Tires: where do you folks buy them?

[Astro14]

Last purchase was Michelin Pilot AS4 at the Mercedes Dealer.

When bought through the dealer, they include free mounting, balancing and road hazard.

The out the door price was competitive with the local tire stores, and they had them in stock.

Costco, Discount Tire and others didn’t have them in stock.

 

[wpod]

Costco.

 

[NormanBuntz]

I've had good experiences with my last two tire purchases at Discount Tire in Chesapeake VA. Two sets of four tires and new TPMS sensors at a very reasonable price with a wide selection.

 

[meep]

I’m a bit fickle. Right now it’s DT because they are well known for doing the best balancing in this area. But they are an hour from here and stay so busy that walk-ins see a 3+ hour wait. a closer one is being built and I’m interested to see if they do as good a job. With more teleworking and less driving, I don’t see new tires being needed for any of our cars for a long time.

 

[Astro14]

Costco.

I have been very pleased with Costco service and price.

But their stock is low, and they didn’t have what I was looking for, even when I called.

 

[BHopkins]

Discount Tire is hard to beat. Their prices are competitive, but their customer service is awesome! I could share many personal experiences that I have had, where DT has provided me service that I don't think I would have gotten elsewhere.

Only because the nearest DT is 40 miles away, I bought my last two sets of tires from more local shops. Both were just OK when compared to DT. I would not hesitate to recommend DT to anyone.

The only downside is DT only does tires. No alignments. No struts/shocks. No tie rods or front end repair. But I'm not sure that's necessarily all bad. I get tired of the upsell that other shops push on customers. I have never had an upsell experience at a DT.

Although I have been a Costco member for a very long time, I've never bought a set of tires there. For several reasons. First and foremost, they only carry a very limited selection. If you don't care what tires you are putting on your car, I guess that works. Second, it kind of bothers me that they fill tires with nitrogen. They loose a little lot of credibility with me, with that. Third, I've heard too many other accounts of others having to wander the store for a long time, waiting for their service to get done.

 

[wdn]

Sam’s Club and Costco. They offer the best prices anywhere on Michelin, offer free tire balancing and rotation as long as you own the tire, and a free road hazard warranty. Sam’s Club has a far bigger selection of tire brands and models than Costco.

 

[Rmay635703]

I rarely buy and mount in the same trip, usually wait for clearance tires, Walmart and occasionally Firestone will get a stack either discontinued or age clearance (2 years old)

Tires are tires, they seem to wear the same and I can get them for $25-$75 a tire brand new.

I buy them when I don’t need them (but under a year out) then wait until my treads are worn to get them mounted, very rare tires are on sale when I need them, lately given current supply issues I have bought 2 years out which is atypical but I’ll give it a try, bag tires, keep cool, dry and in a dark environment and they age much slower.

Very occasionally someone on Craig’s will get new tires (winter/summer) and have them leftover without mounting due to a wreck or sale, I avoid used tires.

 

[Sam_Julier]

I have bought from DTD, Tire Rack and Simple Tire. Since I know what I want it’s a matter of price.

That said I did have an issue with a set of tires from DTD. I called them, explained the situation and they sent a new set of tires free.

That made a big impression on me. DTD gets all my business now unless they don’t carry what I need.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Usually through work. But haven’t been able to get the tires my parents want for the Camry without a 6-10 week wait so I’m going to order online most likely. Went to BJ’s because they said they had them well got there and they said if they didn’t mount and balance them then there was no warranty or rebate so we told them no thanks because Sam’s stripped two wheel studs on our car last time and we don’t want that happening again there.

 

[CKN]

Sam’s Club and Costco. They offer the best prices anywhere on Michelin, offer free tire balancing and rotation as long as you own the tire, and a free road hazard warranty. Sam’s Club has a far bigger selection of tire brands and models than Costco.

Discount tire will match Sam's Club prices. Can't match CostCo specific tires however. I bought 4-275/55/20 Nexen Roadian HP/ XL tires mounted and balanced for $632.00-price matched at DT from Sams Club.

 

[Sayjac]

Since 2004, it's been Discount Tire. Have done price match from online sites many times. Always free to all USTMA puncture repair, and used treadwear warranty prorate a few times for new tires. Even road hazard prorated road hazard warrantied a couple OE tires. No reason to switch. And always pleased with the FOC 78% N fill.

 

[bullwinkle]

I used to only use Discount Tire, but they broke a stud 3 different times on 3 different occasions on my GTO even after I told them not to use impact tools, the last time they sent me to a shop (Christian Brothers) to replace the stud the tech banged on a very expensive DBA rotor and severly damaged it AND damaged my hub, so a $100 dollar stud replacement turned into a 2K rotor and hub replacement, needless to say i was extremely PO'd. I will never buy tires from Discount Tires again. So now its Costco or Tire Rack and I stand there watching to make sure no impact tools are used. I have been a Discount Tire customer since 1994, but never again even if they gave the tires away. F@%& Discount Tire.

