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How critical is "lug-centric" balancing?
Although this is the most accurate way of balancing tires, it is very time consuming, and may not be worth the extra cost. The only time we use this method is when the pilot hole in the wheel is off center enough to cause a problem. As Glenn said, a computerized balance using the hub-centric method is about as good as you can get.
What about the dealer that uses five lug holes?
It is imossible to use 5 lugs to balance an 8 hole wheel. They have to use an even number of lugs, such as 2 or 4. If this dealer says he uses 5, I would be very leary.
And, are there ST235/85R16E tires with sidewalls that function as well as ST's?
Since LTs are readily available, which would perform well? (We would, of course, replace all five.)
Other than the two brands above, are there others that we should consider? Maxxis? Prolex? Uniroyal? Cooper? Firestone? PowerKing TowMax?
IMHO, any name brand LT is better than most of the ST's. My personal preference, and what I have on my Montana is a Bridgestone Commercial LT. Just make sure the load rating is adequate for the application.
Maxxis, Firestone, Uniroyal, Cooper, Goodyear, and BF Goodrich are all good brands, and are usually available nationwide.
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