Used Tires?

[Scottma]

Anyone ever bought used tires? The things are so expensive these days, and I've heard about folks going to junkyards to buy used tires to save money.

What are the opinions out there on this practice? A good way to save money or a dangerous liability?

[gecko10x]

I'd call it dangerous. They say you should replace your tires every 5yrs regardless of wear because the rubber starts to break down. With used, you have no idea of the age.

[prodarwin]

Not from a junkard, but from other people on forums/craigslist, and from used-tire shops, yes.  I've bought tons of them.

Its hard to find a good matching set of 4 with equal wear, but when you do, its usually an excellent deal.  If you have a common tire size, it will be very easy to do.


Think of it this way... when you buy a used car, the tires on it are used.  :)

[Forcus]

Well with all things in life, "it depends". I tend to buy new (tires) but I drive a lot and like to have fun while doing so. Therefore, I usually buy a high performance or ultra high performance summer tire. Don't usually see those in the JY, and in the right size / matching set. But for my Grand Marquis, (nearly) anything goes. With pretty low performance braking and handling respective to today's cars, what tires are on it don't really matter. Additionally I barely drive the thing so my exposure is low. FYI tires don't like to sit in one place with weight on them, don't like to be stored in sunlight, and the rubber does age so even "new" tires that are 5 years old with perfect tread might not be usable. I've found Michelin tires are exceptionally bad about having weather checking in the sidewalls (not necessarily dangerous but suspicious) before the tread is done for.

[Mr.Macinstache]

Yes, there's no harm in buying used tires. The price on tires has exploded, major inflation in that area in the past years.

As a hobby I scout CL and buy and sell tires/wheels for this reason. Many aren't aware of how much tires have went up. For example, I bought a set of nice wheels with off road/mud tires (huge demand here) for $350. I ended up selling JUST the tires for $680. There are deals out there, just be patient and find a good method to search, as they are gone in a couple days.

This is also a good way to upgrade. I bought a Jeep with bald tires, but the wheel were interesting. I sold that set for $120, and bought another set with nicer wheels, and like new tires, plus a spare tire for $325. So my final cost for that upgrade was only $205! New tires and nicer wheels to boot.

Also It pays to buy wheels and tires already mounted as a set so you dont have to pay $100 just to mount and balance them.

And people say cars are a depreciated asset? Not if you know the market.

[prodarwin]

Well with all things in life, "it depends". I tend to buy new (tires) but I drive a lot and like to have fun while doing so. Therefore, I usually buy a high performance or ultra high performance summer tire. Don't usually see those in the JY, and in the right size / matching set.

Nope, but you see the ALL OVER forums, craigslist, ebay, etc.  80% of the used tires I've purchased have been *ST tires or R-comps.

If you have a 23", 25" or 26" tire, finding used high-performance stuff is a cake-walk.

[smedleyb]

It can be done, but you need to know your tires (size, gauge wear and tear, etc.)

[Mr.Macinstache]

Look for plugs, uneven wear, heavy balancing weights (if they are on wheels). Typical common stuff. Maybe get a tire depth gauge too. It's not worth mounting tires that have only 20-40% tread so pass on those.

[Spork]

I'd call it dangerous. They say you should replace your tires every 5yrs regardless of wear because the rubber starts to break down. With used, you have no idea of the age.

I am sure there are different rules of thumb handed around.  I've always heard 8-10 years for sidewalls.  If they're not cracked and still hold air... I don't worry much.  (I've got an antique that I probably put tires on every 10 years, but it doesn't get much driving).

...and you can tell the age... it's stamped on the tire:  http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

[BlueMR2]

I've bought used race tires before from someone I trust.  Street tires, dunno.  I'd consider it I guess.

How long a tire lasts will depend on the quality and the conditions.  Sunlight destroys them.  Tires on a mostly garaged car will go a lot longer than one kept outside.

[Hunny156]

I recently bought new tires for our classic car, b/c the tires were 8 years old and the sidewalls were starting to crack.  We had them installed by a local a used tire shop with excellent yelp reviews and referred by our mechanic.  They noticed that the spare tire was almost 20 years old, so we purchased a used tire for the spare.

While we were waiting for the tires to be put on the car, we had the chance to talk candidly with the owner of the used tire shop, as well as see the business.  Lots of demand for used tires, and the owner provided a ton of flexibility in financing the purchase to his cash-strapped clientele.  Who almost always showed up in an SUV or pickup truck, but that's a whole other story...

He was clearly a good guy, b/c a mom came in w/her kids and had one really bad tire but could only spend a very small amount.  He couldn't help her, but he suggested another used tire shop and directed her to bargain hard w/him, and he even went on Craig's List & Ebay to see if he could find her a tire in her price range!

He's got my business for life - if I ever blow a tire, I'll go to him first to see if he has a decent option.  I'm sure he's the exception and not the rule though, so do your research before working w/any local shop.

[gecko10x]

...and you can tell the age... it's stamped on the tire:  http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

Thanks... I didn't know that!

[tooqk4u22]

I bought 4 tires on ebay last year the seller had good feedback - they were like new (little nubbs were still on them) and about 40-50% of the cost of new ones.  Worked out great and would do it again.

[sdeng87]

Like others have said, there is nothing wrong with used tires as long as you do your diligence. I've put a few pairs on through the years, there is a really good shop close to me which you can negotiate with. What's important, like others have said, is to verify the age of the tires. If you read the serial number on the tires, the last two digits represent the year they were manufactured. I'd shoot for tires less then 2 years old at the time of the install, hoping they last me to a total of 5 years maximum for safety. One more tip, following car forums can be a great way to score factory take-offs from people who modify their cars at a pretty discounted rate.

[olivia]

I've bought them before, but my dad helped me out with picking them out.  I didn't have any issues with them.

[Scottma]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I'll definitely check out used tires for my car, which gets driven very little. Will probably stick to new tires for my wife's car, which she uses to cart our 10 month old around in.

[James81]

Cheaper is not always better. Look into buying quality tires, even if you spend more on them. The longer they last, the more you save over the long term.