I needed tires soon, bought on SALE

[97guns]

I just grabbed a set of tires for my car, don’t need them right away but I’d say within the next 6 months, may swap em out earlier and squeeze $60 or so out of the old set on Craigslist

245 45 18’s for $312 from discount tires direct on eBay, I’m getting $24 from eBay rebates, $6 cashback from cc and a $100 Visa card from discount, works out to $182 for the set $45 a tire

 

[REWahoo]

This isn't Craigslist. No "for sale" ads.

 

[omni550]

This isn't Craigslist. No "for sale" ads.

I think he's just crowing about the good deal he got!

97guns,

I hope you've someone inexpensive locally to mount and balance them for you...as some garages near me charge a bloody fortune.

omni

 

[zinger1457]

I hope you've someone inexpensive locally to mount and balance them for you...as some garages near me charge a bloody fortune.

omni

If you have a local Discount Tire they will mount/balance them for ~$20/tire which included TPMS.

 

[97guns]

$60 for all 4 to mount and balance, I’ve bought all my tires online for the past 20 years.

 

[latexman]

There are all kinda tires out there. What tires did you get for $45/tire?

 

[ponyboy]

$45/tire can be had all day long throughout the year for your standard run of the mill car. Not really a deal...not to mention you then get to load the tires yourself in your vehicle and take them to a garage to have installed. Sounds like a hoot.

I always swap mine out during black friday. Walmart usually has decent specials and they install on the spot. Not all walmarts have auto centers though.

 

[street]

That is a great buy! I have not bought on line for tires but I have been told when you go to get them installed they will charge a lot because you didn't buy tires from them.

So if $60 covers the install and balance would that bring the price per tire to $60 right? That is very good.

 

[Dawg52]

I buy a lot of stuff online but not interested in hauling around tires to a shop to have installed. I'll gladly pay more. Most places around here give you free tire rotations when you buy their tires. That reduces the net cost over the long haul. I know some will say they rotate their own tires and I did that when I was young. No more.

 

[Car-Guy]

I guess I'm on the other end of the spectrum for this thread. Personally, I shop for tires based on things like quality/capabilities first, price last. Same with the brakes on my cars.

 

[97guns]

That is a great buy! I have not bought on line for tires but I have been told when you go to get them installed they will charge a lot because you didn't buy tires from them.

So if $60 covers the install and balance would that bring the price per tire to $60 right? That is very good.

Yes, works out to around $60 a tire mounted, they are Nankang, made in Taiwan. My last 8 or so sets have all been Asian brand, some not so grippy and some were great. In addition to Nankang I’ve used Falken, Kumho, Toyo and Ohtsu, this will be my second set of Nankang, last time I bought an American brand of tire was an $800 set of Michelin’s in 1997

I might be strange but tires are actually one of the things I enjoy looking into and buying, I actually get kind of excited when the time comes to buy tires

 

[jazz4cash]

Never thought I'd buy tires online but I've had pretty good experiences so far at TireRack. I'm picky about tires. I can't say if the OP's price is great without knowing the brand but the online stores do have some clearance specials. The shipping is the catch (e.g. do they have a warehouse nearby or regular shipping to your location). They have approved installers with set pricing (usually $12-16/tire for wheels 20" or less). The installers are the regular retail stores so I wasn't sure how well they would treat me since I bought my tires online. No problem so far. Or you could have them shipped to your house. Last set I bought was shipped to AAA Auto Care and they charge $54 per set to mount and balance w/ lifetime rotation.

 

[W2R]

I actually get kind of excited when the time comes to buy tires

When the time comes to buy tires, I get excited but not in the good way. I get angry because of the cost.



Good deal, I guess! I don't know anything about cars, but I have a tire dealership that gives me a decent price on good tires. Of course, I pay more than you did, but I trust that dealership to sell me quality tires, and I don't have to get tires very often.

 

[mystang52]

I guess I'm on the other end of the spectrum for this thread. Personally, I shop for tires based on things like quality/capabilities first, price last. Same with the brakes on my cars.

Me too.

 

[freedomatlast]

I have also found that Discount Tire Direct will sell tires cheaper on ebay than on their own website. I recently bought a set of Hankooks from them on ebay. These are some of the best, quietest, and smoothest riding tires I have ever had. I used to by Michelins exclusively, but their quality has recently gone down hill in my experience, and most of the 'name' brands now manufacture in China anyway.

My local guy will dismount, mount and balance for $5.00/tire if you bring the wheels off of the vehicle. This isn't a hardship for me since I would re-torque the lug nuts with a torque wrench anyway since most tire shops will not take the time to torque the lug nuts properly to the manufacturer's specification, even though they claim they do.

