Tires: Where to Get? Warranty? And Questions?

AndroAsc · Post by **AndroAsc** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 6:49 am

I'll need to get a new set of tires soon. I've done some research but still have questions.

Where to Get
I know people recommend Costco, but they only carry limited brands, and I need to get them replaced ASAP, so I can't wait for the next Michelin sale. Bridgestone is on sale this month, but their tires sucks (mine last under 3 years, and it seems they have no tread warranty). I'm planning to go for Continental TrueContact, which also last 3-4 years according to most reviews (but have tread warranty). I know many people recommend Discount Tires (if not Costco), but they seem pricey because it's almost $80 for installation and another $60 for road-hazard warranty. In contrast, Walmart is $50 for installation and another $40 for road-hazard warranty. But is Walmart ok, from a safety perspective?

Warranty
I know many brands that tread warranty, but it seems so bogus. My understanding is that you will get a pro-rated refund, let's say they advertise 60k miles and you only drove 30k miles, so you get back 50% of the tire market value but you have to spend that money back on the same brand, is this correct? Also, is the refund limited to the same store? For example, if I buy from Discount Tire or Walmart, and I move to another state, will the stores there honor the tread warranty?

The next thing is road-hazard warranty, how is this different from tread warranty? My understanding is that tread warranty only covers wear and tear, whereas road-hazard covers hitting a nail. It's confusing because some manufactures also have a 1-2 year road-hazard like warranty?

denovo · Post by **denovo** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:09 am

How long did the OEM tires last?

AndroAsc · Post by **AndroAsc** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:10 am

denovo wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:09 am How long did the OEM tires last?

Bridgestone OEM last 2-3 years only (40k miles).

denovo · Post by **denovo** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:12 am

Also, be careful if you want to use the tread warranty. They'll want to see you did your tire rotation every 6k miles and make sure your wheels are properly aligned. You should be doing that stuff anyway, but most people don't.

denovo · Post by **denovo** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:17 am

AndroAsc wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:10 am
denovo wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:09 am How long did the OEM tires last?
Bridgestone OEM last 2-3 years only (40k miles).

Years isn't important. If your OEM tires were rated for 40k miles and they lasted 40k miles, I'd stick with it. As to the rest of your post, stick to total cost instead of fretting about how much one charges to install.

Also, America's Tire/Discount Tire's road hazard warranty was significantly better than others the last time I researched. Costco/Firestone etc's road hazard warranty operates like the tread warranty, they will give you credit for mileage and you pay the rest. America's Tire will give you new tires , without charging you for the tread you have used.

Then again, the Boglehead in me says it's dumb to pay for extended warranties, which is what these road hazard warranties are basically.

midareff · Post by **midareff** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:18 am

I've been using Tire Rack (tirerack.com) with a local installer for a long time now, very happily. I generally purchase the highest rated tire since the safety of me and my family and any additional possibility of collision avoidance is more important to me than a few dollars.

runner3081 · Post by **runner3081** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:30 am

My entire family has been using Discount Tire forever. No issues.

Chris K Jones · Post by **Chris K Jones** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:52 am

Bought tires at Costco for decades, but bought last set at NTB. They Easier to deal with than Costco. Not sure if NTB is nationwide or not.

AllMostThere · Post by **AllMostThere** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:59 am

This is a great question, thank's for posting as I am currently in same inquiry mode. I have been buying my tires from Costco without worry or concern for many years. Their prices have been fair, but I have never had to make a warranty claim. As I recently have added a new 16 yr driver with an economy Kia Soul driven low annual miles, I have been rethinking my Costco buying process. While fairly priced, I also consider Costco as more of a higher end tire seller with limited selection. My last set of Michelin tires for my wife's Chevy Traverse were +$800! There is no way I want to spend this kind of money on our economy car and will need to investigate alternative tire manufacturers. I am also looking at alternative sellers. I was thinking more ~ $250 total. TireRack seems to be okay, but their shipping cost of ~ $12 per tire rules them out. Discount Tire also looks promising, so I'll need to investigate. I have been looking at Walmart and I am impressed with their selection and mostly pricing. Their installation pricing looks very competitive also. Curious on experience of other BH's with Walmart purchase and support of economy tires. Worth it or move on???

munemaker · Post by **munemaker** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 8:06 am

There have been a lot of threads on tire buying. Try the search function.

