjusted speedo mean that at 99K on the speedo you could be way over.

So I imagine it would happen that some smart plug would notice your oversized tires, calculate the "actual" mileage compared with the "true" speedo setting and then give you the bad news: "Sir your actual mileage is 107. 534K and your out of warranty. " If you can adjust the speedo properly then I suggest keeping those receipts with mileage on them ecetera cause you never know how desperately short sighted someone will be to save a few bucks for the company.

 

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Originally posted by Dave MacArthur:
Mine will be 33. 6" in diameter. I don't know about your 265's. How much of an RPM drop did you have?

<font color=blue>
Your ratio when going to your 33. 6" tires is going to be roughly 3. 21 If you were going to the 265's then it qould be about 3. 42, which is what happened to the gentleman above. Depending on what and how much you tow it may or may not be a problem. Didn't know whether or not you knew how much this will effect your ratio or not, just trying to provide some information.

<font size=-2>

[This message has been edited by KatDiesel (edited 10-29-2000). ]

 

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Hold on a minute. I'm at work right now (and can't access my Owners Manual to double check the following) however, as I remember reading, any tampering with the speedometer or systems affecting its accuracy is grounds for warranty denial. Think about it... adding larger tires say, like my 285s... increases the circumference of the tire about 7-8% (if memory serves). That would be the same as giving yourself a warranty extension of 7-8k miles over the life of the 100k engine warranty (assuming no speedometer correction). After reading it I said Ha! I did correct the spoeedometer with an Abbott E. R. A. Heck, I even had Abbott work up a special correction ratio for me that proved to be exactly right on (when the tires were brand new). After further thought on the subject, it appeared that DC could void my warranty (or parts thereof) because I added the correction device, thereby altering a speedometer parameter (I suppose this could be loosely construed as tampering)... even though I corrected an inaccuracy. Heck, it's more accurate now than when it was delivered to me by CC (pre DC).

Hey Tom, just purchase a VA CPC or one of the new Edge EZs to compensate for the tire change and resultant loss of power. Just a thought.

Warranty? What warranty? #ad
#ad
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..... I think my Infinity sound system is still under the extended warranty. . that is unless all the Dynamat I added voided it somehow. #ad


Keep in mind that I'm not even sure what I read in the Owners Manual could stand up in court against the Magnuson/Moss Act* if persued by DC however, they have much deeper pockets than any of us.

(* that's Massey/Ferguson Act for you Tom). #ad


I just thought I would add this into the mix... either way, it wouldn't have changed my decision to add the larger tires and Abbott E. R. A.

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'98. 5 2500 QC 4x4 Sport, Glasstite Vision II, 285 BFG A/Ts on M/T Challengers, Warn 4X Boards, Mopar fender flares & tow hooks, NW Custom s/s-rubber mud flaps, Mag-Hytec diff. cover & trans. pan, Edelbrock IAS shocks, Reese Titan V hitch, VDO Vision gauges, Dynamat, '00 Sport grille & valve cover, '00 Sport headlights/PIAA Super White bulbs, PIAA Dual Sport 900 aux. lights, BD exh. brake and TorqLoc, Prime-Loc, Amsoil Dual Remote Bypass, Optima Yellow Tops, Bosch 275s, VA CPC, (censored), Aeroquip braided s/s fuel lines, Banks 14 cm2 turbine housing/Big Head wastegate actuator, ATS 3-piece exh. man. , Banks 4" dia. s/s exh. sys. , BD V10/Cummins hybrid TC & valve body, BD trans. front pump & PressureLoc, Air Bulldog induction hood (with NACA ducts), plus MANY other trick modifications

 

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Maybe we're reading what the service manager guy was trying to tell you all wrong. Maybe in not so many words, we was trying to warn you about what we all know already, that DC will pretty much do anything it can to get out of warranty work. You know, kinda a #ad
#ad
thing.

 

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I wanted bigger tires on my rig when it was new and the service miss manager at my local dealer told me that it would void my warranty. BUT!!!!!!!! it seems that now every time I stop by the same dealer we have a new service writer. Everyone has a diff answer. Ive been told also by alot of guys on this web site that since this dealer cant seem to fix my fuel sender and my brake pull, I should try another dealer. . Well,,,,, as I said before, they change service miss writers and tech's weekly so I think that going to another dealer wouldnt apply in my case. Personally I think all dealer personel suck and so does Chrysler. They have NO customer support. I have the 7/100,000 warranty and it was a total waste of money. I feel that my Dodge is the worst excuse of a truck that Ive ever owned and I can only hope that this winter I have an accident that totals this thing and then I can sell it to the insurance co after I SUE the pants off Chrysler for giving it back to me countless times saying that my brakes are fine! For the record, I went to 265"s and the truck looks al9ot better. I got rid of that Dodge rollerskate look. As for power loss, I havent noticed any and I pull a trailer weekly. I have to because I depend on the trailer brakes to stop my truck in a straight line. The un named dealer in Chico Calif which I will leave un named, tho it wont take a rocket scientest to figure out the name CHUCK PATTERSON DODGE to figure it out, can pound sand! Thay cant even get an oil change right! 5 STAR MY A$$... I would rather take my truck to Wallmart or Pep boys and let the retarts work on it rather than let the dealer touch it! THIS IS MY LAST CHRYSLER PRODUCT. That really pisses my wife off since she really wanted a new DURANGO. . Ill buy a Suburban so I wont have to walk home where ever I go!!!!!

