Author Topic: Costco for tires?  (Read 14561 times)

Trudie

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Costco for tires?
« on: August 12, 2015, 09:45:26 AM »
I will need at least two new tires this fall.  I'm debating whether to get them at Costco as opposed to my local tire person.  I shop a lot at Costco, but don't have experience with their tire department.

Advantages of going with the local person are that they rotate for free and I'm helping a local business. 

Costco provides a lot of service as well.

I'm interested in opinions of those who've gone with Costco and whether they thought it was worth it.

(I won't need tires until late fall, so have not priced them yet.)

CmFtns

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2015, 10:03:01 AM »
I would go wherever the price was best for equivalent tires. Tire rotation does not seem like a very valuable perk (usually whoever changes your oil will do it for free anyway)

Mother Fussbudget

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2015, 10:10:32 AM »
The last time I priced CostCo tires, the selection was limited to a variety of high-end tires - Michelin was a prominent brand.  I priced around at Tire Rack, Discount Tire, Les Schwab, and WalMart. 

My problem with Tire Rack & Discount Tire is they almost always insist on selling you 4 tires even when you only really need 1 - to the point where they won't sell you 1 tire without the other 3.  My most recent tire purchase was on-line at WalMart - $155 for 2x Goodyear low resistance tires, and $20 for installation at a nearby Wally-world with a tire center.

Gin1984

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2015, 10:15:42 AM »
I have found Costco to be equal or cheaper on price and they will prorate a tire when they replace it, if you bought it at Costco.

therethere

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2015, 10:18:04 AM »
I just bought a set of tires at Discount Tire a few months ago. I comparison shopped online and asked if they'd be able to match the price. They matched it and took another 10% off without any hesitation. Barely even got the price out of my mouth and the guy was already looking on the computer I imagine for their absolute lowest possible price. Just something to keep in mind.

Every time I've shopped for tires Sam's and Costco did not carry the sizes I needed.

regulator

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2015, 10:21:56 AM »
I bought new truck tires at Costco in the past year.  They were hundreds of dollars less than what my mechanic quoted for better tires (Michelin).  Good, fast service, no complaints.  I bought new trailer tires last year and ditto.

tweezers

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2015, 10:35:20 AM »
Tires for our 2008 Honda Fit at Costco were considerably more expensive than Les Schwab. 

Dicey

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2015, 03:11:36 PM »
Costco is currently offering $70 off  a set of four tires. Depending on the type and condition of yours, it could be worth it to replace all of them. Also, IIRC, they will check air and rotate tires for life if you buy them there. Don't forget to include the rebate in your final cost.

neo von retorch

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2015, 03:13:36 PM »
I'm getting my tires from Sam's Club (for a 2008 Fit Sport). I wanted the same tires I've had on my previous Fit, and Costco didn't have those (Goodyear) - Sam's Club had the best price installed, even after paying a $45 membership fee to join. There are rebates going on (they come and go) - currently $80 for 4 Goodyear tires.

Mrs. Pomodoro

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #9 on: August 12, 2015, 03:22:51 PM »
We bought our tires at Costco and they do tire rotation for free if you buy from them. Their price is pretty comparable to other stores in our HCOL area. They have coupons for certain brands every few months so we just wait for those whenever we're close to getting new tires.

Thinkum

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #10 on: August 12, 2015, 03:28:02 PM »
While I like Costco for most things, I like Discount Tire better for tires. Bigger selection, great competitive prices and awesome customer service.

CupcakeGuru

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #11 on: August 12, 2015, 03:41:21 PM »
I have bought at least 5 sets of tires (and single tires) at Costco over the last 10 years. I wait for the coupons and rebates and as others have mentioned, they will prorate if you bought the previous tires there. Great customer service and price every time i have bought from them. 

Jack

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #12 on: August 12, 2015, 04:06:39 PM »
The last time I priced CostCo tires, the selection was limited to a variety of high-end tires - Michelin was a prominent brand.  I priced around at Tire Rack, Discount Tire, Les Schwab, and WalMart. 