All that for want of a set of torque sticks! I have a cheap HF set here, and when I recheck the torque with a torque wrench they’re on the money. Pure stupidity!

 

[mightymousetech]

Same. Order direct from the vendor. A couple times they let me pay directly with a CC, but usually through my work on a RO.

We have to order on an RO if it goes through the dealer, and pay the cost+10%, which actually does not save that much over regular retail price. There is very little markup on tires. Except when I buy my winter Nokian, because our supplier is in Quebec and they are not allowed to sell them in Ontario, so have to buy direct and pick them up. They won’t even deliver them to Ontario.

 

[SevenBizzos]

TR and have them shipped to my installer. They always have a better price than what he can do directly.

 

[doitmyself]

It seems to me in mid Michigan the mounting costs of mail-ordered tires makes them noncompetitive with local store purchase and mounting. My local stores have always matched and usually beat mail order outfits. Why bother with the additional hassle? I'm sure it varies with locale and tire choice.

I also have not found a local shop that I can patronize for outstanding employees. I have the impression that the tire installers are of similar quality to quicky lube technicians - i.e., they get through the drudgery of day in/day out tire mounting by the dozens to collect a measly pay check. New hires come and go often.

I ask, is the Walmart tire shop experience any better or worse than DT, Firestone, Belle Tire (MI chain), Costco, etc.? Discount Tire shops in my area always seem to be working frantically, even during slow days.

 

[bdcardinal]

We have to order on an RO if it goes through the dealer, and pay the cost+10%, which actually does not save that much over regular retail price. There is very little markup on tires. Except when I buy my winter Nokian, because our supplier is in Quebec and they are not allowed to sell them in Ontario, so have to buy direct and pick them up. They won’t even deliver them to Ontario.

We do employees at $5 over cost for tires. Tires are such a pain to stock and deal with, there is literally no money in selling them.

 

[GMFan]

Goodyear - mainly because they are everywhere around here and the service has been good. I pick out the tires on Goodyear website, schedule the time and location online and then I show up and they are installed. I usually try to wait for the buy 3 get 1 free, or free installation promotions. Had Goodyear MaxLife tires put on 3 weeks ago and so far I love them.

 

[Rmay635703]

My local stores have always matched and usually beat mail order outfits. Why bother with the additional hassle? I'm sure it varies with locale and tire choice.

I ask, is the Walmart tire shop experience any better or worse than DT, Firestone, Belle Tire (MI chain), Costco, etc.? Discount Tire shops in my area always seem to be working frantically, even during slow days.

One of my cars takes a strange size / type that must be ordered or you pay dearly.

I have always preferred having a shade tree mechanic do the tire mounts and repairs usually $10 and if you know one another you won’t get raped because of a plug or using a non-OEM tire size.
The shadetree I used to have would even delows the rim and install with inner tubes if it was necessary.

I just had Walmart refuse a rotation because one of my tires is 6 years old
I’ve had Walmart mount the wrong tires in the wrong spots leaving a bald tire with cords showing on because ma rules (they don’t like mounting 2 tires and can be dbags)

So Walmart is cheap and open when other places are closed, they usually are easier to get scheduled in an emergency and because a tire mount is simple normally get it right but you gotta watch and do your own retorques and checks to make sure nothing is F’d up
If you get to know who is working in your Walland auto shop some of the folks are much better than others, some care in the wrong way others in the right way and others don’t care at all.

The main reason I end up at Walmart is because literally no one else is open or available, price is nice but they can be a hassle, anything “complicated “ or not by the book best to have a real shadetree cooter to do work on your stuff.

It’s getting hard though to find anyone that wants to mount a tire or in some cases wants an extravagant amount for a simple service, so options are becoming much more limited, especially if you have a flat on a Sunday.

Comparing Walmart to other OEM tire shops is a toss up, Firestone f’d up my TPM sensors on 2 tires, even though Walmart can be slow some places have long reservation lists and have you drop off your car many hours.

I would recommend a real independent over a chain if you can but unfortunately you gotta know who you are dealing with even in a chain.

 

[doitmyself]

Thanks Rmay635703. I don't have any shadetree mechanic friends that do tire mounting and balancing. I had a good local shop I used for over 10 years, but my last experience with them was disappointing - questionable employee quality, reduced "caring", etc..

I'm back to square one finding a place that I can trust. I don't mind paying a bit more. We all know that anywhere you go, the quality is only as good as the person doing the work. It's not rocket science. Yet, the bottom of my car is crunched a bit due to use of the incorrect lifting point. Walmart, Costco, Discount Tire...... all seem to be luck of the draw to me.