I mainly buy Michelin tires at Tire Rack and have them installed at Wal*Mart. Even if you don't buy the tires at Wal*Mart, they will give you free tire balancing ,rotation and flat fixing for the life of the tires if you have them installed at Wal*MArt.

The last time I price shopped Wal*Mart, Wal*Mart.com, Sams Club, a local tire store and Tire Rack. The local yokels were not even close. Sams Club was having a promo. Wal*Mart would not match the price. Sam's had the best price by far but only because of this promotion, plus the fact that Discover card was giving 5% off at warehouse clubs that quarter, so it all came together for a great deal. Sams also does the free lifetime balancing and rotations (the local shop would not).

Warranty? I don't know about that. I don't pay any attention to the warranty and have never had a problem. Not saying you shouldn't though.

carolinaman · Post by **carolinaman** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 8:31 am

AndroAsc wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 6:49 am I'll need to get a new set of tires soon. I've done some research but still have questions.

Where to Get
I know people recommend Costco, but they only carry limited brands, and I need to get them replaced ASAP, so I can't wait for the next Michelin sale. Bridgestone is on sale this month, but their tires sucks (mine last under 3 years, and it seems they have no tread warranty). I'm planning to go for Continental TrueContact, which also last 3-4 years according to most reviews (but have tread warranty). I know many people recommend Discount Tires (if not Costco), but they seem pricey because it's almost $80 for installation and another $60 for road-hazard warranty. In contrast, Walmart is $50 for installation and another $40 for road-hazard warranty. But is Walmart ok, from a safety perspective?

Warranty
I know many brands that tread warranty, but it seems so bogus. My understanding is that you will get a pro-rated refund, let's say they advertise 60k miles and you only drove 30k miles, so you get back 50% of the tire market value but you have to spend that money back on the same brand, is this correct? Also, is the refund limited to the same store? For example, if I buy from Discount Tire or Walmart, and I move to another state, will the stores there honor the tread warranty?

The next thing is road-hazard warranty, how is this different from tread warranty? My understanding is that tread warranty only covers wear and tear, whereas road-hazard covers hitting a nail. It's confusing because some manufactures also have a 1-2 year road-hazard like warranty?

I have bought my tires at either Costco or dealer (Toyota) depending on the best deal at the time. One advantage of dealer is free rotation done at the time of service. It is a real pain to take tires to Costco for rotation.

I only buy Michelin tires. Typically tread wears out before warranty mileage limit. Michelin's warranty requirements are difficult to meet and thus null and void in most cases. The tire person at Toyota told me it is very rare for someone to be in compliance with Michelin's warranty. The last time I bought tires, I had used about 80% of tread warranty but I was not in compliance even though I have tires rotated regularly. I was encourage to complain to Michelin. I did and got a rebate immediately which was used as partial payment for my tires. That is a neat trick to consider if buying Michelin. It may work with other mfrs too.

Road hazard is for tire damage, i.e. nails, other than treadware. This is a good thing to have as I have had the misfortune to get a nail in new tire which was not repairable. It happens, especially if you drive around new construction sites. Some road hazard warranties will have their own time limits.

SimonJester · Post by **SimonJester** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 9:41 am

runner3081 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:30 am My entire family has been using Discount Tire forever. No issues.

+1 I have always had great service from my local Discount tire. They have gone above and beyond on several occasions even fixing a problem (tire pull) from another big box club warehouse tire when they refused...

2pedals · Post by **2pedals** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 10:03 am

SimonJester wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 9:41 am
runner3081 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:30 am My entire family has been using Discount Tire forever. No issues.
+1 I have always had great service from my local Discount tire. They have gone above and beyond on several occasions even fixing a problem (tire pull) from another big box club warehouse tire when they refused...

