Author Topic: Ever purchased tires online?  (Read 14873 times)

abuzzyisawesome

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Ever purchased tires online?
« on: August 07, 2013, 12:40:39 PM »
We need 2 back tires for a 2005 Hyundai XG 350. I have been toying with the idea of buying online, but am a little worried about buying the right thing. Anyone have any experience with this?

smedleyb

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2013, 01:00:16 PM »
Good experiences with Tire Rack.  Prompt, good pricing, etc. (but it kills local tire dealers).

johnsmithindustries

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2013, 09:23:18 PM »
I've also had a good experience with Tire Rack, but I only used it because I was in a strange town and didn't know the local places. I just bought the best combo of reviews/ratings and price.

N

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2013, 09:35:35 PM »
search on this forum, there are a couple of good threads on how to find a good deal.

I just bought some from tirerack, they deliver them to a shop you can choose from a list, and then they put them on there.

You do have to figure out what you want first, though, tire wise.

Rangifer

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2013, 09:57:56 PM »
It's pretty easy to do!

Just go outside and look for what size tire your car has. It will be a set of 3 numbers (eg. 225/65/17). Go on tirerack or discount tire and enter that info into the appropriate box and it will show you that available tires in your vehicle's size.

edit: a quick google tells me you most likely have a 205/60/16 size

Cottonwood28

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2013, 10:05:33 PM »
What is the average cost for instillation?

Rangifer

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2013, 10:16:06 PM »
About $12-20 per tire, depending on if you go to the bad side of town to get them put on or not.

Joel

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2013, 11:55:40 PM »
Keep in mind you will have to pay for tire rotations for the life of the tires or do it yourself. Otherwise buying your tires at les Schwab or someone similar could actually be a better deal.

turboseize

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2013, 03:31:40 AM »
Do not only look for size: speed and load ratings are also important!

eg: 195/65 r 15 V 88 translates to:
width 195mm,
height 65% of width,
radial (as opposed to diagonal) construction, (diagonal tires are now nearly extinct - for a reason.)
speed: up to 240 km/h,
load: 560kg per tire.

The compete tire designation should be marked in your car's registration papers (although the new EU papers ae crap, they note only one random tire size, compared to the old german paper, which had every single rim/tire combination listed). If not, have alook at the manual!


I would not bother too much with "rotating": on a rear wheel drive car, front and rear tires should wear out rather evenly. On a front wheel drive, the front goes out first. You then have two possibilities: change the front to the rear when it is around halfway worn, and when all 4 are worn out, replace all 4 tires. Or you wear out the front tires, change the rear tires (which will have more than half of their profile left) to the front, and replace the rear tires.
This has one advantage: you will always have the better tires on the rear axle, where they belong. Total amount of money paid for tires will be exactly the same. You would NOT want your rear tires to be significantly worn more than your front: it's the rear that keeps your car stable... So IF you rotate tires, this should be done in rather short intervals. No problem with that: to inspect the brakes you have to take of the wheels, so rotating tires is best done during the usual inspections.*
also, not every tire can be rotated! Some tires have a prescribed rotation direction, others hace a designated outer side. When the rotation direction is marked, these tires may not be rotated diagonally, e.g. rear left to front right, only rear left to front left.


Should your tires wear out irregularly (outer or inner corners, in the middle...) and prematurely, something is wrong. Rotating tires might hide the symptoms a little bit, but else be useless. Get the suspension checked and aligned, worn bushings replaced, and inflate tires to proper pressure. (I alwalys go to the recommended pressure for a fully loaded car at high speeds, while most people will drive the 1-person-comfort-recommended pressure. Difference between these will often be 0.5 bar... Not only will your tires last longer with higher pressure, fuel consumption will also decrease.)


Concerning buying over the net vs brick-and-mortar-store: I always check prices online and then go around and ask at a shop if they can match the price. Often, they can, or at least come close. So they get the deal, and everybody is happy.



