The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: lentil on July 31, 2017, 04:01:51 PM
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We have a Fit, the tires are worn bald, and I've been calling around to price out local options for replacements. But there are too many options/configurations for my brain to process though, so I am hoping someone here is a tire expert!
My basic question: is there any really good reason to buy anything other than the cheapest tire? Like, is an "all-season" tire actually different in any meaningful way, and is that difference worth >$100?
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The cheapest tire will not last as long and may be crappy in other areas (e.g. noise) - just depends on what you're looking for. I've had good luck with mid-priced tires, and the Korean companies like Kumho are good while being cheaper than the mainstream competitors like Bridgestone or Michelin.
I also always buy from America's Tires. If you have one in your area I highly recommend them. They can also take you through which tire would be best (they are not aggressive with upselling). They also have a great warranty.
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Your tire choice will impact how your vehicle brakes, turns, and accelerates in varying weather conditions. Do you ever drive in cold temperatures and/or snow? If so, do you plan on using the same tires year-round?
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Go to TireRack (.com) Put in your vehicle and any other info you need for tires for your car.
Sort by price (low to high)
Scan thru, looking at the ratings - the use both 5 stars and X / 10, under the pictures
Get the ones that have a good rating by quite a few people (# of reviews).
TireRack will show you where to have the tires mounted (and shows you the price or each). Have the tires shipped to the installer.
As soon as you get the delivery date (in an Email from TireRack) schedule the installation with the place you've chosen - but not on the delivery date.
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+1 Tirerack.com is awesome. Ordered for my Honda accord last fall after reading about them on this site, cost was $315 delivered to installer (install was $80), for the same tires I was quoted $650-$725 at other places. Their customer service was really helpful answering my questions about choosing the right tires and the various tire ratings.
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The 'all-season' tires that came with my nissan versa from the factory were crap. They were designed to get the last mile out of a gallon of gas, but they were useless in the snow. Any amount of snow or ice made them slip all over the place. Do pay attention to the amount of air you put in your tires. When we had too much air in the tires, we slipped in the snow and broke the front bumper. The next year we bought winter tires and those were awesome in the snow. A year or two after that we had to replace the factory tires, and got other all season tires that were good enough in the snow that it wasn't worth switching to the winter tires.
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Thanks all! That was very helpful. Car stuff gives me a mental block, for some reason.
After much asking around, I found a well-recommended local garage (which is actually a big relief, as I've been frustrated with our previous place). The guy running it took the time to explain what made each tire option different from another, and found me a pretty good deal, without being condescending, so it's a win-win in my book. Of course, we'll see how the actual tires feel/sound/last!