thinking about ordering tires from tirerack...

[fenixus]

hi,

soon i will have to get new tires for my '00 solara (need to finish some testing of engine first) and honestly i do not know any decent shops nearby that carry the selection of tires i like. so far used firestone for new bridgestone potenza G009 (94H 460AA) tires over 3 years ago. they did good job (including alignment), but bridgestone tires are worn out, was slippery last winter.

do you guys get tires off tirerack.com ? i've seen they have real good prices on tires and carry best selection of tires I've seen so far hehe.

I really like their Dunlop Sp Sport Signature H&V (94V 460AAA) tires! it's even $1 lower per tire than OE Dunlop SP Sport 4000 A/S (92H 340AA), and much better ratings!

now my questions:

1.
how much do local shop charge per tire to get wheels done (new tire, balancing, recycling of old tire, etc.) ?
i assume it might be cheaper to use their source of tires as they can offer some deal (4th tire free, etc.)

2.
how much is shipping cost from tirerack ? any problems with package size, LOL ? (sorry hard to imagine for me yet hehe)

[Camtheman289]

I can tell you that I just got 4 new tires +installation at a local shop down here in South Florida for $290 and $60 for an allignment. That was about the cheapest I could find around me. The fee for them to recycle it was like $14 or something, no biggie. They aren't the best tires in the world, but they should get me 30,000 miles which I am extremely happy with. I'm sure you can find a full set for somewhere around that price.

Also, I know Pepboys was doing a buy three tires get the fourth one free deal. Not sure if that is still going on.

[ONE_to_HATE]

when i ordered my tires, they just nylon-tied it by the pair and gave me 2 tracking numbers.

usually about $20/ea. for mounting/balancing/disposal

[fenixus]

yeah, i will surely ask my smart muffler shop guys, but i would like to know first how much i would have to pay total if ordered from tirerack.

EDIT:
didn't notice second post....

how much for tirerack shipping cost ?

thanks for input!

[fenixus]

ah i see ... got it, thanks!

ups ground $42 for 4 tires, so $350 shipped plus ~$100 for the job ... and alignment ... hmmm wondering if firestone could put them on for me ... i trust them more in this case than local muffler shop (heard they didn't do the best alignment job for some)

[carsrus]

If you have costco/sams club around you check them out first. I got 4 michelins installed with everything for 295. Free lifetime rotations/balancing and flat repair. Thats a price that's basically impossible to beat if you factor in each rotation costing about 8$. T

heyre maybe a tad more than half worn and ive put 30k on them. Michelins bite down good in the winter too.

[heartdisease]

Originally Posted by carsrus

If you have costco/sams club around you check them out first. I got 4 michelins installed with everything for 295. Free lifetime rotations/balancing and flat repair. Thats a price that's basically impossible to beat if you factor in each rotation costing about 8$. T

heyre maybe a tad more than half worn and ive put 30k on them. Michelins bite down good in the winter too.

I have bought two sets of top rated Michelins from Sams. They were the only place besides Costco that had them and we have no Costco. I will never again buy Michelins from Sams.

They are not the same Michelins you get from a reagular shop. That is why they only sell them there they are made to their specs. They had an 80k mile warranty. How long does it take to put 80k on a car? These were on my wifes care they were dang near wore out at 45k. It took like 4 years to put that many miles on my wife's car. They wouldn't warranty the tires. They said they were too old.

I just bought two more sets of Hydro edge Michelens from the tire rack When they had the rebates going. I have also bought two other sets for other cars from them. 90k tires with low rolling resistance. They are on the wife's car already, amazing stopping power in the snow and rain.

Tire rack is first rate No problems and most of the time I have gotten free shipping, just watch for the specials. I just take my stuff to wally world to get mounted, as long as they are factory sizes they will do it and they are about the cheapest.

[JohnGD]

The Costco road hazard warranty is very good. Not to mention rotation/balance and nitrogen fill (if that makes any difference). That is if what you want is among the stocked. And they use torque wrenches for tightening lug nuts.

Looks like the performance Michelin Pilot Exalto is also the quietest tire in category. That's one thing I look for in a tire:

TireRack high performance all season rankings:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey....jsp?type=HPAS

For some reason Costco only lists the following two for the Solara SE:
Michelin - Energy MXV4 S8 $118+$15 installation
Bridgestone - Potenza G019 Grid with Uni-T $80.99+$15 installation

Energy MXV4 might get you slightly more MPG, but Primacy MXV, if they install that, is a better tire for typical driving with a 620 tread wear rating!! For a Michelin that should get 60-65K miles in typical non-performance driving.

