Tire recs for aging car?

[Sunset]

I will run tires until they look like racing slicks.

That is what my front tires looked like on our 25 yr old Camry, while the back looked new.

So I got an alignment first.
Then the next week went to buy 2 tires, and they sold me on 4 since my tires were 15 yrs old !!

I hope my new ones last 15 years

 

[gwill1010]

The car is a 2011 Buick Regal, 2.4 liter 4. 106K miles. An adequate and serviceable but unspectacular 2nd car that will accumulate maybe 6K miles per year for about 3 more years. My wife primarily drives it around town and it gets some highway miles too. Needs new all-season tires (it came with Continentals and I replaced them with the same tires at about 50K miles.) Don’t know that I need to spend the bucks for a 3rd set. Just want safety and some ability in New England snow* for the remaining life of this car. Any suggestions?

* being retired, we won’t consciously go out in snow with this car but might get caught in it. Have an AWD Volvo if we must go out in snow.

Find a used tire store. So many people pull off perfectly good tires to put on new rims and tires.

 

[stephenson]

Know where you will be driving, then choose vendor. Uf local only, ever, then which big chain is easiest to get to for rotations, service, etc.

LOTS of good tires for moderate weight, low use cars.

 

[friar1610]

Thanks, all, for the suggestions and input. I’ll noodle on this for a bit and then decide which tires to buy.

 

[Ian S]

Get decent tires. Since you don't need them today, you can shop around. I'd go to Costco if getting 4 new ones, comes with alignment and you know you're getting the fair price.

My understanding is that Costco doesn't include wheel alignments with the sale of new tires.

 

[Texas Proud]

I also recommend Discount Tire... I believe it is American Tire in some states...


They list the tires as good, better and best... will rotate for free the life of the tire...


Reviews on their site... and also Tire Rack... you can get a good inexpensive tire, just remember that brand name does not mean much... I have had bad Michelins...

 

[CincyDave]

This can go on for ever ….if you want to have fun recommend an oil for your car .

 

[Ian S]

Consumer Reports does tire testing too. While they assign an overall score, they also rate on 10 individual items: owner satisfaction, dry braking, wet braking, handling, hydroplaning, snow traction, ice braking, noise, ride comfort, and rolling resistance.

 

[Slater]

That is what my front tires looked like on our 25 yr old Camry, while the back looked new.

So I got an alignment first.
Then the next week went to buy 2 tires, and they sold me on 4 since my tires were 15 yrs old !!

I hope my new ones last 15 years

your front tires looked like slicks while your rears were fine cuz you never rotate your wheels...
Its a must regardless what the fine folks on this forum tries to convince people....

 

[Koolau]

When I bought my old (used) Buick, I never even thought about the tires as they looked almost new. We drove that thing 5000 miles in the first summer on the mainland. We even drove from the Midwest to the Keys and back in 8 days. 75 mph for hours at a time. Still, not a thought about the tires.

The next summer, I was heading out on a long trip and, just onto the interstate, one of the tires simply shredded. Got towed to a tire shop and they said the tires were over 10 years old! The 12 year old car only had 70,000 miles on it.

My brief research showed that a local "elderly" couple (You know, about MY age now) had owned it. The man passed and the lady drove it occasionally until she quit driving. SO, I figure they had their retiree-travel-fun while he was living and then replaced the tires at around 65K (probably for the second time.) She drove it occasionally after he passed and hardly wore the tires at all. So for 10 years, she probably put 5000 miles on those tires (SWAG).

Note to self: Check the age of the tires when I buy next used car!

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

I live in the north east "snow" belt and I am OCD about winter tires. No so much for the OP, but I put studded snows on my 4WD/AWD vehicles.

Pretty sure I have NOKIAN TYRES HAKKAPELIITTA 9's on both my F150 and Bronco Sport Badlands: https://www.nokiantires.com/snow-winter-tires/nokian-tyres-hakkapeliitta-9/ (too lazy to go outside and look).

I want snow's that will get me where I want to go when I want to go.

For my summer vehicles, well I leave them in the garage.

 

[brett]

I never skimp on tires. Get the best tire you can find.

Agree wholeheartedly.

My perspective....the only thing between your car and the road is your tires.

Tires are not, IMHO the place to skimp. Ditto for brakes.

 

[Finance Dave]

I used to be a certified brake and suspension technician, and worked at a shop that sold tires. One option that you might try is to contact a few local tire shops and ask if they have any "new car takeoffs". It's a bit of a longshot, but worth a few phone calls.

What are takeoffs? When someone buys a brand new car, maybe they don't like the wheels and tires. So they ask the dealership if they'll put an aftermarket set on for them. The dealership contracts with a nearby tire dealer to do the swapover, and the tire shop keeps the stock tires that might have 10 miles or so on them. They are not legally allowed to sell these as "new" tires, so they go at used tire prices.

The trick is finding them in your size. Good luck!

