Strategies for buying new tires?

[rockzilla]

Any ideas on this? I want to replace all 4 tires on my Camry. Key questions:

-Is brand important? I read michelin was rated highest for reliability, but those tires for my car are $85 each. But I''m willing to pay if they last longer.
-How much should they charge to install? One place I called wants $15...per tire! This seems steep, especially if I''m already buying all that stuff from them.
-Should I replace the spare as well? Or just keep one of the less-worn tires in my trunk in case?

Anything else I should think about? Someone said costco is a good deal but I don''t want to pay $50 for a membership....

Thanks,
RZ

 

[sna77]

Date: 5/12/2008 6:42:40 PM
Author:rockzilla
Any ideas on this? I want to replace all 4 tires on my Camry. Key questions:

-Is brand important? I read michelin was rated highest for reliability, but those tires for my car are $85 each. But I''m willing to pay if they last longer.
-How much should they charge to install? One place I called wants $15...per tire! This seems steep, especially if I''m already buying all that stuff from them.
-Should I replace the spare as well? Or just keep one of the less-worn tires in my trunk in case?

Anything else I should think about? Someone said costco is a good deal but I don''t want to pay $50 for a membership....

Thanks,
RZ

Check tirerack.com... they have the best tire prices by far... What size are your wheels 16"? 17" ? What climate are you in? In a Camry, you probably want a set of good all season tires.. Personally, I like Michelins... But be careful all tire companies make good and bad tires...

The safe bet is to buy the original tires that came with the car... Oh, and $15/tire is nothing for mounting and balancing... Plus you should probably get an alignment if you haven''t in a while...

Oh, just leave the spare as is... Is it even a full size spare? A spare should be just that--a sapre--dont worry or think about it--and certainly dont have a mismatched tire by mounting the spare to save $85...

BTW, $85 a tire makes me jealous... My car uses 18" performance tires... $250/tire... Plus $25/tire to mount and balance.. Oh and they only last 10k miles... but hey, I could outhandle you on the autobahn...

 

[movie zombie]

tires are very important....don't skimp. your life is more iimportant. i consider $85 per tire not to be high........

movie zombie

eta: i was taught that the original tires on a car were not necessarily the best. you have to assess your driving and buy tires to meet those needs. and don't be afraid to ask the sales people. or look in your car manual......and/or call the dealership.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

If you ever go on road trips, get the full-size spare, not a whimpy one. We got a flat while up in Whistler and luckily we had a hearty spare that kept us going up to the mountain and than all the way back down into Washington.

 

[miraclesrule]

I agree with movie zombie...it''s worth more money for your safety. Your life is riding on those tires. I always get my daughter a new set of tires for Christmas and windshield wipers. Not every Christmas, but every two or three. I''m sure she would rather have a diamond.

I don''t know if they have a Discount Tire where you live, but I always try to find the tires I want online and then call them because they have better prices than most tire dealerships.

 

[somethingshiny]

Two things:

Get the tire size recommended in your owners manual. A reputable place won't put on anything other than that, but it would be best if you knew the size too. It'll be listed as (for example) 225 75 16. The first number is the width of the tire that touches the road, the second is the profile or height from the rim to the outer edge of the tire, and the third is the rim diameter.

Secondly, all-weather tires are pretty much 3 season tires (if you live in an area where you actually have winter weather). All-weathers are a good compromise of what consumers generally want: wear slowly and quiet. The only time you need a tire with a heavy lug is if you have a lot of snow. They wear much quicker and are quite noisy, don't let anyone talk you into them this time of year.


If a tire's number begins with a T, it means it's a Temporary tire not intended for much use. So, if you pay for a full spare but end up with something labeled as Temporary, get your money back.


eta-I don't know how "less worn" one of your tires may be, and it might be fine, but if you didn't rotate your tires regularly, you stand the risk of throwing a belt if you use it as your spare. If your tires aren't rotated or are only moved from back to front but not side to side, the tire is worn in one direction. If the tire is then used to go the opposite direction, it can "throw a belt". A knot or a bulge usually appears in the sidewall of the tire. It can cause really hard vibrations and can be difficult to steer.

