Ordering Tires on line

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ben54

New member
Anyone order tires on line? I normally get my tires from Costco, but the ads in the magazines tempt me to buy tires on line. The prices seem cheaper, but perhaps there is a downside I'm not considering besides shipping.
 
Tire Rack is the way to go!

I've ordered more darn tires from them than I know what to do with over the last few years.

They are amazingly quick and friendly.

Ordered my last set of BF Goodrich Tires at noon on a Tuesday, and had the tires at my door by noon on that same Thursday.

Shipping is really reasonable too.


I'd highly recommend them.

www.tirerack.com
 
If you are going to order your tires online, just make sure you know the costs involved with unmounting your old tires and mounting/balancing the new ones. The price you pay at Costco, includes those costs.
 
Forgot about the mounting. I should check to see if that would be free to Costco members even though the tires are not purchased there. When I had a flat, I took the tire to Costco assuming I purchased it there. I was told that because I'm a member, Costco would fix it for free so I didn't need to prove I purchased the tire there.
 
ben54 said:
Forgot about the mounting. I should check to see if that would be free to Costco members even though the tires are not purchased there. When I had a flat, I took the tire to Costco assuming I purchased it there. I was told that because I'm a member, Costco would fix it for free so I didn't need to prove I purchased the tire there.
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If Costco doesn't mount and balance free, Tirerack will have a link to installers in your area. That's probably your best bet to find good price and service. At lot of tire shops will hassle you when you bring in outside tires and going to a full service repair shop is likely to eat away the savings you get from buying online.
 
I got my Hankook 404 winter tires from Discount Tire Online. Awesome deal and they had free shipping.
 
dalmore said:
If Costco doesn't mount and balance free, Tirerack will have a link to installers in your area. That's probably your best bet to find good price and service. At lot of tire shops will hassle you when you bring in outside tires and going to a full service repair shop is likely to eat away the savings you get from buying online.
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Being from a family that has a tire business, people who bring in outside tires are charged for the mounting and balancing, where it is included when you buy the tire there and I'd also suggest a new valve (if it's rubber) each time as they can crack and leak. There is very little profit in the tire business and most of the profit comes from the installation services. For aluminum and steel rims, they oxidize and or rust at the bead and need a little grinding while the tire is off to also prevent slow leaks, they can also use a bead sealer when needed and these are just some of the services you will get at a family owned store vs a Costco. Yes if you need a special tire for your car that can not be bought at a local place, by all means go online and a local place will usually know that they couldn't supply it, but remember if you have a problem with the tire, or a slow leak, you will have to pay again to have it checked out.
One other note I thought I'd share...radial tires need to be matched..same as the others on the car, and if you have a blow out and buy tires from a Chain store that changes and discontinues their tire inventory regularly (which is done by the mfg on purpose) you will need to buy at least two at a time to drive safely. The tires that come from the factory are easily matched and replaced at many retail tire stores that carry that brand. Mixing tire treads and types can be dangerous....
 
My experience with my local independent tire dealer has been that he is very comparable in price to the on-line stores. His prices are much less than the large chain or franchise stores as well.
He includes mounting, balancing, future repairs as needed, and rotation as suggested by the manufacturer. Good business man with excellent customer service.

He is also an installer listed in the Tire Rack directory of installers and does them with no hassle.:)

You might want to ask a few people in your area for recommendations for an independent dealer.

Charles
 
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I have used Tire Rack as well and even after paying shipping and a mounting fee, I have saved substantial money on every purchase. Fortunately I haven't had any warrantee problems. They also have a better selection of tires than I can get locally. In fact, I am having 4 tires delivered today from them. I like the review area on their site, plus if you have any questions, their sales people are very helpful.
 
I had a set of tires put on locally and they did cost a bit more, but every 5k miles I bring the car there and they rotate the tires and check the air pressure "on the house".

A few weeks ago I hit a pothole and blew out the tire, I had the road hazard warranty, new tire was on the next day.

In the long run it comes out cheaper to go to a B&M
 
I do almost all my own work and shop online for everything. TireRack is nice for evaluation and base pricing or getting something special that may cost alot locally.

For mainstream tires I use local/national tire chains that discount. Prices I have gotten online/local after install are less than 10% so not worth the difference to go online. Sometimes I negotiate.

Yes, I have had them rotate and fix leak for free. I'll do this myself also as I hate to have shops work on my vehicles.

(Why is everything they touch 200ft-lbs after it goes to shop???loose tie rod bolts / pitman arm ? more quarts of oil than capacity?? wrong tranny fluid <likely cause of failures>? Friend took big late model BMW in with "Check Engine" light on, shop distroyed engine and needed new block...go figure. I don't even know how they could do that except drain oil and let run. Something about water in piston 1...??? Shop agreed to replaced with used block..do you want THEM to do it ?)
 
one more note, i was just reminded by someone that I live in an area where there are many choices and tough price competition between stores. Tire Rack and other on line places may be better for some people who do not have the selection of stores and tires:)
 
glenncof said:
(Why is everything they touch 200ft-lbs after it goes to shop???loose tie rod bolts / pitman arm ? more quarts of oil than capacity?? wrong tranny fluid <likely cause of failures>? Friend took big late model BMW in with "Check Engine" light on, shop distroyed engine and needed new block...go figure. I don't even know how they could do that except drain oil and let run. Something about water in piston 1...??? Shop agreed to replaced with used block..do you want THEM to do it ?)
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:LOLOL
Not those guy, for sure. Actually I have found good repair shops, new car dealers, and tire dealers in my area. Just lucky, I guess.
There is no excuse for the 200 ft/lb lug nut tightening with the torgue limiting devices that are available today.

Charles
 
The way I see it ... The only advantage to tire rack is as follows...

Hard to find tires... IE: I just got 18x10.5" tires on the back of my mustang (Very Big Wide Tire) Local tire place told me that they couldn't get the tires for at least a week. Called tirerack ... found the tires I need they can have them delivered in 2 days. The cost with shipping ends up being the same exact amount as if I bought from the local guy and had them fully installed. Being that the Mustang is under her blanket ...and I am in no rush. I left the rims with the Tire guy... and told him to mount and balance the tires when ever he got a chance I was in no rush ... And he handed me a coupon for a free oil change!! (your not going to get that from tire rack!)
 
I wish I lived in an area that had more of a selection and some competition. I would much rather support local businesses. FWIW, I have saved anywhere from 15% to 25% (even after shipping and mounting) on all my Tire Rack orders. I also have found the greatest savings on high performance tires ("Z" rated, etc.).
 
GSRstilez said:
I had a great experience from TireRack.com

The rating systems helped a lot with my decision as well.
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Sean ... you bring up a very good point. The rating systems and the driver feed back are probably my favorite things about tirerack. You get that added input from people who are actually using the tires! Not just the Sales guy at the tire store looking at his profit margin!
 
i bought a set of tires at tirerack. i could not find one thing to complain about. they got to my door very quickly and i recieved what i actually ordered. i also save a ton of money. tirerack was $165 a tire when the local dealers were $300 a tire. id call that one hell of a deal.
 
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