Originally Posted by carsrus

If you have costco/sams club around you check them out first. I got 4 michelins installed with everything for 295. Free lifetime rotations/balancing and flat repair. Thats a price that's basically impossible to beat if you factor in each rotation costing about 8$. T

heyre maybe a tad more than half worn and ive put 30k on them. Michelins bite down good in the winter too.

[fenixus]

thanks for your posts guys. i forgot about so many other shops ... there is sam's not far away, will check their pricing and stock.

quick question, do i need a special member card for sam's just like for costco? i have neither. hate costco personally for some unknown reason ... everything is BIG in there i think haha) ...

what do you think about Strauss Auto ? i've seen they have a repair shop here too, it's actually the closest one nearby ... i could bring my tires to them.

honestly i heard bad opinion about Michelin tires from friends and co-workers. no matter what kind, they all complained about loudness, one even used best one in this regard and still complained LOL, maybe he's paranoid hehe (i haven't seen his car).

i had Dunlop tires in past and they were quiet, don't remember model though ...

pgmomni, i think i will pass on yankee DIY hehe, no way i could do this around here

those Bridgestone tires i had got worn after 3yrs/35k (carried warranty until 50k). i really like those Dunlops, i guess i will wait for some shipping promotion maybe.

Also i have Pep Boys not that far, i think they are not bad?

[heartdisease]

Originally Posted by fenixus

thanks for your posts guys. i forgot about so many other shops ... there is sam's not far away, will check their pricing and stock.

quick question, do i need a special member card for sam's just like for costco? i have neither. hate costco personally for some unknown reason ... everything is BIG in there i think haha) ...

what do you think about Strauss Auto ? i've seen they have a repair shop here too, it's actually the closest one nearby ... i could bring my tires to them.

honestly i heard bad opinion about Michelin tires from friends and co-workers. no matter what kind, they all complained about loudness, one even used best one in this regard and still complained LOL, maybe he's paranoid hehe (i haven't seen his car).

i had Dunlop tires in past and they were quiet, don't remember model though ...

pgmomni, i think i will pass on yankee DIY hehe, no way i could do this around here

Sams will let you go in for a one day pass but they charge a %10 fee on your order. A one year membership is $40 so if you are going to spend more than $400 you might as well get one.

I drive 40-50k a year and you can't go wrong with a Michelen. The Primacy is a very quiet tire.

[fenixus]

i think i will check michelin option in sam's ... so many people can't be wrong
if they have good offer on satisfactory rated tires i will consider them (and tirerack still) ... got time still ... can wait for a bit longer.
need to finish some testing first anyways, depending on results will decide if it makes sense to drop anymore money into this car.

[fenixus]

ok, i see my dunlop tires in local sam's LOL,

actually i am only interested in 94V (3 candidates):
205/65R15 94V Michelin® Primacy™ MXV4® #732805 - 620AA - $142.58
205/65R15 94V BSW Dunlop SP Sport Signature #764863 - 360AA - $90.86 (tirerack has this rated at 460AAA!!)
205/65R15 94V Goodyear® Eagle GT® #548518 - 400AA - $88.12

so ... price wise i would still pick my dunlop, however i'm worried about difference in ratings between tirerack vs sam's club ...
Dunlop manufacturer says nothing about ratings ... whom should i trust ?
http://www.dunloptires.com/dunlop/di...00000&zipCode=

what would you pick ?
also anyone who shopped with them and got tires installed can estimate what the total (before tax) bill would be ?

4x(tire_price + $20) ? do they offer any discounts if i buy their tires and get them installed ?

thanks.

[ghettosled]

im pretty sure sams club only charges $10 to mount and balance each tire, thought they try hard to sell the road hazzard warranties.

i just ordered a set of tires from discounttire(dot)com - they were running a discount on yokohama tires at the time. i received the tires in about 3 days and paid a local shop $15/each to mount and balance. i have gotten tires mounted and balanced for $10/each cash at used tire shops.

[eyeball96]

Tire rack has recommended installers. You can have your tires shipped directly to them.

The one I use usually charges 11.50 per wheel, including stems and balancing for 17's. Larger wheels cost more.

[fenixus]

Originally Posted by pgmomni

Fen lives in North Jersey.

Even where I live in Southern Maine, they want like 15-20 per tire.


Pete

true, all shops around here charge more and more each year for same services ... e.g. alignment used to be ~$120 a few yrs back, now they want $150 and up usually and actually when nowadays someone offers <120 for it then they are less reputable shop (read: expect to do it again soon) ... sad but true

Originally Posted by eyeball96

Tire rack has recommended installers. You can have your tires shipped directly to them.

The one I use usually charges 11.50 per wheel, including stems and balancing for 17's. Larger wheels cost more.

thanks for the tip! it changes things a bit, might be easier and/or cheaper with tirerack after all. will check their recommended installers.

seems sam's club may have all those 94V tires out of stock (special order on all).