 

[iheartscience]

Do you belong to Costco? I got a great deal on tires for my Camry there a few years ago. I think they do a special sometimes where you buy 3 get 1 free or something similar. I assume Sam's Club would also have good prices if you belong to that.

If you don't belong to Costco or something similar I would call around to all the tire places and see what they offer. You could see if they know if they're doing a special anytime soon. I would also check the paper or those Value Pack things for any coupons or advertised specials.

I actually think I got all 4 tires for my Camry from Costco for around $220ish. I'm pretty sure that was the number because I complained about it for days! (I'm cheap unless it's clothes, shoes or diamonds!) That was about 2 years ago, though.

ETA that you know about Costco...I don't know, even if you pay $50 to join the prices might be better than any other place at $100 a tire!

 

[sna77]

all good suggestions above... Tires are extremely important when it comes to the safety of your car... As for the original equipment tires... Those are the minimum tire that I would put on your car...

Personally, I use winter and summer tires because I live in Boston... Summer tires are rated 0 for snow, and all seasons are terrible in snow, so I do the 2 seperate sets... However if you live in somewhere where it never really snows, etc, 4 good all seasons should be fine. Just make sure they are speed rated. I wouldn''t ever recommend anyone going with tires less than T rated, although I''ve never bought summer or all seasons less the V...

http://www.tirerack.com/


M 81 mph 130 km/h
N 87 mph 140km/h Temporary Spare Tires
P 93 mph 150 km/h
Q 99 mph 160 km/h Studless & Studdable Winter Tires
R 106 mph 170 km/h H.D. Light Truck Tires
S 112 mph 180 km/h Family Sedans & Vans
T 118 mph 190 km/h Family Sedans & Vans
U 124 mph 200 km/h
H 130 mph 210 km/h Sport Sedans & Coupes
V 149 mph 240 km/h Sport Sedans, Coupes & Sports Cars

When Z-speed rated tires were first introduced, they were thought to reflect the highest tire speed rating that would ever be required, in excess of 240 km/h or 149 mph. While Z-speed rated tires are capable of speeds in excess of 149 mph, how far above 149 mph was not identified. That ultimately caused the automotive industry to add W- and Y-speed ratings to identify the tires that meet the needs of new vehicles that have extremely high top-speed capabilities.
W 168 mph 270 km/h Exotic Sports Cars
Y 186 mph 300 km/h Exotic Sports Cars

 

[Skippy123]

Tirerack or Costco; we bought from both places. I like to talk to the tire guys in my area and get an idea of the best tires for your area (weather etc); go with very good tires like MZ said. You are in SF right no snow tires needed there right??

 

[dianne]

I just wanted to add something I saw on TV recently, on an episode of 20/20. Apparently, tires have a shelf life of 6 years but some places sell them well beyond that and they are, basically, dry rotted. This can be dangerous. It has happened to me, didn’t blow the tire, but it wore really strange and uneven (no wonder they were so cheap) and I finally got my newest set from the dealership. I know it sounds crazy to get tires from the dealership but I did check around and the prices were comparable with free tire rotations. Anyway, back to topic, the TV show stated you could tell the date of the tires by a code imprinted along with all the other numbers and codes found on the side of the tire….sometimes it is printed on the side mounted to the inside so you can’t see it unless you crawl under the car with a flashlight.

Here’s a link from the 20/20 episode for more detail, but basically you look at the last couple of numbers to determine the week and year the tire was manufactured.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/popup?id=4819387&contentIndex=1&page=1&start=false

3206 -- 32nd week of 2006
3200 -- 32nd week of 2000
329 – 32nd week of 1999, 1989…no way to tell which decade…you can only assume it’s 1999 but, either way, the tire is much too old to use, according to 20/20.
Here’s a news story about the family on the 20/20 episode.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-05122008-1532874.html

Be safe!...and I may start a new post with this same information to reach people who may not read this post....because I feel it is so important.

 

[rockzilla]

Thanks everyone!

I live in LA, so the winter tires are not that important But I definitely want to make sure they are good in the rain.