+2, I have gone to Discount tire several times. They always have great selection of tires and sometimes on sale. Try to take advantage of their sales. Last fall I got $75 back for a set of "better" General Tires Altimax rt43 and my daughter got the same deal. Ordered online to deliver in local store, wait for delivery and schedule appointment to install, in and out no problem. Some other stores my have slightly better prices but they are hard to find. Discount tire really IMHO "does it right" at great prices.

smackboy1 · Post by **smackboy1** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 1:34 pm

Tirerack.com is your best friend. Many of their tires come with a complimentary 2 year road hazard protection. They also administer some tire manufacturer's own road hazard programs e.g. Pirelli. I've used it a bunch of times and it's as easy as a phone call to Tirerack customer service. Selection and price virtually can't be beat even if I have to pay for a local installer.

dm200 · Post by **dm200** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 3:02 pm

My wife urgently needed 2 tires on the car she drives a few months ago. She went to Costco and immediately bought 2 new Michelin Defenders - very top rated by CR. Not on sale (only bought 2 anyway) - but price was good - for such quality and rating.

runner3081 · Post by **runner3081** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 10:11 pm

2pedals wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 10:03 am
SimonJester wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 9:41 am
runner3081 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:30 am My entire family has been using Discount Tire forever. No issues.
+1 I have always had great service from my local Discount tire. They have gone above and beyond on several occasions even fixing a problem (tire pull) from another big box club warehouse tire when they refused...
Try to take advantage of their sales.

Yes, good call. The rebates are great. They do it Labor Day, Memorial Day and some other holidays.

dm200 · Post by **dm200** » Sun Mar 11, 2018 9:31 am

dm200 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 3:02 pm My wife urgently needed 2 tires on the car she drives a few months ago. She went to Costco and immediately bought 2 new Michelin Defenders - very top rated by CR. Not on sale (only bought 2 anyway) - but price was good - for such quality and rating.

I have reached the conclusion that in our lower miles driven annually for two cars, just replacing the two tires that need replacing is probably lower net cost over time than taking advantage of Costco (or other) discounts for four tires. Anyone think differently? Or done the calculations?

lazydavid · Post by **lazydavid** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 9:25 am

Chris K Jones wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:52 am Bought tires at Costco for decades, but bought last set at NTB. They Easier to deal with than Costco. Not sure if NTB is nationwide or not.

If they weren't nationwide, they would have the dumbest company name ever--NTB stands for National Tire and Battery.

I always buy my tires at Costco. Prices are always fair, I get good service from my local store (across the street from my office), and their warranty is second to none. For the next two weeks, they even have their penny install promotion going, which saves you another $60 on top of the $70 rebate.

I wouldn't necessarily write off Bridgestone just because you were unhappy with your OEM tires. Sometimes those are made to a particular price/spec, and not necessarily indicative of what you could expect of a replacement, even of the exact same model. I currently have two sets of Michelins (Pilot Super Sport and Premier LTX) and two sets of Bridgestones (Dueler Alenza Plus and Blizzak WS80), and am happy with all of them.

If you post the model of the vehicle and/or tire size, I'm happy to make some specific recommendations.

dm200 · Post by **dm200** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 9:44 am

If they weren't nationwide, they would have the dumbest company name ever--NTB stands for National Tire and Battery.

Then again, in this area we have the Washington Nationals and National Airport

Glockenspiel · Post by **Glockenspiel** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 9:55 am

I've been using Discount Tire for the last 10 years and they're always honest and have never pressured me to buy things I don't need. Tire Rack is great for research and even possible purchasing from them, if you can get a local mechanic to install the tires.

maroon · Post by **maroon** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:26 am

Discount Tire. Excellent service - once they fixed (for free!) a leak on a tire I didn't buy from them. Now I always buy my tires from Discount Tire.

1pk3mks · Post by **1pk3mks** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:36 am

I have purchased tires from Samsclub for years and been satisfied with price. Prefer Sams to Costco for tires.