Exactly. In fact, that's the problem with Costco in general: they're usually cheaper "for comparable items," but you can very often find a store-brand or less-fancy substitute somewhere else for even less than that.

On top of that, their selection sucks. I need extreme-performance summer tires on one car and all-terrain tires on another, and Costco mostly carries neither.

Spork

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #13 on: August 12, 2015, 05:13:41 PM »
I've done Costco (with coupon) and Tire Rack multiple times.  I've not had problems with either.  I'd buy from whichever was cheaper.

Around here, every single tire store in town will rotate for free (and I still do my own).  That seems to vary regionally.

They only "complaint" I've had with Costco was trying to buy tires for an antique car.  The guy told me "185/15 wasn't a valid tire size."  Yeah... well, that's how Eurometric tires were sized, okay?  Can you look and see if you can get them?  Or convert it to P-sized tires? Nope, he couldn't. 

Hamster

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #14 on: August 12, 2015, 05:39:13 PM »
I have been happy with my local Discount Tire. I went in with a nail through the side wall of one tire. They didn't push to replace all 4 tires even though my others were at 3-4/32 tread. He just said to get the others done before winter.

A few years ago, I priced tires on my CR-V (yeah, pre-mustache purchase) at Costco - they were much higher than at the dealership. I haven't been terribly impressed by what Costco offered for tires. I did get lucky and got a set of almost new winter tires at the Honda Dealership for $150. They were nearly new, but came on a trade in. The dealership said they aren't allowed to sell a car with winter tires - they have to sell All-Season, so they were super cheap. 

Any place selling tires will prorate if you have to replace them earlier than the tread wear warrantee? Does Costco prorate even if the tires aren't worn out?

I did find car batteries at Costco cheaper than other places.


Axecleaver

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #15 on: August 13, 2015, 10:56:39 AM »
I like tirerack.com, they will drop-ship to your tire place. Much better selection than CostCo and the web interface lets you find exactly the right mix of price/performance that you want. I also had a trouble-free return when I ordered a replacement tire that I ended up not needing, because my tire place was able to patch my existing tire.

Dicey

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #16 on: August 13, 2015, 12:05:35 PM »
On top of that, their selection sucks. I need extreme-performance summer tires on one car and all-terrain tires on another, and Costco mostly carries neither.
Is it their selection that "sucks" or is it that your needs preferences are specialized? Costco targets the sweet spot in the middle that appeals to the highest number of members.

Fuzz

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #17 on: August 13, 2015, 03:13:00 PM »
I found Wal Mart to be cheaper for equivalent tires.

Fuman

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #18 on: August 13, 2015, 03:33:38 PM »
I love Costco.  I shop there all the time.  I'm a huge fan.  But for my last set of tires, I bought at Les Schwab.  Way WAY cheaper for their 50,000 mile off-brand set of tires.

Jack

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #19 on: August 14, 2015, 08:25:20 AM »
On top of that, their selection sucks. I need extreme-performance summer tires on one car and all-terrain tires on another, and Costco mostly carries neither.
Is it their selection that "sucks" or is it that your needs preferences are specialized? Costco targets the sweet spot in the middle that appeals to the highest number of members.

Both. Even if it's reasonable not to carry the kinds of tires I need, Costco still fails to carry more "value-oriented" mainstream tires made by companies like Kumho.

nobody123

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #20 on: August 14, 2015, 02:28:12 PM »
I originally joined Costco because even after paying for the membership to join, I saved money on the tires I wanted over the local tire shops prices.  Most places around here do the free rotation / patching, so it's not a differentiator.  The Firestone place near me used to match TireRack's prices, but they stopped doing that. 

Tires are something that I am willing to spend a little more on.  In my younger days, I put the cheapest Cooper tire on my car when I had a sidewall puncture, and it was the noisiest thing ever.  Whenever I rotated my tires, that one had to stay on the left rear to minimize the noise I would hear while driving.  Now I will only buy Michelin.  I think they give the best ride for the money.