 

[Andre1969]

Okay, I gotta fess up, I did something cheap. First, a little back story. My uncle recently died, and I'm inheriting his 2016 Colorado. I've been putting it into the vehicle rotation, but last week, the right rear tire went flat in the yard. It coincided with a sudden temperature swing, so thinking that might've had something to do with it, I pumped it up. But, it slowly went flat again.

This past Saturday, I jacked it up and pulled the tire off. It had what looked like a sheetmetal screw in the tread...basically one of those bolts that has a large flange around it, so it makes it more likely to stand pointy-end up, and pierce the tire. Well, I also noticed a pretty big gash that went from the edge of the tread onto the sidewall. My uncle bought the truck new in 2016, and these are the OEM tires, so I figured the tire is toast.

Well, today I ran to BJs, hoping to drop the wheel off, get a new tire, and pick it up whenever. They were incredibly short-staffed though, and didn't even want to deal with me. So, I was about to just run it to my regular mechanic, and ask him to order a tire and put it on, but then I remembered a place near my house that sells used tires.

Looking online, I figured getting this tire done, with a new tire, would be around $225-250...good LORD tire prices have gone up! But, I rolled into the used tire place, and the guy took one look at it and said "$120, plus tax and such". So, for $137 total, I ended up with what looks like a good used tire. And yeah, I know I'm taking a bit of a chance, but it's not like I'm taking this truck auto-crossing, or trying for a new speed record.

Here's one thing I can't figure out, though. The date codes on the OEM tires on my uncle's truck all read "0816." How in the hell did August 2016 tires end up on a truck that he bought in June of 2016?!

At least, I'm presuming that "0816" is the date code for "August 2016?" I couldn't find any other 4-digit numbers on the tires.

 

[JoeWras]

At least, I'm presuming that "0816" is the date code for "August 2016?" I couldn't find any other 4-digit numbers on the tires.

Nope. Gotta answer for ya.

08 means WEEK 8. So, these are late Feb tyres.

It all is good and makes sense now, no?

 

[Qs Laptop]

Looking online, I figured getting this tire done, with a new tire, would be around $225-250...good LORD tire prices have gone up! But, I rolled into the used tire place, and the guy took one look at it and said "$120, plus tax and such". So, for $137 total, I ended up with what looks like a good used tire. And yeah, I know I'm taking a bit of a chance, but it's not like I'm taking this truck auto-crossing, or trying for a new speed record.

I've gone the used tire route about 3 or 4 times in the past 10 years, all in situations similar to yours--an older, high mileage vehicle that had a tire ruined by a screw, nail or otherwise wrecked. The place I go to has a large selection of tires and I've been able to match the same tire brand and model with the existing tires on the vehicles. In another instance I bought two used Firestone tires with decent tread on them and picked the two best remaining tires to keep and round out the set.

I must say that $120 for a single used tire sounds kind of high, unless it was barely used. Then again, the last time I went in for a used tire was during Covid and it was $65. I suppose they've gone up quite a bit since then.

 

[gwill1010]

Here's one thing I can't figure out, though. The date codes on the OEM tires on my uncle's truck all read "0816." How in the hell did August 2016 tires end up on a truck that he bought in June of 2016?!

At least, I'm presuming that "0816" is the date code for "August 2016?" I couldn't find any other 4-digit numbers on the tires.

Absolutely nothing wrong with buying used tires for a car you don't drive much and/or don't know how long you'll keep it. I did it for many years on my 03 Expedition that had 100K miles on it when I sold it about 3 years ago.

 

[Aerides]

My understanding is that Costco doesn't include wheel alignments with the sale of new tires.

For members, it includes:

 

[Ian S]

So wheel alignment is not included. That's what I thought.

 

[Ian S]

At least, I'm presuming that "0816" is the date code for "August 2016?" I couldn't find any other 4-digit numbers on the tires.

As someone else stated, these tires are from the 8th week of 2016. As such, they are almost eight years old. Unless they have been carefully stored and protected from UV damage, most tire experts would question their suitability for continued use. Many say six years is the maximum life, others say ten with the proviso that they have been properly stored. I wouldn't trust them, certainly not at highway speeds.

 

[Helios]

The only thing with contact to a road is the tires!

 

[brett]

My Solara ragtop is 16years old. I only drive it in the summer.

It did not stop my from putting good quality tires on it.

I see no value and no saving in buying cheap tires. Buy on value, not price.

I am at a loss to understand why the age of the vehicle matters when selecting new tires. Should the emphasis not be on application, ie driving conditions, and how long you intend to keep the vehicle.

 

[DrRoy]

Think of it as insurance.

 

[wrigley]

So wheel alignment is not included. That's what I thought.

You mean front end alignments?

I don't know any place that includes front end alignments with new tire purchases.

Mike

 

[frayne]

I'm picky about safety and tires. The cost difference is insignificant compared to a spinout or skid from inferior tires. In your shoes, I would buy the better tires.

+1