* This assumes inspection intervals of 10.000km, as common on older cars, and good, long-lasting tires like Michelin, which can last 50.000km. With long service intervals and crap tires, this tactic will not work.
« Last Edit: August 09, 2013, 03:54:23 AM by turboseize »

prodarwin

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2013, 06:48:08 AM »
I've bought a lot of tires, and I've only purchased 1 set not-online in the past 10 years.  That set was used.  Used tires rock - have you considered them?

New set?  Online, no question.  Tire Rack and Discount Tire Direct.  Discount tire direct has pretty good sales from time to time.  Tire rack has great closeouts earlier in the year when they get rid of previous years models.  If you time it right, you can get a full set for ~40% of what you'd normally pay.




rtrnow

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #10 on: August 09, 2013, 07:05:57 AM »
Keep in mind you will have to pay for tire rotations for the life of the tires or do it yourself. Otherwise buying your tires at les Schwab or someone similar could actually be a better deal.

If you're in the southeast, look for a Kauffman Tire. They rotate and patch tires for free no matter where you got them. Seems like a great loss leader that others should follow. It certainly leaves me with a positive impression and more likely to use them for other services. Have no idea if any other chains do this.

MoneyCat

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #11 on: August 09, 2013, 07:19:44 AM »
I have used Tire Rack and they consistently have good prices.  Then, I just have my local place across the street install them.

huadpe

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #12 on: August 09, 2013, 07:46:54 AM »
Keep in mind you will have to pay for tire rotations for the life of the tires or do it yourself. Otherwise buying your tires at les Schwab or someone similar could actually be a better deal.

If you're in the southeast, look for a Kauffman Tire. They rotate and patch tires for free no matter where you got them. Seems like a great loss leader that others should follow. It certainly leaves me with a positive impression and more likely to use them for other services. Have no idea if any other chains do this.

Also, if you have a local mechanic you trust, see if they can do the rotation as part of your regular service.  My guy charges $20 for an oil change and rotation (which is about $3 more than I could change the oil myself for)

Spork

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #13 on: August 09, 2013, 07:53:01 AM »
+1 for tire rack.  If I order before 3pm I usually have them on my porch the next day.

In the past I've called around to tire stores here and compared their cost for the exact same tire (which they usually buy from tirerack) vs the cost of mount+balance and I bring my own tires.  I've always come out slightly ahead with tire rack.

I recently got 4 mount/balanced at a cost of just under $100.  This includes tire disposal fee of the old tires (which you're going to pay either way.)

If you have an oddball/old/antique car, I can also heartily recommend coker.com.

Hunny156

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #14 on: August 09, 2013, 10:46:33 AM »
We just recently purchased our first set of tires online through Discount Tire Direct, and had a great experience.  We needed whitewalls for our classic car, and the best quote we could get locally was about $650 installed.

I waited for Memorial Day weekend, and sure enough, DTD had several rebates, plus a 6 month no-interest credit card.  $468 for 4 tires and 4 valve stems, delivered to our door in 2 days.  The rebates were quick and painless, shaved the price for the tires down to $358, plus $75 to have a local tire shop put them on.  I'm paying the card off $80/mo, so I'll be done right when the 6 month period come due, and we don't even notice that amount in our budget.  Makes owning a classic car a little easier to stomach.  ;)

Joel

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #15 on: August 09, 2013, 02:24:02 PM »
You absolutely should do tire rotations per manufacturer specifications if you want to prolong your tire life. Yes, if you have directional tires, you can only rotate them front to back, but you should always perform tire rotations in order to have even tire wear.

Do not only look for size: speed and load ratings are also important!

eg: 195/65 r 15 V 88 translates to:
width 195mm,
height 65% of width,
radial (as opposed to diagonal) construction, (diagonal tires are now nearly extinct - for a reason.)
speed: up to 240 km/h,
load: 560kg per tire.

The compete tire designation should be marked in your car's registration papers (although the new EU papers ae crap, they note only one random tire size, compared to the old german paper, which had every single rim/tire combination listed). If not, have alook at the manual!