 

[ERD50]

Never thought I'd buy tires online but I've had pretty good experiences so far at TireRack. I'm picky about tires. I can't say if the OP's price is great without knowing the brand but the online stores do have some clearance specials. The shipping is the catch (e.g. do they have a warehouse nearby or regular shipping to your location). They have approved installers with set pricing (usually $12-16/tire for wheels 20" or less). The installers are the regular retail stores so I wasn't sure how well they would treat me since I bought my tires online. No problem so far. Or you could have them shipped to your house. Last set I bought was shipped to AAA Auto Care and they charge $54 per set to mount and balance w/ lifetime rotation.

+1 on Tirerack and having them shipped to one of their authorized installers. The guys who did that get the rest of our car business now anyhow. Great web site, actually makes it easy to select, based on your preferences (snow/ice, miles, handling, noise, etc)

I know someone who owns a fleet, gets all their tires through Tirerack.

Great selection, very knowledgeable people. If I bought from ebay, I'd be worried about how old the tires are. The rubber does age, and I think they say now replace at 6 years if you have low miles. If they are selling tires that sat on the shelf for two years, it might not be a great deal.

-ERD50

 

[97guns]

I have also found that Discount Tire Direct will sell tires cheaper on ebay than on their own website. I recently bought a set of Hankooks from them on ebay. These are some of the best, quietest, and smoothest riding tires I have ever had. I used to by Michelins exclusively, but their quality has recently gone down hill in my experience, and most of the 'name' brands now manufacture in China anyway. .

Never tried hankook, almost bought a set but went with kumho’s, gonna be mounting up my second consecutive set of Nankang. I was looking at a set of coopers and found out they were China made. China tires have actually improved a lot since I’ve followed them for the past 20 years, if you go with a name brand China/Asian tire they are usually pretty good. they have been in business for a long time and some are OEM for car makers, it’s the off brand China names I would not consider.

 

[eytonxav]

When buying tires need to be careful of the date they were manufactured. Tires could have been on the shelf for years.

 

[Janet H]

When buying tires need to be careful of the date they were manufactured. Tires could have been on the shelf for years.

+ 1. Good advice.

 

[REWahoo]

+ 1. Good advice.

+2

A few years ago I was hanging out in the tire department of a big box store while my car battery was replaced. Out of curiosity I started looking at the date of mfg codes on the tires stacked up on the racks. I found some more than 6 years old, meaning they were at or near the end of their useful life.

I won't buy any tire more than six months old.

 

[calmloki]

Another Tirerack online fan. One of their approved installers is a tire/alignment/race prep shop I trust bigly. Same crew for years and years, same location, they are just very very good. I have the tires shipped to them and they do the install. I like digging into the tire specs and various tire noise, wet and dry traction, revolutions/mile, customer reviews... all that good stuff. Tires aren't cheap, but they are the point of contact with the road.

 

[freedomatlast]

If I bought from ebay, I'd be worried about how old the tires are. The rubber does age, and I think they say now replace at 6 years if you have low miles. If they are selling tires that sat on the shelf for two years, it might not be a great deal.

-ERD50

The tires I received in January 2018 from Discount Tire Direct, purchased through ebay, were manufactured in November 2017. All four had the same date code and balanced with very little weight required.

 

[38Chevy454]

I buy a lot of tires from Discount Tire. I find the store will almost always price match the Discount Tire Direct prices, and with exception of ebay-brand rebates like ebay bucks, the other rebates are also valid. So not had to deal with the ship to me and then install later. If the tires are a special order, then just wait for them to come in to the store and I go get them mounted.

Sorta kinda related, Discount Tire has a great road hazard warranty program. Not too much extra money upfront, and they replace with a new tire, no pro-rated funny business. Works great on my trailer tires, seems I never get a full life out of one of them before it has an issue. I have also used for car or truck tires, such as when a object too close to sidewall for flat repair.

 

[CRLLS]

I too have purchased from TireRack. If you purchase a tire/wheel combo, they will mount and balance the tires for free, leaving you the easy job of just putting them on the car. That is a great deal for winter tires.

I recently purchased a set of tires from a local Firestoneplace. They matched my TireRack pricing on the exact same tires including shipping and taxes. I was surprised.

 

[jazz4cash]

I buy a lot of tires from Discount Tire. I find the store will almost always price match the Discount Tire Direct prices, and with exception of ebay-brand rebates like ebay bucks, the other rebates are also valid. So not had to deal with the ship to me and then install later. If the tires are a special order, then just wait for them to come in to the store and I go get them mounted.

Sorta kinda related, Discount Tire has a great road hazard warranty program. Not too much extra money upfront, and they replace with a new tire, no pro-rated funny business. Works great on my trailer tires, seems I never get a full life out of one of them before it has an issue. I have also used for car or truck tires, such as when a object too close to sidewall for flat repair.

Good point about road hazard coverage. TireRack has free coverage on most of their items. I have some not so careful drivers in the family fleet and lots of lousy roads.