Buying Car Tires

Kex

Well, I've just been buying tires for the old 2003 VW Golf. Poor car is still running on the original Goodyear Eagle LS, after 60K miles, and they're about done (rated for 65K, I think). They did fine. The only complaint I have is that I find the rear end jumps or slides about a bit more than I'm used to when going over uneven surfaces, especially when cornering. Of course, this might be something to do with the suspension, not the tires.

This car does not do anything much any more, just local stuff in L.A., 50 miles or less, and mostly less than ten miles, so there's no need for anything fancy. The most important consideration, IMO, is that it needs to handle rain well, since we frequently get no rain for six months and then a big hosing. Anyhow, I really wanted to keep this under $400 if I could, and even at Costco, it was going to cost more than that. So, I used this method:

(1) Find a trusted repair shop.
(2) Find cheap prices on eBay.

I ordered some Falken Ziex 912 from the Discount Tires store on eBay (100% positive reviews :eek: over thousands of transactions), which is cheaper than their official website pricing (www.discounttire.com), and I'm going to bring them to a local repair shop that was recommended by our trusty neighborhood mechanic.

Hopefully, I'll get the service quality and workmanship of a well established, privately owned and family run repair shop, not the sometimes shoddy work of some of the discount installers. They only charge slightly more ($90 installed and balanced, with valve and disposal fee), and I'm going to need an alignment too.

I was just wondering if anyone else has tried this method, or not, so I thought I would share my experience, since it has saved me about $150, and I feel more confident that the job will be done properly than if I had just gone to Sears, or some of the other nationwide chain installers.

TNRabbit

Best bet is WalMart or the like; you will pay WAY more than internet price over the life of the tires by not getting lifetime balance/rotation/road hazard when you buy them...

concealer404

I always buy mine from TireRack (RIP EdgeRacing), and get them installed by a buddy at Tires Plus.

I hope you like the 912s..... personally, i think they're completely horrid, and can't even handle my Escort.

But they might be ok in your area of the country.

Sherardp

Plus one for tire rack, they even shipped to me in Japan in like 2 days. Amazing.

everpress

Sherardp wrote: »

Plus one for tire rack, they even shipped to me in Japan in like 2 days. Amazing.

If you don't mind me asking what are you doing in Japan? I'd love to get over there, but with the industry I work in, I'm likely not going to be able to for awhile.

Kex

TNRabbit wrote: »

Best bet is WalMart or the like; you will pay WAY more than internet price over the life of the tires by not getting lifetime balance/rotation/road hazard when you buy them...

Actually, none of the Walmarts around here seem to have tire centers, but I did check any that were less than one hour away (I don't usually ever go ot Walmart).

I wasn't really interested in the lifetime balance and rotation either, really, since (a) the original tires never needed balanced in 60K miles, and (b) VW rotates them anyhow, apparently, during servicing, (which is every 10K miles), when they take the wheels off to check the brakes, so I don't pay extra for that AFIK. Since the original tires lasted well, and seem to have worn evenly all round, this method seems to be working fairly well.

Kex

Sherardp wrote: »

Plus one for tire rack, they even shipped to me in Japan in like 2 days. Amazing.

I checked them too, but they were more expensive in my case. Two day shipping to Japan is pretty amazing though!

Kex

concealer404 wrote: »

... I hope you like the 912s..... personally, i think they're completely horrid, and can't even handle my Escort. ...

Hmmm. Well, I hope I like them too! They seem well rated by Consumer Reports, and were cheaper than Michelin, so that's why I chose them.

First Falken tires ever for me. Before this, other than the OEM Goodyear Eagle LS, I have only ever driven on Michelin or Pirelli (the truck uses Kelly).

shack

I buy all my tires (for 5 cars) from Tire Rack online and have a local installer put them on. I save at least a $100+ everytime I buy tires over a local purchase/install.

concealer404

Kex wrote: »

Hmmm. Well, I hope I like them too! They seem well rated by Consumer Reports, and were cheaper than Michelin, so that's why I chose them.