I would not bother too much with "rotating": on a rear wheel drive car, front and rear tires should wear out rather evenly. On a front wheel drive, the front goes out first. You then have two possibilities: change the front to the rear when it is around halfway worn, and when all 4 are worn out, replace all 4 tires. Or you wear out the front tires, change the rear tires (which will have more than half of their profile left) to the front, and replace the rear tires.
This has one advantage: you will always have the better tires on the rear axle, where they belong. Total amount of money paid for tires will be exactly the same. You would NOT want your rear tires to be significantly worn more than your front: it's the rear that keeps your car stable... So IF you rotate tires, this should be done in rather short intervals. No problem with that: to inspect the brakes you have to take of the wheels, so rotating tires is best done during the usual inspections.*
also, not every tire can be rotated! Some tires have a prescribed rotation direction, others hace a designated outer side. When the rotation direction is marked, these tires may not be rotated diagonally, e.g. rear left to front right, only rear left to front left.


Should your tires wear out irregularly (outer or inner corners, in the middle...) and prematurely, something is wrong. Rotating tires might hide the symptoms a little bit, but else be useless. Get the suspension checked and aligned, worn bushings replaced, and inflate tires to proper pressure. (I alwalys go to the recommended pressure for a fully loaded car at high speeds, while most people will drive the 1-person-comfort-recommended pressure. Difference between these will often be 0.5 bar... Not only will your tires last longer with higher pressure, fuel consumption will also decrease.)


Concerning buying over the net vs brick-and-mortar-store: I always check prices online and then go around and ask at a shop if they can match the price. Often, they can, or at least come close. So they get the deal, and everybody is happy.



* This assumes inspection intervals of 10.000km, as common on older cars, and good, long-lasting tires like Michelin, which can last 50.000km. With long service intervals and crap tires, this tactic will not work.

prodarwin

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #16 on: August 09, 2013, 02:32:32 PM »
You would NOT want your rear tires to be significantly worn more than your front: it's the rear that keeps your car stable...

You dont want any tire on the car to be significantly worn more than any other tire on the car.

Mr.Macinstache

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #17 on: August 09, 2013, 02:42:20 PM »
Going against the grain here, buy tires locally. You get better service and a warranty. I already had 2 of my tires replaced for free because they were defective. I would have had to fork out big bucks for shipping and mount/balance had I got them through Tire Rack. Just a heads up. Sometimes we try to save some pennies and it ends up costing dollars. This is the case/risk with online tires purchase.

Also you look like a jerk bringing in tires you bought and asking a shop to install them. Many shops just wont do it, and I don't blame them.

Spork

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #18 on: August 09, 2013, 02:45:29 PM »

Also you look like a jerk bringing in tires you bought and asking a shop to install them. Many shops just wont do it, and I don't blame them.

Actually, they don't bat an eye.  They're more than happy to take your money for mount/balance only.  And (at least around here) the same shops will usually still rotate/fix flats for free.

prodarwin

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #19 on: August 09, 2013, 02:49:17 PM »
Another thing - selection is 20X better online.  Shops are usually filled with a couple brands of tires and offer about 1/2 the models, with some guy behind the counter who will point to the one you want on the "good, better, best" chart, but really does not know much about the actual tire other than it is round, black, and likely to hold air.

TR's categories, testing, and rating system is the best thing to have on your side short of surfing car forums all day or driving on them all for yourself.

Mr.Macinstache

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #20 on: August 09, 2013, 02:57:43 PM »

Also you look like a jerk bringing in tires you bought and asking a shop to install them. Many shops just wont do it, and I don't blame them.

Actually, they don't bat an eye.  They're more than happy to take your money for mount/balance only.  And (at least around here) the same shops will usually still rotate/fix flats for free.

Not here, they'd rather you give the business to them. And they wont warranty a tire that you bought somewhere else. Small town thing I guess. I like supporting the guy here. Our kids go to school together, he gives me great service and pricing too.

madmax

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #21 on: August 09, 2013, 04:36:50 PM »
+1 for buying local. America's Tire/Discount Tire has great customer service and warranty. Lifetime rotation and balancing policy can't be beat.