Sandtrap · Post by **Sandtrap** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:40 am

dm200 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 3:02 pm My wife urgently needed 2 tires on the car she drives a few months ago. She went to Costco and immediately bought 2 new Michelin Defenders - very top rated by CR. Not on sale (only bought 2 anyway) - but price was good - for such quality and rating.

+1
Michelin Defenders are incredible for durability, longevity (lasts forever), and performance (stickability).
j

dm200 · Post by **dm200** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:41 am

Sandtrap wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:40 am
dm200 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 3:02 pm My wife urgently needed 2 tires on the car she drives a few months ago. She went to Costco and immediately bought 2 new Michelin Defenders - very top rated by CR. Not on sale (only bought 2 anyway) - but price was good - for such quality and rating.
+1
Michelin Defenders are incredible for durability, longevity (lasts forever), and performance (stickability).
j

Yes - that is what the latest CR ratings say. I hope they continue to be generally available at Costco. They were not all that expensive either, as I recall.

soccerrules · Post by **soccerrules** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:51 am

2pedals wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 10:03 am
SimonJester wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 9:41 am
runner3081 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:30 am My entire family has been using Discount Tire forever. No issues.
+1 I have always had great service from my local Discount tire. They have gone above and beyond on several occasions even fixing a problem (tire pull) from another big box club warehouse tire when they refused...
+2, I have gone to Discount tire several times. They always have great selection of tires and sometimes on sale. Try to take advantage of their sales. Last fall I got $75 back for a set of "better" General Tires Altimax rt43 and my daughter got the same deal. Ordered online to deliver in local store, wait for delivery and schedule appointment to install, in and out no problem. Some other stores my have slightly better prices but they are hard to find. Discount tire really IMHO "does it right" at great prices.

+3 - We have 4 cars and seem to be at DT at least 1-2x a month for free air pressure check,free rotations, free flat's fixed, road hazard warranty replacement, or simply replacing older tires (usually prorated).

z91 · Post by **z91** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:36 am

+4 to Discount Tire. Where I'm at it's called "America's Tire" but they are the same company.

I had a flat a few years ago, brought it in, and they got me out in about 20 minutes without a penny out of pocket (and never tried upselling me).

I didn't buy the tires from them (they came with the car), but they never asked about it. I do buy all my tires from them now, and the one I go to matches Tire Rack prices. Yes, installation probably costs more than independent places, but they actually have waiting rooms with WiFi and water. The last place I went to before Discount Tire was a high volume place that only let me drop off the car and basically told me to go away for 3 hours..

AZAttorney11 · Post by **AZAttorney11** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:57 am

dm200 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:41 am
Sandtrap wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:40 am
dm200 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 10, 2018 3:02 pm My wife urgently needed 2 tires on the car she drives a few months ago. She went to Costco and immediately bought 2 new Michelin Defenders - very top rated by CR. Not on sale (only bought 2 anyway) - but price was good - for such quality and rating.
+1
Michelin Defenders are incredible for durability, longevity (lasts forever), and performance (stickability).
j
Yes - that is what the latest CR ratings say. I hope they continue to be generally available at Costco. They were not all that expensive either, as I recall.

I've owned a set of Michelin Defenders and they were garbage. I rotate my tires every 7,500 miles like clockwork, and the tread depth was at 4/32 at 58,000 miles. The warranty was 90,000 (now reduced to 80,000).

AZAttorney11 · Post by **AZAttorney11** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:59 am

z91 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:36 am +4 to Discount Tire. Where I'm at it's called "America's Tire" but they are the same company.

I had a flat a few years ago, brought it in, and they got me out in about 20 minutes without a penny out of pocket (and never tried upselling me).

I didn't buy the tires from them (they came with the car), but they never asked about it. I do buy all my tires from them now, and the one I go to matches Tire Rack prices. Yes, installation probably costs more than independent places, but they actually have waiting rooms with WiFi and water. The last place I went to before Discount Tire was a high volume place that only let me drop off the car and basically told me to go away for 3 hours..