Dicey

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #21 on: August 17, 2015, 10:16:14 PM »
On top of that, their selection sucks. I need extreme-performance summer tires on one car and all-terrain tires on another, and Costco mostly carries neither.
Is it their selection that "sucks" or is it that your needs preferences are specialized? Costco targets the sweet spot in the middle that appeals to the highest number of members.

Both. Even if it's reasonable not to carry the kinds of tires I need, Costco still fails to carry more "value-oriented" mainstream tires made by companies like Kumho.
Sorry, a quick google search turned up too many issues with Kumho for me. Not going to risk my family's safety for a few bucks. I trust that Costco does the research and selects items with optimal quality for the price. When I see something with a brand name I don't recognize at Costco, I am confident that the buyers have their research and that Costco will stand by the quality of the item. That has value for me.

Don't want to sound xenophobic, but seriously, this Korean company doesn't seem to have done any homework on their brand name. Reminds me of when Chevy tried to sell their Nova in Mexico. No va translates to "not going", which is a bad name for a car. Doesn't take much to see that "Kumho" is just world-class bad.

Hamster

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #22 on: August 18, 2015, 05:38:49 PM »
On top of that, their selection sucks. I need extreme-performance summer tires on one car and all-terrain tires on another, and Costco mostly carries neither.
Is it their selection that "sucks" or is it that your needs preferences are specialized? Costco targets the sweet spot in the middle that appeals to the highest number of members.

Both. Even if it's reasonable not to carry the kinds of tires I need, Costco still fails to carry more "value-oriented" mainstream tires made by companies like Kumho.
Sorry, a quick google search turned up too many issues with Kumho for me. Not going to risk my family's safety for a few bucks. I trust that Costco does the research and selects items with optimal quality for the price. When I see something with a brand name I don't recognize at Costco, I am confident that the buyers have their research and that Costco will stand by the quality of the item. That has value for me.

Don't want to sound xenophobic, but seriously, this Korean company doesn't seem to have done any homework on their brand name. Reminds me of when Chevy tried to sell their Nova in Mexico. No va translates to "not going", which is a bad name for a car. Doesn't take much to see that "Kumho" is just world-class bad.
Look at the reviews for Michelin tires.
Yikes 1.5 out of 5 stars...

neo von retorch

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #23 on: August 18, 2015, 06:24:07 PM »
There's something fishy about that site. Everything has 2 stars or less except for the company that PAYS to be accredited: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/tires/mavis-tire-company.html There are 21 companies (some manufacture tires, others just sell and/or install them.) Kumho is the lowest that isn't out of business, #20 while Michelin is #7 and one of the highest among manufacturers. This would seem to be a site where people go to complain (except about accredited companies...)

CostCo is listed on there as #9.

On ConsumerReports.org, Michelin actually has the #1 recommended performance all-season tire. Continental also is highly recommended. Top 3 for all-season are Michelin, Continental and Goodyear.

Hamster

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Re: Costco for tires?
« Reply #24 on: August 18, 2015, 07:01:53 PM »
There's something fishy about that site. Everything has 2 stars or less except for the company that PAYS to be accredited: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/tires/mavis-tire-company.html There are 21 companies (some manufacture tires, others just sell and/or install them.) Kumho is the lowest that isn't out of business, #20 while Michelin is #7 and one of the highest among manufacturers. This would seem to be a site where people go to complain (except about accredited companies...)

CostCo is listed on there as #9.

On ConsumerReports.org, Michelin actually has the #1 recommended performance all-season tire. Continental also is highly recommended. Top 3 for all-season are Michelin, Continental and Goodyear.

I'm sure it is fishy. I always thought of Michelin as being a top brand, so I just I just find it funny how depending on where you look on the internet, everything is either 4.5 stars or 1 star. I probably should have been more clear.