Thread: Best place for tires...

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... for my Suburban.

I tried a bunch of places and wow have they gone up since I last bought tires.

I'm looking at BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/As (265/70/17)

Best price I can find for tires, mounting and balancing is $728.00.

Anyone know of a good place? Costco wanted $198 ea plus M&B
Belle tire and Discount tire are the same at $728. (M&B included)

or am I just a cheap bastard?

Really, I need new tires and with the new baby, kids and school and only
one of us working full-time it's a little tight.

Ideas? Suggestions?

looks like Tire Rack has a special right now for 265/70/R17 OWL (outlined white letters, ugh)
for $140 each...plus shipping to your location plus mounting at your favorite gas station.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

mike in tucson

By the time I got the Tire Rack supplied 'E rated' 18's installed on my F350 it was just under a thousand bucks for ho-hum Kumho's. This was a LOT cheaper then anywhere local. My heavy 5th wheel camper also needs E's as well, but that was only ~$775 for the 16's. And that was just this past spring for both vehicles

Anything under a grand sounds good to me - for four, plus m&b. The Yokohamas I put on my Tundra DD four years ago cost a buck sixty a copy then (same size you're looking at), plus 25 each for the m&b, at a local Discount Tire.

Welcome to the world of unintended (or are they?) consequences. Within the last year or so a new import tax on foreign made tires was implemented. Wonder if that will affect anyone's vote?

This kind of situation brings up a dilema for the observant consumer (see Mike's post on PAW for a derivative). You can get a better price from a sales outlet (ne: mail order) with a more favorable operational cost stucture than your local tire store, but, are you willing to live with the consequences? If the local store can't contain it's mandated expenses to remain competitive with the alternatives that the internet, especially, offers, his choices are to reduce costs in other ways (labor is by far the single highest operating budget item a small business has) and/or lower the quality of his product/service. I do business with a particular local tire store because the shop foreman knows how, and is willing to, mount specialty tires without gowing up the painted rim. How will an online vendor cater to that? Ultimately many will go out of business or leave for greener pastures depending on their business circumstances. That's when we end up seeing complaints about how, for example, we can't find a parts store with knowledgable help anymore. Or a miriad of other examples you can probably think of. This comes from decades of loading social costs on businesses, which results in higher employee costs that the consumers work to find an alternative to, while nodding approval when they don't see any direct impact on their wallet or lifestyle. The piper must always be paid, it just isn't always clear how.......at least not immediately.

The tire prices really bite! I put 4 on the Expedition not long ago (same size as mentioned above) - Les Schwab's best Toyos and and it was $1100. 80K warranty and nobody in the northwest stands behind tires like Les Schawab, i.e., free rotation, flat repair, etc...

I like them because it helps keep money local as all Les Schwab's are employee owned and they know me on a first name basis as I do all my tire business there for everything from the lawn tractor to the cars..

There are many on this site that remember less expensive tires - but as mentioned this is a consequence of shipping all our tire manufacturing to China and now being taxed to buy the finished goods. There was a time all tires pretty much came from Akron, Ohio and we all knew Goodyear, Firestone, BF Goodrich, Cooper, and so on.. I'm afraid those days are gone..

Ditto on no warranty - - - - however, I did find 4 Coopers in a 250 R7016 for $475 "turnkey" and the shop is working on giving a road hazard for $15 a tire in the near future so I'm waiting a few weeks to opt in.

I still buy mine (except for slicks) locally... Might cost a few bucks, but along with a set of four tires comes free rotations, rebalancing if I don't think it's right, and my money circulating within the community. Most stores around here will do the mount and balance for free when you buy 4 at a time--not so when you bring your tires bought elsewhere in for mounting!!! Wish he was a Hoosier dealer, then I wouldn't have to bother ordering slicks on the 'net! I've also discovered that a lot of the local stores are playing "match that price" on tires and wheels--with a bit of haggling!

I have had very good luck with all the Discount Tire Stores around. From mounting lawn tractor tires bought at tractor supply to at closing time my wife walked into a DTS and had a flat three blocks away at the local grocery store. A sales guy loaded her up and went and put the spare on at no charge. It was snowing at the time. Lets see the mail order guy do that! You think prices are bad now wait till the millions and millions of Chinese start driving cars and buying consumer goods competing with us for raw materials. We are seeing it now but it is the tip of the iceberg!

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

I still buy mine (except for slicks) locally... Might cost a few bucks, but along with a set of four tires comes free rotations, rebalancing if I don't think it's right, and my money circulating within the community.

Very good point, Mr. Dave, I also try and do that when possible.

I just put a new set of Michelin P265/70/R17 LTX M/S 2's on my Pickup last Saturday at Discount tire, and they were about $950.00-Michelin has a $70.00 rebate this Month, and my Wife bough a $30.00 Gift Card worth $100.00, so it came out to about $800.00-I get about 60K out of the Michelins, and they ride so nice-I highly recommend them-

No doubt you guys are right - Better service if bought locally.

I will call my local place I take my truck to for other services and see what they charge. The local Discount Tire and Belle Tire are pretty good prices after hearing what you guys have spent.

I was there one day when they were mounting some for a customer and they were wire brushing the rims and cleaning them up well. Looked like they took pride in their work. not just slapping them on.

Discount will usually match any other deal for the tires (not the sales tax, mounting, etc)

I have a handle on some "used" tires now. The guy is a wrench and was doing some work for my nephew.

They are BF Goodrich All-Terrain K/Os 285/70R17 with about 6,000 miles on them. My borther in law has seen them and said they are is "really good" shape. the guy is buying bigger tires for a lift he is putting on the truck and is getting new wheels and tires.

He wants $500 for them. (I think for the tires alone) What do you think used tires should be? I want to offer $400. Should I offer less or would $400 be fair? - I think at $500 they are overpriced, plus no warranty.

It comes to $125 each, I'm sure new they are about $180. (I'm checking on that now - Looks like they are $262 new at DTC)

Thanks!

Maybe he also has the paperwork to verify the milage. When I bought my 2004 RAM Discount Tire Offered me a warranty on the OEM tires at regular price. I took them up on it and did use it latter on. Those are tires they offer. Does not hurt to ask!