Discount Tire also allows you to make appointments online, and they stick to the schedule. Never, ever had a problem with them.

bottlecap · Post by **bottlecap** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 12:39 pm

Consensus is always either Costco or discount tire.

If I wanted Michelin’s, I would buy them even if I couldn’t wait until they were $70 off at Costco.

OEM tires often wear out quickly.

Good luck,

JT

dm200 · Post by **dm200** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 1:39 pm

bottlecap wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 12:39 pm
If I wanted Michelin’s, I would buy them even if I couldn’t wait until they were $70 off at Costco.

My conclusion as well.

AndroAsc · Post by **AndroAsc** » Mon Apr 02, 2018 12:46 am

I'm still evaluating Costco vs Discount Tires, here's the issues.

Discount Tires installation and certificates are way too expensive. They are charge $90 for installation and ~$60 for the certificates (extra warranty/insurance). Costco only charge $56 for installation and certificates are free, so we're talking almost 3X more expensive for non-tire related fees.

However, Costco doesn't sell anything I want. My experience with Bridgestones sucks, I'm not into Michelin, and Continental TrueContact is really my top choice right now. Although I just realize that Bridgestones do have mileage warranty so maybe it's ok (according to tirerack and I've seen their PDF warranty) - not sure why Costco doesn't advertise that!

dm200 · Post by **dm200** » Mon Apr 02, 2018 9:03 am

AndroAsc wrote: ↑Mon Apr 02, 2018 12:46 am I'm still evaluating Costco vs Discount Tires, here's the issues.
Discount Tires installation and certificates are way too expensive. They are charge $90 for installation and ~$60 for the certificates (extra warranty/insurance). Costco only charge $56 for installation and certificates are free, so we're talking almost 3X more expensive for non-tire related fees.
However, Costco doesn't sell anything I want. My experience with Bridgestones sucks, I'm not into Michelin, and Continental TrueContact is really my top choice right now. Although I just realize that Bridgestones do have mileage warranty so maybe it's ok (according to tirerack and I've seen their PDF warranty) - not sure why Costco doesn't advertise that!

A recent Consumer Reports rated Michelin Defenders (we got two at Costco) at the top of the list for that category.

MnD · Post by **MnD** » Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:16 am

AZAttorney11 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:57 am I've owned a set of Michelin Defenders and they were garbage. I rotate my tires every 7,500 miles like clockwork, and the tread depth was at 4/32 at 58,000 miles. The warranty was 90,000 (now reduced to 80,000).

58K with 4/32nd still left is excellent. Defenders start with 10/32nd tread so you are wearing at 9.6K miles per 1/32nd.
At 2/32nd you might be looking at 77K miles. The 80K/90K tread wear warranties are ridiculous, pro-rated to original cost for tire only and compliance with all the terms and conditions makes it very difficult to claim. ~77K miles to worn-out is not a "garbage" tire.

armeliusc · Post by **armeliusc** » Mon Apr 02, 2018 1:10 pm

Michelin currently has $70 rebate promotion. I just got a set of 4 tires yesterday and uploaded my receipt for the rebate last night.

I got my tires from a local tire store; they seem honest, don't try to sell me stuff, and have fair price, so I stick with them.

The Defender I had on our 04 Civic lasted about 80K miles at ~4/32 thread depth. But the last Defender on our newer physics got to about 3/32 within ~60K miles which some uneven wears. So I opted to replace them and realign the wheels yesterday because we're going to take a long trip this coming weekend. Both cars are now on Michelin Premier. We'll see how that goes.

hand · Post by **hand** » Mon Apr 02, 2018 1:13 pm

I've had generally good experiences with Costco, though the logistics of leaving a car at Costco until work complete can be a hassle.

Latest experience with Tire Rack & a mobile installer through Tire Rack was great - guy in a truck showed up and mounted, balanced and installed tires in my driveway!

dm200 · Post by **dm200** » Mon Apr 02, 2018 2:18 pm

hand wrote: ↑Mon Apr 02, 2018 1:13 pm I've had generally good experiences with Costco, though the logistics of leaving a car at Costco until work complete can be a hassle.
Latest experience with Tire Rack & a mobile installer through Tire Rack was great - guy in a truck showed up and mounted, balanced and installed tires in my driveway!