First Falken tires ever for me. Before this, other than the OEM Goodyear Eagle LS, I have only ever driven on Michelin or Pirelli (the truck uses Kelly).

Let me make a suggestion for the next time....

Kumho ASX if you HAVE to get somewhat of an all-season. I'm not sure what Falken's direction or goal was when they designed the 912. It's not really good at anything.

jflail2

Another vote for tire rack. Unbeatable prices as a whole...

Kex

shack wrote: »

I buy all my tires (for 5 cars) from Tire Rack online and have a local installer put them on. I save at least a $100+ everytime I buy tires over a local purchase/install.

Do you use one of their recommended installers, or just take them to an installer of your choice that you like?

If I had used Tire Rack, I could actually have got Goodyear Eagle GT tires for about $45 extra (in total, after shipping). That probably would have been a very good option too.

heiney9

Tire Rack and I really like the Kuhmo for all season tires. Look as the ASX. I run seperate winter/summer rims and tires on my GTi so it's been awhile since running all season's. But if I had to, it would be the Kuhmo ASX.

H9

concealer404

heiney9 wrote: »

Tire Rack and I really like the Kuhmo for all season tires. Look as the ASX. I run seperate winter/summer rims and tires on my GTi so it's been awhile since running all season's. But if I had to, it would be the Kuhmo ASX.

H9

I run separates. Well.... separate cars. Bigass Hankook Ventus RS2s don't do so well in weather.

I've even autocrossed and run US129 on ASXs. They didn't let me down. Hands down one of the best performance-oriented all seasons, especially since they're entirely decent in snow.

nguyendot

I like the Fuzion ZRi's. Good traction, wear, and price. Replaced my Michelin MXM4's ($250 each!) which had horrible traction.

Just got a set of Goodyear RS-As to try out on the front. Soft ride so far.

I'm running 255/45/17 rear and 235/50/17 front.

shack

I bought a set of Fuzion HRis...horrible tires IMO I'll stick with Kuhmos.

nguyendot

The Zri's and the Hri's are night and day. I get awesome traction on the Zri's and they get very good reviews. For my size tire they are great. I'll probably buy a set of Kumho's too, I hear they're great.

Jstas

I can't really be of any help here 'cause I buy my own tires either from a local distributor or a place like Tire Rack and do the mounting, balancing and installing myself and then cruise over to the alignment shop. Then again, I have access to my own machines.

But the lifetime warranties come with many hitches. They also aren't offered on many tires, especially performance tires. Nobody will warranty tires for my truck. They also usually come with extra cost and most people will never use the lifetime warranty. It's just the business taking a gamble on it. For every 20 they sell, they get maybe 1 claim. Also, in many cases, those warranties get pro-rated.

Besides, places like Walmart typically do such a lousy job of it that it's just not worth it. Alot of the tire chains aren't much better. If you buy from a place like Tire Rack and take it somewhere, many mechanics with independent shops won't care that you didn't get the tire from them. When I was working at an independent shop, it was a treat when the customer had sourced their own tire. We had no warranty claims to deal with and everything got charged, including weights and valve stems so there wasn't any overhead except the electric bill. The only problem with a small shop is that they get to it when they can. You might wait a whole day for tires where as a national chain will have you in and out in a couple of hours.

billbillw

I've purchased 5 sets of tires in a row from TireRack and I doubt I'll ever do it any other way. Just find a local place you trust to mount and balance.

FYI: Tirerack has a list of shops (search by area) that will mount/balance their tires it lists the prices. You can even drop ship to the shop so you don't have to transport them in your car.

Willow

Jstas wrote: »

If you buy from a place like Tire Rack and take it somewhere, many mechanics with independent shops won't care that you didn't get the tire from them. When I was working at an independent shop, it was a treat when the customer had sourced their own tire. We had no warranty claims to deal with and everything got charged, including weights and valve stems so there wasn't any overhead except the electric bill. The only problem with a small shop is that they get to it when they can. You might wait a whole day for tires where as a national chain will have you in and out in a couple of hours.

We had to buy new tires about a month ago. I called around to get the best price and found some that were 50$ per tire cheaper. I called some shops around to ask about install/balance and alignment. A couple shops said they won't do it unless I buy the tires from them.