They even sell warranties for tires they haven't sold and offer free rotations and balancing for the lifetime of the tire which is a great deal IMO and costs less than the price of a single rotation. We bought warranties for both of our cars.

abuzzyisawesome

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #22 on: August 09, 2013, 10:21:37 PM »
Thanks everyone for the good advice and conversation. I dug out the receipt from the last two tires on our car, done by the local place. $223. I think they get my business. :)

BlueMR2

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #23 on: August 10, 2013, 05:17:36 PM »
[quote author=Spork link=topic=7822.msg121636#msg121636 date=1376081129
Actually, they don't bat an eye.  They're more than happy to take your money for mount/balance only.  And (at least around here) the same shops will usually still rotate/fix flats for free.
[/quote]

Same here.  The local shop told me to just order from TireRack and bring them in for mounting.  Said it'd be cheaper for me and less hassle for them too.  So, that's what I do.

turboseize

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #24 on: August 11, 2013, 04:31:04 PM »
You would NOT want your rear tires to be significantly worn more than your front: it's the rear that keeps your car stable...

You dont want any tire on the car to be significantly worn more than any other tire on the car.

That depends on how much profile is left. If you drive your tires to the legal minimum (which is only 1.6mm here where I live), then probably not. I'd rather have 2mm front and 4mm or 5mm in the rear than 1,6 equally on both axles.
If you change tires earlier, with enough profile left, then of course having roughly equally worn tires is better. Most people should probably change their tires before they reach minimum profile, as in most cases, the tire will harden and loose grip even befor the profile ist worn out. In this case, your advice is absolutely valid.
But if you happen to unmustachely drive a lot (like I sadly do), which means your tire profile will wear out before the tire hardens, thean you do not want to drive a wet road with low profile on the rear tires... Aquaplaning on the front axle is rather annoying, but loosing grip on the rear is disastrous.
That's why every instructor in every driver training preaches to put the better tires on the rear axle.*


*At least, they always did so in every single training I attended, and those were quite a few.

Forcus

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #25 on: August 12, 2013, 11:41:24 AM »

Also you look like a jerk bringing in tires you bought and asking a shop to install them. Many shops just wont do it, and I don't blame them.

Actually, they don't bat an eye.  They're more than happy to take your money for mount/balance only.  And (at least around here) the same shops will usually still rotate/fix flats for free.

Not here, they'd rather you give the business to them. And they wont warranty a tire that you bought somewhere else. Small town thing I guess. I like supporting the guy here. Our kids go to school together, he gives me great service and pricing too.

Your mileage will vary. I use a couple shops that prefer not having to hassle with buying the tires, so Tire Rack is just fine by them. Others have gotten quite hostile. I will say most shops have gotten smart enough now to know that people are cross-shopping online places, so I find that most of them aren't tacking on huge markups to uninformed walk-in's like they used to.

Nothlit

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Re: Ever purchased tires online?
« Reply #26 on: August 12, 2013, 01:35:33 PM »

Also you look like a jerk bringing in tires you bought and asking a shop to install them. Many shops just wont do it, and I don't blame them.

Actually, they don't bat an eye.  They're more than happy to take your money for mount/balance only.  And (at least around here) the same shops will usually still rotate/fix flats for free.

Not here, they'd rather you give the business to them. And they wont warranty a tire that you bought somewhere else. Small town thing I guess. I like supporting the guy here. Our kids go to school together, he gives me great service and pricing too.

Your mileage will vary. I use a couple shops that prefer not having to hassle with buying the tires, so Tire Rack is just fine by them. Others have gotten quite hostile. I will say most shops have gotten smart enough now to know that people are cross-shopping online places, so I find that most of them aren't tacking on huge markups to uninformed walk-in's like they used to.

Yeah, I would feel a little weird having tires shipped to my home and then bringing them with me to just any old random shop to have them installed. But TireRack has affiliations with lots and lots of shops around the country who are set up to receive TireRack shipments directly and do the installs at a specified, guaranteed rate. I have no problem doing it that way since the shops are set up for it and are expecting those kinds of customers.