Buy tires local, or get them online?

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kballowe

kballowe

Joined
Oct 26, 2005
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Location
East Central Missouri
I'm looking for a 195/50-15 and nobody around here stocks them. Most will have two or three in a 195/55-15.

Several places are touting buy 3, get one free and other special deals but when you pay attention to the fine print, it certainly doesn't come out any cheaper.

So, if you buy online then where do ya get them mounted?

Anybody do this?
 
What's the application? Maybe looking for another size will help...

A quick search on Tire Rack for recommended installers near Columbia returns a bunch of results - the first thing I'd do is call your shop of choice and see if they'll accept and mount drop-shipped tires.
 
i put alot of thought into this, my problem is if i have a issue with a tire, i want to throw my spare on, and go to the shop that i purchased tires and my warranty, tell them fix it, and a short time later drive away. dealing with sending tires back to online sites just poses waiting issues in my opinion, not only that but in my area, and im sure in most areas, when i buy the warranty i get free balance and rotations for the life of the tires, this is worth its weight to me, if i loose a wheel weight something doesnt feel right, ect.. i just drive in and tell them to "fix it".. you cant just drive in to online tire shops.. sure you may save a few dollars, just not worth the savings to me. im sure others have different takes on this, its just my two pennies
 
Hello, Lots of shops, if not all of them, will. It's work for them. Simply go and ask. Don't fret that you'll offend them. I would ask friends who have some brains to see which shops do a good job mounting tires in general. I'm nowhere near you but I had great luck with a small shop on a side street. Super smooth. Remember, not every shop balances tires. ALSO, for a few dollars more, consider having them "road force balanced". That's where a 1,600 lb. force (approximating the weight during a turn) is applied to the wheel while it's spun. Contact Hunter Inc. and ask who has one near you. It's how I found the one near me. Kira
 
I used Tire Rack once to buy some Corvette tires and saved quite a bit, but it would have been a hassle if I had a problem with the tire to work with a "remote" replacement. Discount Tire mounted them for me at a nominal charge and while I was there, the tech mentioned they will do a price match against Tire Rack (Tires.com is Discount Tire's web portal).

So I now get the price from Tire Rack and go to my local Discount Tire and they match it. This is better to me because when/if I have a problem with the tire I am dealing with a local company and not a remote one.
 
When I buy online tires I take them to Walmart for mount/balance BUT tell them no new valve stems they charge $2.00 per tire for it. Last years was $10.00 plus tax per tire. Also they charge extra if you want them to dispose old tires.
 
I buy tires local and offline. It depends on what tire I am looking for.

For my Rx-8, I ordered 4 tires from Tire Rack and had a local shot mount them.

For my Lincoln, I went to the local Firestone where I got 6mos interest free financing.

So, if you want the absolute cheapest tire, online will more than likely win.

But your local firestone/goodyear/ect. . . may be running a 6mo-12mo interest free financing. Something to consider. . . .
 
Well I just found a local guy that has Hunter equipment and doesn't even sell tires. Evidently he's semi-retired and works out of his house. He has a road-force balance machine.

Looks like I'll be giving him a call tomorrow.

Thanks for the replies.
 
The last time I bought tires I found Tirerack was much cheaper than any local place. I printed out the cost including shipping from Tirerack.com and brought it into the local Discount Tire store and they matched it. I feel better about buying local since if I have an issue I know they will take care of me. Buying online is a bit more risky, but I have done it a couple of times in the past when buying rims at the same time.
 
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
DTD has good prices and the last set of tires I bought had the $50 Visa gift card promo.



+1
 
We have bought 16 tires this year alone!

All from DTD. Great pricing, great service.

BTW, we get all our mounting performed at any Tire Kingdom store. The one time we had a defective tire it was promptly replaced and the old one picked up at no charge. Then they even reimbursed us for the extra mounting/balancing.

What's not to like?
 
I used to buy tires online all the time. Last year my local shop told me they would price match anybody, be it another store or online.

I feel better going through my local shop knowing I won't have to deal with dismounting a bad tire and shipping it back if a problem comes up.

You should call around and ask, I bet most shops these days will price match just to get the business.
 
Just so you know where I am coming from: I work for a major tire manufacturer - in the warranty area. I am very familiar with all the problems with tires after the sale.

I'm a fan of buying locally. The guy that sells you the tire sees you as a customer and will act accordingly. They will frequently cut you slack on warranty that the tire manufacturer won't. That is not to say there aren't tire shops that will treat you badly - and you should avoid those - but it's unlikely.

If you buy online, the local guy won't see you as a customer and may decide you need to take your problem somewhere else. No amount of persuading fromn the tire manufacturer is going to make this independent business man change his mind. I've seen people with legitimate problems have to drive 20 miles in a major city to get warranty done - just because the local dealers refused to deal with someone who bought tires online. I've even seen folks who live on remote areas not be able to get warranty work done locally.

The way Tire Rack handles warranty is that they will ship you a tire and charge your account for it. You return the tire to them (I think at your expense) and when it arrives, they will determine if it is warrantable (or not) and credit your account (or not!). Needless to say, this can sometimes result in difficult situations.

So I am a fan of buying locally. You can usually work a deal with them. But be prepared when you walk in. Know what brands he carries, and what you have in mind.
 
Originally Posted By: kballowe
I'm looking for a 195/50-15 and nobody around here stocks them. Most will have two or three in a 195/55-15.

Several places are touting buy 3, get one free and other special deals but when you pay attention to the fine print, it certainly doesn't come out any cheaper.

So, if you buy online then where do ya get them mounted?

Anybody do this?


Everything depends on where you live and how much hastle you want to put up with. If you live near a W*M store with a car care center, they will install anyones tire for(in my area) $16.50/tire and throw away your old tires.

This price includes...mounting, lifetime balance and rotation, new valve stems and disguarding your old tires. Some states require a $2.50/tire, tire disposal which can total $10.

I have been buying tires online for ~8yrs now and saving a "TOTAL" of ~$120-$150 per every set of 4 tires "out the door"(OTD). Another reason that I buy online is that we have 4 vehicles and sometimes more.

But, keep in mind that I live pretty close to everything(doctors, hospitals, malls, grocerys stores, service centers etc.) so it's little effort to drive anywhere. And, I have time to do these things so, should I have an issue which is almost never, I'll take the time to get it fixed.

You need to weigh your options. If I only had one vehicle, I may buy localy...Or not!
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: JustinH
Its nice to save that 8.75% on a few hundred bucks.


Yeah, it would have been nice to save the almost $60 that I paid in sales tax for the Nokian WR G2 SUVs on the RAV4, but Tires By Web is in Lansing...
33.gif
 
hi! i am not sure i know enough to answer! i got 4 new wheels and 4 new michelin tires from tire rack. i brought to my local garage, and for very little cost, they mounted them.
the wheels and tires are great.

the next time, a week ago, i brought the tire rack price to my local good mechanic, and he said he could not match the price. so, for 4 michelins, i paid an extra $120 or so to buy from him. the new tires are wonderful.
i respect the opinion of the guy who works for a tire maker, and said to buy locally.
 
Capriracer makes a great point...

And I have done both. Tires on the truck were bought locally. Nokians on the XC and the MB are not available locally, so they were bought on line and mounted/balanced by the local mechanic (my next door neighbor's shop). Tires for the T5 were bought from tire rack and mounted at that same shop, since he didn't carry the Conti's that I wanted...

So, even if I buy on line, the local guy gets my business with mounting, balancing and repair...and usually, an alignment at the same time...
 
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