Jstas

Willow wrote: »

We had to buy new tires about a month ago. I called around to get the best price and found some that were 50$ per tire cheaper. I called some shops around to ask about install/balance and alignment. A couple shops said they won't do it unless I buy the tires from them.

That's because those guys are getting kickbacks from distributors. Those are also the same guys who will sell you new tires from companies like "Dezien" or "Chang-Chan" or some other company you never heard of.

Just because a few won't do it doesn't everyone won't. There are plenty out there that will. My independent shop used to do it all the time and we weren't alone. We had other shops sending the work over to us because they were backed up.

AudioGenics

I buy and support my local mechanic.
It is a small shop and he is a professional with years of training and experience.

rayslifecycle

I ordered from Tire Rack for hte first time recently as I wanted better tires then the stock ones for my wife's Saturn Ion3 - it was a great experience and I will always go this route.....

Here is how it went down:

2: 205/55R-16 Dunlop SP Sport Signature
In Stock
$89.00
total: $178.00

From the tire rack - shipped to a local shop in 24hours and installed in 48 hours by a tire rack recommended installer that was close to my wifes work:

Installer Name: PRO-IMPORTS (CC)
Address: 12343 CARROLL AVE, ROCKVILLE, MD 20852

Installation Costs:
Mounting and Balancing (per tire):
50-55 Series: $18.00

Additional Services (per tire):
Rubber Valve Stems: $1.90
Disposal Fee: $3.00

My wife dropped the car off at lunch and picked it up at the end of the work day.
The shop was incredibly professional and the tires are way better then the stock - especially in the wet....thank you tire rack.......

The whole thing cost about $250. with no hassles.

Sears wanted to charge $350 for their cheapest tires installed.
The Dealer was $325 installed.

Our mechanic was the one who recommended this course of action.....but of course he is a friend of mine.....

shack

The shop I use to mount and balance is on Tire Racks list of "partners". $10 per tire to mount and balance an $2 disposal per tire. I am rarely there for more that 30 minutes...and a couple of times I've been out in 20. They do a great job as well.

WilliamM2

(1) Find a trusted repair shop.
(2) Find cheap prices on eBay.

Don't you have a Discount tire in your area? I thought they were everywhere.

I've always gotten fantastic service from the one here. I had bought some Pirelli's from them 5 years ago, and had put about 25K miles on them. After picking up a nail in the same tire two weeks in a row (always fixed free, without the extra warranty), I told the guy I just wanted different tires, they were weather checking, and had developed a shimmy. I was perfectly willing to buy the new tires, and didn't figure they would do anything after 5 years, especially since the tires had absolutely no visible wear (90K warranty). He says "let me see what I can do", comes back with an offer for comparable tires, road hazard warranty, mounting and balancing, and tire disposal. My cost? $19.

Why not have them mount the tires?

Kex

Jstas wrote: »

... places like Walmart typically do such a lousy job of it that it's just not worth it. Alot of the tire chains aren't much better. If you buy from a place like Tire Rack and take it somewhere, many mechanics with independent shops won't care that you didn't get the tire from them. When I was working at an independent shop, it was a treat when the customer had sourced their own tire. We had no warranty claims to deal with and everything got charged, including weights and valve stems so there wasn't any overhead except the electric bill. The only problem with a small shop is that they get to it when they can. You might wait a whole day for tires where as a national chain will have you in and out in a couple of hours.

Well, this was my basic logic when I went this route. I wanted a good, careful job done, not necessarily the cheapest price (by the time you notice the alignment may be off because of uneven wear, you've already wasted 10K miles of tread life on your tires). The tires, however, are the same wherever they are bought, so discount sellers such as Tire Rack or Discount Tires on eBay sell the same product as anybody else.

Since this installer was recommended by the mechanic who works on our old truck, I'm hoping it will work out, and they are not much more expensive than anyone else, so it's totally worth the extra to me ... even if I do have to leave the car for half a day or a whole day (they're only about a mile or so away anyway).

