Re: Good place to buy tires?
TireRack.com is a great place to get information on tires, and their prices are good. TreadDepot.com is Kauffman Tire's warehouse operating out of South Atlanta--and is another great source of tires at great prices with good service. Discount Tire's website will push you to one of their retail stores, but will let you use their online store if they're not in your retail market. They're also good. I have not ordered any through Amazon, but I'm sure their delivery is prompt and smooth. I've been getting tires in 1-2 days after ordering by UPS.
I get my local independent tire stores to install tires @ $50-$60 total price--with no disposal fees, etc.
Sears has good tires, but with very high prices and tire disposal fees, etc. that drive up the ultimate price out of sight. Pep Boys offer 4 for the price of 3, but they're expensive after all their add on's--and limited tire brands. The national franchise stores for Goodyear are outrageously priced--I beat their prices by $50-60 per tire @ TreadDepot.com. Same for Firestone--their Bridgestone tires are very high priced for their quality. WalMart's prices are not at all low, but their sales are so high that they custom spec out tire treads and rubber compounds that you cannot get anywhere but there--and Sam's *********. Many of their custom spec'd tires are problem tires--and their service level is not bad. Go in there with wheel pressure sensors, and see what WalMart does to you.
I've purchased 15 tires in the last 18 months--and have been studying the tire trends out of necessity. My observations:
1. Prices are dramatically up on my 255-40-18" tires, with almost no big name, high performance tires under $200. Michelin, Pirelli and other premium tires are often north of $300 before add on's and installation.
2. Kumho, Hankook, Nitto and other Far East tires are taking much of the market--at prices up to $100 less than the majors. Quality is okay, but seldom are they really premium tires. There are a bunch of Chinese tires out there that are really poor quality--and some that are okay.
3. There are too many sizes of auto and truck tires. I'm sorry, but one shouldn't have to spend $600 to re-shoe their Honda Civic.
100 horsepower econoboxes don't need 16" and 17" tires, 45 or 50 sidewalls or ZR rated tires.
4. Hit a chuck hole with a 40 series tire, and you may be buying a new tire and/or wheel. I had 3 ruined tires in the last year. Have you priced a modern 18" aluminum wheel for a Lexus--$617 list price?
5. Low profile, high performance tires handle great for the first 15,000 miles, and then they deteriorate--often making humming noises. None of these tires last very long--despite their high mileage/high quality ratings, i.e. 450/AA/A.
6. The days of going into a tire dealership and getting tires installed in a hour are over. They'll tell you to come back tomorrow, so they can get the tires delivered from a giant regional tire *********r 100 miles away. There's no way any local dealers can stock 1000 tires.
7. Many $50-$80 AmEx gift cards and rebate checks arrive if you buy 4 tires of a certain brand.
The prices of your local tire dealerships can be beat $50-75 at a minimum online. You can often avoid all the disposal fees, shop fees, tire insurance and other pie in the sky expenses if you find an independent tire shop to throw on your new tires and balance them. I just long for the good old days when you got 60,000 miles out of a tire, and didn't require tires like they put on a Ferrari for your $30K sedan.