The reason I am replacing the tires is that my fiance got a flat tire driving my car a few weeks ago. I have a full size spare, so I have been using that (only drove it for 2 days since then, I'm in SF and not using my car). My thought is that I'll put the full size spare back in the trunk and then replace the rest of the tires. Would that be ok?

I saw a preview for that 20/20 thing - which is actually what reminded me to get new tires. I'll make sure I check the dates as well!

Thanks,
Rz

 

[somethingshiny]

Putting the full size spare back in the trunk would probably be fine, just check the date on that if you can. It can get dry rot even in the trunk.

Oh, and I forgot to mention $15 for mounting and balancing is about the cheapest you''re gonna find, even when buying the tire from the same place. And, check to see if they have "free rotations and balancing" if you don''t do that work yourself. Usually it''s worth it for most people.

A deeper tread is more stable on wet roads with less chance of hydroplaning, but you will generally pay more for them and the deeper the tread the noisier they are.

 

[Stephanie]

Tirerack is the best place, but you have to take your time and read the tests and reviews. Some of them may not apply to your driving style. Also, you can call the people that are putting your tires on and get prices from them once you determine the tire that you want. They may give you a better deal, or you could just say that you''ve found them on tirerack.com and see if they will match the price (it would save a few dollars in freight costs.) 15 per tire is more than acceptable, considering almost half of that is just to get rid of the old tires. A full size spare won''t fit in the compartment under my trunk, so I''ve never kept one there. Check the size to make sure it will fit.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Rockzilla, you''re in West LA, right?

I used to go to Costco for tires, but an automechanic hobbiest friend rather strongly recommended Flip''s Tires and I recommend them without any hesitation. Not only did they have a far greater variety than any of the chain stores, but the two times I did a price comparison, they came in at least 20% less... AND had my unusually sized tires in stock. When a pothole took out a tire, they were able to call in the *exact* match to my other tires and had it delivered from their warehouse in under 2 hours; we set up an appointment and I was in and out of there in 20 minutes. Best of all (and this might not be important to you), but as a woman I really liked how, umm, nice, gentlemanly, and non-skeezy the guys who worked there were. Very professional, yet still friendly.

They''re a few exits into the Valley off the 405 in Van Nuys. Let me see if I can find their info... Flips Tire Center, 7745 Sepulveda Boulevard, Van Nuys; tel (81 786 8686.

Hope this helps!
fleur-de-lis

 

[rockzilla]

Thanks FDL! I have narrowed down the tires I want from reading reviews/test results on tirerack.com (I think I am going with the Goodyear Assurance TripleTread, with the runner up being Michelin HydroEdge if anyone is interested...though it rains infrequently in LA, I really wanted to have that road-gripping capability) so I will definitely call them when I am calling around to get prices.

Van Nuys is a bit far (I am closer to westwood/century city) but if they are as good as you stay they are that could be worth it!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

LOL, the good news is that if you're able to drive there during non-rush hour (i.e. avoid late afternoon M-F when all the Valley-dwellers go home through the Sepulveda Pass), it's not that bad. My mechanic hobbiest friend lives near the beach in Santa Monica and I first became a customer when I lived in Brentwood, and I definitely found it worth the drive. (As an added bonus, businesses in the Valley tend to be less expensive than those in 310. Less money spent on tires = more money to spend on cute peep-toe shoes.) Of course, it's one of those "proof is in the pudding" things; I'm guessing that if/when you call them yourself and ask about their prices and see how helpful they are, you'll pretty quickly came to the same conclusion about them that I did-- namely, you'll start sending all of your friends and random fellow PS'ers to your little "hidden find"!

 

[chiefneil]

Another vote for tirerack. One other thing you might consider with them is using a local mobile installer affiliate. They''ll have a list of installers for your address on their web site. I''ve ordered a couple sets from tirerack and used their local recommended mobile installer both times with good luck.

It''s very convenient to be able to sit around at home while your tires are installed, vs sitting in a tough plastic chair in a lousy waiting room somewhere. Also $85/tire is pretty reasonable. That''s just about as cheap you''d want to go, I think. Tires for DW''s SUV run around $125, and for my car the tires I like are about $200 each.