Kex

WilliamM2 wrote: »

Don't you have a Discount tire in your area? I thought they were everywhere.

I've always gotten fantastic service from the one here. I had bought some Pirelli's from them 5 years ago, and had put about 25K miles on them. After picking up a nail in the same tire two weeks in a row (always fixed free, without the extra warranty), I told the guy I just wanted different tires, they were weather checking, and had developed a shimmy. I was perfectly willing to buy the new tires, and didn't figure they would do anything after 5 years, especially since the tires had absolutely no visible wear (90K warranty). He says "let me see what I can do", comes back with an offer for comparable tires, road hazard warranty, mounting and balancing, and tire disposal. My cost? $19.

Why not have them mount the tires?

They're called America's Tire here, I think, because there's already a center called Discount Tire Center, so yes: they are everywhere! The closest one is almost ten miles away, and with our freeway traffic, that can end up being an important consideration sometimes. It certainly eats up some of the advantage of very quick service. Also, since I bought the tire on their eBay store, it's not certain that they would honor the same "warranty" terms as they might had I paid the normal website price.

It does seem like you got excellent service, but when I see the slaves that work in some of those centers, that sometimes seem more interested in convincing you that you need to change your brakes and shocks as well as your tires, I just don't feel confident that they're being primarily motivated to do a good job. That's why I preferred to get a recommendation for a good privately owned, independent installer close to home. I've been getting such great service on our old 1994 truck from the local mechanic, at what seem like great prices to me, compared to the likes of Muzi Effin' Chevrolet in Boston (bandits! thieves! thugs! hooligans! grrrr! ...), that I feel a lot happier getting the same type of service for my tire installation and wheel alignment.

polkatese

America's tire is where I get all my tires from (replacements) for at least 7 different cars (including in-laws cars) in the past 10 years. Professional service, courtesy rotation, many locations (with the same great attitude from each one of them). With freeway driving, flat tires happened, and it is nice to have those free replacement tires program in place, since as you know, nails always end-up on the side wall(s).

xj4094dg

Kex wrote: »

Well, I've just been buying tires for the old 2003 VW Golf. Poor car is still running on the original Goodyear Eagle LS, after 60K miles, and they're about done (rated for 65K, I think). They did fine. The only complaint I have is that I find the rear end jumps or slides about a bit more than I'm used to when going over uneven surfaces, especially when cornering. Of course, this might be something to do with the suspension, not the tires.

This car does not do anything much any more, just local stuff in L.A., 50 miles or less, and mostly less than ten miles, so there's no need for anything fancy. The most important consideration, IMO, is that it needs to handle rain well, since we frequently get no rain for six months and then a big hosing. Anyhow, I really wanted to keep this under $400 if I could, and even at Costco, it was going to cost more than that. So, I used this method:

(1) Find a trusted repair shop.
(2) Find cheap prices on eBay.

I ordered some Falken Ziex 912 from the Discount Tires store on eBay (100% positive reviews :eek: over thousands of transactions), which is cheaper than their official website pricing (www.discounttire.com), and I'm going to bring them to a local repair shop that was recommended by our trusty neighborhood mechanic.

Hopefully, I'll get the service quality and workmanship of a well established, privately owned and family run repair shop, not the sometimes shoddy work of some of the discount installers. They only charge slightly more ($90 installed and balanced, with valve and disposal fee), and I'm going to need an alignment too.

I was just wondering if anyone else has tried this method, or not, so I thought I would share my experience, since it has saved me about $150, and I feel more confident that the job will be done properly than if I had just gone to Sears, or some of the other nationwide chain installers.

I always buy tires from www.tires-easy.com. They have your Falkens for 53.80 ea. plus shipping. I bought my Pirelli P4000 SuperTouring tires for my Jaguar from them for about 119.00 ea (great price!) and no shipping as their warehouse is near LA. I have a local guy that mounts and balances for 15.00 each. No problem.:D

lightman1

Buy the roundest ones you can get....Dingle-berry......


and I, too have had great prices and service from Tire Rack...+1

wizzy

Tire Rack ...

last set was Dunlop, made in America baby.