Comments on: Tell me about tires

By: Ziemines padangos

Ziemines padangos — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:35:49 +0000

Nice post. By the way i heard that in 2010 michelin plans to make some supper tires. Which saves energy and valid longer time then nowday tires, and this tires will be perfect for electorcars.

By: Slinky

Slinky — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:14:54 +0000

I’m a little late to the party, but tirerack.com can also be helpful. You can search by vehicle and the kind of tire you’re looking for and they’ll only show you tires that work with your car. In addition, they have a bunch of user ratings on the tires, so you can compare the different types.

When I was looking for snow tires, I also did a lot of searching on the internet to see what other people used with my car which was helpful.

By: Abigail

Abigail — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:03:59 +0000

Well, I don’t know much about tires either. But my mom recently shopped around and decided to get hers at Sam’s Club. (If you don’t belong there, consider maybe Costco? Or, depending on savings, a membership might pay for itself.)

She was really happy with the quickness/cost, but also with the attached warranties. There are a few guarantees which I’ve already forgotten. I believe one was free tire rotation for the life of the tires. Not a small consideration. Also something about free roadside assistance coming with the tires. I think it pertains to flats? Or maybe just overall. Still, a very nice perk!

By: tom

tom — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:11:01 +0000

Don’t forget about price matching. Many places price match tires… so check for the lowest prices online like at Walmart, Sears, Costco then have the local shops match that low price. Most local and chain shops also throw in the extras for free like installation, rotation, disposal. I think you can definitely walk away with 4 tires for less than $400.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:55:29 +0000

I’m seeing a lot of specials for buy 4 tires for the price of 3, which is a decent deal. I last replaced tires three years ago and spent about $125/tire. Mine still have plenty of tread on them and I don’t anticipate having to replace them for at least three more years.

As for customer reviews, I pay pretty close attention to them. Ask friends and coworkers where they have car maintenance done. I avoid car dealerships, as they usually overcharge (unless you know them personally), and have had mixed reactions to your “chain mechanics.” I’ve had great luck with Mom & Pop gas station / auto garage locations. It doesn’t generally take a rocket scientist to change a tire. Just price the tires, and barter to have them throw the oil change in for free.

By: Megan

Megan — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:37:38 +0000

Thanks, Tom! That’s very helpful. I probably should check out a subscription to Consumer Reports, though it’s not often that I’m in the market for things like this. From what I know about tires, I was actually leaning toward the Yokohama Avid TRZ, so it’s good to know that I was on the right track.

By: tom

tom — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:31:29 +0000

Yes it does…

Best tires for all-weather, including icy conditions, are the Michelin X-Radial (2nd highest rating) and the Michelin HydroEdge.

If icy roads in the winter are not a factor the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred is the highest rated tire, and the Hankook Mileage Plus II H725 and Yokohama Avid TRZ are also highly rated.

The Yokohama Avid TRZ and Michelin HydrEdge are also picked for long tire tread life.

I’m in the market for new tires too and will probably go with the X-Radial by Michelin. Unfortunately I need a front-end alignment and I don’t think Costco does those, so I might be shopping at one of the local tire stores. Keep an eye out for coupons in the mail, you can find some pretty good deals and can probably get some quotes and shop around for the best prices.

As for the reviews, I wouldn’t worry about the bad oil change reviews if they have great reviews for tires.

By: Megan

Megan — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:13:47 +0000

I don’t subscribe to Consumer Reports, so thanks for the offer. According to the internet (my car is a few miles away right now), my tire size is 215/60R16. Does that make sense?

By: tom

tom — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:01:27 +0000

Do you subscribe to Consumer Reports? If not, let me know your current tire size… It’s on the side of the tire and looks something like this… P235/70R16 104S… and I’ll look up what the best rated tires are for that size.

If you have a Costco around you, that’s a great place to buy tires and they sell the highly rated All-Season Michelin X-Radial type of tires.