 

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I got a chance to meet the owner of the dealership where I bought my Cummins from a couple of years before the purchase. I had explained to him the fears of having my warranty voided by putting on big tires made me shy away from buying new trucks.

He assured me that I could lift and put 36's on any of the trucks purchased from his dealership. He said that they've installed lift kits and 36" tires for people that wanted them before they turned the key for the first time. He said that as long as the trucks aren't brought in for drivetrain warranty work,covered in mud, he sees nothing wrong with it.

I talked to him the day after I got my truck and he still confirmed what he told me a couple of years back. He even said that if the new service writer tries to give me any flak,to just get in touch with him and he'll take care of it.

He seems to be a staight foward kinda person. We'll see if he's just blowing smoke, if I ever have to take it in for warranty work. <font color=blue>

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'99 2500HD Quad Cab 4x4, Intense Blue Pearlcoat, Fully loaded w/Agate leather interior, 5-speed, 4. 10 Limited Slip, Skyjacker Leveling kit, Heckethorn Nitro 9000 shocks w/dual End to End steering stabilizers, 35x12. 50x16. 5 BFG/AT KO's on 9. 75x16. 5 Eagle 589 Aluminum Wheels, 9004 Cool Blue's, Silencer Ring removed, Fog Lights relay pulled, No muffler, No resonator, 4" straight pipe, Northwest Customs Stainless Steel Rocker Panels, Steel Horse Stainless Steel Nerf Bars, K&N Filter,Custom POWEREDGE W/HOT Programs 60/80/100+HP, Grover Air Horns, Autometer Ultra-Lite Gauges.

 

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That's total BS especially when I can go down to my 3 most favorite Dodge dealers in the area and find brand new 4x4 trucks sitting on the lot with aftermarket wheels and 285/75 tires. My dealer has never complained about my tires. If they do,I'll start pointing out new trucks on the lot and start witing down some VIN numbers.

Just remember one thing... it's not the modification that necessarily voids a warrany(unless it's obviously drastic),it's the service writer that finds it necessary to tattle to DC that there's been a modification.
Coming from a car dealership,I don't know why Dodge service writers tend to be jerks like this. They don't get any recognition from DC for blowing vehicle owners off.

-Mike

 

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I agree with you Mike however, I wanted to point out what I had read in the Owners Manual... and possible ramifications thereof.

Warranty... . I could give a RA! DC doesn't know the meaning of the word anyway. I'm my own warranty station and damned proud of it!

 

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KatDiesel, I tow a pretty good load. Do you feel the 265s are gonna change my trucks towing ability much?
Big A

 

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Big A, Ihave 285/75R16's on my truck and I regularly tow a 7,000 lb trailer no problem (even before I bombed). I do have 4. 10's but I have towed up to 30,000 lbs (off road - a front loader/back hoe on a trailer) with no problems. I wouldn't think twice about it.



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-Steve St. Laurent - President of the Great Lakes TDR
'98 QC LB (CMNSPWR), 4x4, ISB, 5sp, 4. 10 LSD, TST Powermax, 275hp RV injectors, SW fuel pressure gauge, BD exhaust brake, Isspro turbo temp monitor, front Draw-Tite receiver, rear Draw-Tite class V receiver, BFG 285/75R16 AT KO's, (all the common stuff clipped)

 

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<font color=blue>BigA -

Well I honestly can't say whether or not its going to hurt your towing ability. It all depends on your "preference" of which RPM's to run while towing.

In reference to Steves above post, he has the 4. 10 gear ratio and he mentions he runs 285's now. His truck started with 215's on the truck with the 4. 10 ratio. Once he went to 285's he is still sitting at a 3. 59 ratio. You will go from a 3. 54 to a 3. 42 ratio (assuming you have the 3. 54 ratio to start with and your stock tires were 245's). 3. 42 really isn't all that bad, but like I mentioned earlier it may not suit your "Towing preferences". If you have the 4. 10 to begin with then your looking at a 3,96 ratio so you'll be fine. I don't recall which gear ratio you have stock.

With where you live its a toss up, I know the terrain there because I used to live in CastleRock. (Founder's Village). How much weight are we talking here? Maybe someone that has done the same "upgrade" will chime in here with actual data on RPM's to help you decide.

Hope I helped explain it some more... ... ... <font size=-2>

[This message has been edited by KatDiesel (edited 10-31-2000). ]