So it’s time for me to buy some new tires for my car. And I am not ashamed to admit that I know nothing about buying tires. Well, I know that I don’t want retreads, and that I don’t need off-roading tires, so I need something sort of middle of the line. And that they will cost me around $500 total. Beyond that, I’m kind of clueless about specific tire brands.
In previous years, I went to the dealership in my hometown, owned by a high school classmate of my mother’s. I knew and trusted the staff there, so I went with their recommendations on tires and service, because I knew that they weren’t trying to upsell me for no reason. But I’m too far away for that to work. I’ve got a recommendation of a chain that’s good in the area, and conveniently, there’s one within walking distance of my place, so even if I have to leave the car there a few hours, no big deal.
So who knows things about tires?
Also, what’s everyone’s opinion of online reviews? This tire place has great reviews for tires, but the reviews do have some negative comments about oil changes (two – one where a filter was replaced incorrectly and one where there was a pizza crust left on an engine – ick). I also need an oil change, but can’t decide if I want to have that done there or go elsewhere. Thoughts? I feel like two negative opinions isn’t that bad – if there were a ton of them, I would be more worried. There aren’t any positive opinions of their oil change services – but really, I’ve never posted a positive review of an oil change before, and I’ve been happy with the places I’ve gone, so I figure other people are doing the same. For the most part, people review when they’re unhappy or when they’re ecstatic. People don’t often write reviews when they’re just satisfied with the service.
Help me out here, smart people!
P.s. Update 4/5/2017, I ended up researching the issue and I’m seeing that Costco has good quality tires and great customer service. Savingadvice.com did a nice write up on the topic.
Megan is a 30-something government employee in the Washington, DC area. She got interested in Personal Finance when she got out of college and realized that her paycheck wasn’t going to go as far as she had hoped. Since starting this blog, she has managed to buy a house and make a solid start on her retirement goals, and hopes to help others do the same. Here is her story:
In 2007, I was a gainfully employed 20-something with no debt but not a lot of knowledge about personal finance. It was a co-worker’s comment about Roth IRAs that sent me to the internet, searching for information. It was then that I realized that I really didn’t know a whole lot about personal finance and that my current financial situation was due a lot to inherent frugal tendencies, generous family members, a fear of debt, and good luck. While that was working for me, clearly I needed a better plan.
While I had no debt, I was also pretty much living paycheck to paycheck and not worrying about going over budget (I say this as if I had a real budget) because I had an emergency fund set aside to cover any overages.
Except that’s not what an emergency fund is for.
So I did a lot of research, read a lot of blogs, and decided that I needed a plan. I needed to budget. I needed to know what I was spending my money on. I needed to prepare for the future.
I decided to create a blog not only to make myself accountable to others but also to share the knowledge that I gained along the way. I’ve learned so much from my fellow bloggers, and I hope that my readers can find something useful in what I have to share as well.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.