Rooster2 Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I have been shopping around for tires to see advertised prices at Discount Tire and elsewhere. On line stores like Tire Rack and many others sell tires on the cheap. I am trying to figure out if there is any savings. Sure, I see lower tire prices, and perhaps sales tax can be avoided, but when you add in tire shipping costs, and installation cost at a shop that will mount and balance the tires, then the cost looks the same between on line sales, and just a regular purchase at a tire store. I also have concern about customer service on tires bought on line. What if they shipped a new defective tire, how much hassle would there be in getting the defective tire issue settled? Who pays to have a defective tire returned to the on line store? How responsive are on line stores to solve customer service problems?? Anyone have experience, and stories to tell about their experience of buying tires on line?? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluedotsnow Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 tirebuyer.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I had no problems with a set of tires sent to me, mounted on new rims, from Tire Rack. They also helped me find some hub covers that were somewhat rare after I lost a couple. I also saved about $16 once on a set of tires at my local Discount Tire when I quietly asked the sales guy to match the Rack. Got a little savings after they calculated the shipping/tax differences. personally, I have no problems with TireRack, but there certainly IS potential for a hassle. I also really like DT - they have always treated me, my daughters and other relatives right. The one problem I had there, they handled just fine in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 I had no problems with a set of tires sent to me, mounted on new rims, from Tire Rack. They also helped me find some hub covers that were somewhat rare after I lost a couple. I also saved about $16 once on a set of tires at my local Discount Tire when I quietly asked the sales guy to match the Rack. Got a little savings after they calculated the shipping/tax differences. personally, I have no problems with TireRack, but there certainly IS potential for a hassle. I also really like DT - they have always treated me, my daughters and other relatives right. The one problem I had there, they handled just fine in the past. I continue to buy from Discount Tire, but am careful. A new friend used to work as an installer tech at DT, and told me horror stories about their counter sales guys. He said those guys work on a salary + commission basis, which I have no trouble with that. However, he said their sales guys can get too aggressive to SELL SELL SELL. This can translate over to selling tires, when current tires on a car are still good for many more thousand miles. I have learned to be careful to not get taken advantage of at DT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLsubedrivr Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Just recently completed my first on-line tire purchase! Don't laugh, us mature Baru guys still get excited using the inter-web. Bought a set (4), General artic winter tires, after the discounts and pre-paid gift cards I paid about $59 per tire, shipped. (discount tire direct). The tires arrived within 3 days of order, 2014 dot stamps and full of ID stickers and labels. Their sales guarantee is very comprehensive, so even though a return would require some shipping effort, everything else seems comparable to a local purchase after mounting. I did have to shop around to find a friendly tire guy for mounting & balancing and that expense still kept the cost below any local price with the free mounting included. BTW, I had a clean set of empty rims,(no tires on), and got the mechanic to mount, hi-speed spin balance and new valves for the full set for $40 cash, not put on car. He was actually happy to do a clean, easy tire job and had them done in about 20 min. He was also shocked at the "no brainier" price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I've bought a few sets, including a set just a week or two ago delivered. I've never had problems, but I'm sure it's wouldn't be fun to deal with if needed. I don't think I'll ever do it again. Small savings, small hassle, the possibility of dealing with a return, and I might as well support mechanic next to where I work - great guy who inspects my cars. But if you can get a good balance price, have no local leanings, and aren't terribly concenred with the odd warranty scenario, then yeah why not? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 (edited) About the same for me as Grossgary. I have dealt with my local tire store over thirty years. First their father and now his son. They charge me no mounting or balancing fee. Plus the tires I purchase usually only end up being around $5-10 more each than Tirerack's web price before the shipping. They inspect our vehicles and even will change the oil for $10 if I bring the oil and filter. Plus they are a fuel distributor that allow me to fill my Brat up with non-ethanol regular at their fuel terminal!!! Even if I could save $10-20 a tire I would still buy from them. Edited November 18, 2014 by bratman2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Tirerack is good and you can use their price to make sure the Local shop is giving you a reasonable deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 Thanks for the testimonials........all good advise. Pretty much what I surmised.........maybe a few $ in savings, but somewhat of a hassle in doing so in transporting tires to an installer, and concern if ever a warranty issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThosL Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 The brick and mortar shops realize how competitive the business is with the online sellers so have come down on their prices. Last time I paid around $80 per tire installed for three, and kept one of the tires on that was not that badly worn. Later I found a virtually new tire relatively cheaply. I would also explore the used tire option; some times you can get a nearly new set mounted and balanced for a lot less. With the price of petro coming down, eventually that will translate into cheaper tires, motor oil, etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 The brick and mortar shops realize how competitive the business is with the online sellers so have come down on their prices. Last time I paid around $80 per tire installed for three, and kept one of the tires on that was not that badly worn. Later I found a virtually new tire relatively cheaply. I would also explore the used tire option; some times you can get a nearly new set mounted and balanced for a lot less. With the price of petro coming down, eventually that will translate into cheaper tires, motor oil, etc.. Where do you shop for used tires?? Most tire shops I have been to, no longer display used tires on racks for inspection. Yea, sometime, I have bought used tires from a wrecking yard, but haven't seen much available lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 (edited) Where do you shop for used tires?? Most tire shops I have been to, no longer display used tires on racks for inspection. Yea, sometime, I have bought used tires from a wrecking yard, but haven't seen much available lately. Since the Ford Explorer issue , fall-out has been the TPMS in new cars, and a reluctance on sellers to deal with older used tires, certainly used tires 6-8 years old are much less available since the Fed 'guidelines' and NHTSA 'warnings' . Not sure what the current state of the issue is, but shops are reluctant to even repair and older titre. Yes, you can still find them, but 'reputable' shops won't risk litigation that may come from selling/patching an older tire. Edited November 18, 2014 by 1 Lucky Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 used tires - craigslist, call around to shops - there are lots around here that sell used tires a few of which advertise on craigslist. used takes a lot of time to find a good deal, prices are absurd. i saw a set of Blizzacks today for $250 with 4/32" tread....that's terrible. $100 to mount and balance and you're at $350 for crap tires which already have all the snow tread gone, barely over the legal minimum in a state that has yearly inspections. unbelievable, but that's common with used tires too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlmagnum Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 I usually buy from a local online store so that if there's any problem I can easily contact them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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