This may depend on location, etc. We have gotten tires, etc. and work completed within no more than two hours, normally.

SRenaeP · Post by **SRenaeP** » Mon Apr 02, 2018 3:24 pm

I go to Mr. Tire. I guess they bought the Goodyear location near me. They have pretty good service although not as good as when they were Goodyear. They always price match from tirerack.com. I don't bother with tread warranty but I do get the road hazard coverage. In the past I've thought it wasn't really worth it but when I two nails in two tires at once, I really appreciated having it.

AllMostThere · Post by **AllMostThere** » Mon Apr 02, 2018 7:24 pm

While a Costco member, I gave up on them for tire purchases. My last set of tires for my DW Traverse was +$800! Two weeks ago I needed new tires for my DD Kia Soul. Costco tires tend to be higher end, and nothing happens quick with Costco tires; +4 hour drop off for install then 1-2 hour wait for regular balance and rotation every 6-8K miles. I went to Discount Tire, they matched the Costco pricing for a 4 set of Bridgestones plus $0.01 install and they threw in the tire pressure monitor rebuild kits for free (Costco is $2.99 per tire). I made a appointment for install and was in & out in 45 minutes! I saw multiple customers come in for balance & rotations and all were out the door in <30 minutes. I didn't buy the DT "certificates" as I do not really see any value with that product. I suggest you at least pop into DT and let them give you a quote. You may be happy.

dm200 · Post by **dm200** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 11:28 am

AllMostThere wrote: ↑Mon Apr 02, 2018 7:24 pm While a Costco member, I gave up on them for tire purchases. My last set of tires for my DW Traverse was +$800! Two weeks ago I needed new tires for my DD Kia Soul. Costco tires tend to be higher end, and nothing happens quick with Costco tires; +4 hour drop off for install then 1-2 hour wait for regular balance and rotation every 6-8K miles. I went to Discount Tire, they matched the Costco pricing for a 4 set of Bridgestones plus $0.01 install and they threw in the tire pressure monitor rebuild kits for free (Costco is $2.99 per tire). I made a appointment for install and was in & out in 45 minutes! I saw multiple customers come in for balance & rotations and all were out the door in <30 minutes. I didn't buy the DT "certificates" as I do not really see any value with that product. I suggest you at least pop into DT and let them give you a quote. You may be happy.

A few years ago, on a car I previously owned, I needed only one tire to replace a badly damaged one. I went to "Mr Tire" and got one at a very reasonable price.

I guess we are fortunate that our nearby Costco usually does things so quickly.

Just sayin... · Post by **Just sayin...** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 12:18 pm

I usually buy my tires at Costco, but last fall, decided to buy my new Blizzaks through Discount Tire. Three tries and they COULD NOT BALANCE them. I went to Costco and explained what happened...and they balanced them correctly FOR FREE. The Discount Tire grease monkey got his back up, telling me why they don’t have (and my car does not need) a wheel balancing pin plate - that they could get better results using traditional cones. Well, to judge by results, he spent his years learning nothing. The Costco guy told me that they need to use pin plates to balance tires on this type of vehicle - otherwise you’d have some vibration. Again, to judge by results, they were right. As far as warranty issues - I’ve only had one tire repaired for free at Costco with no problems.

Whew-Only10MoreYears · Tue Apr 03, 2018 12:54 pm

Perfect timing! I just got 4 Michelin Defenders yesterday at our local tire place (Belle Tire). Paid $2.00 more per tire than Costco & Tire Rack but I would have had to order them and I was off yesterday so didn't want to wait. The store is literally walking distance from my house so I was able to drop the car off and walk home and back to pick it up.
Unfortunately they called saying I needed an alignment (not surprising considering Michigan's awful roads) and some of the numbers were in fact waay out of spec. Don't know if Costco does alignments but something to consider.
Did my due diligence but for me the local guys won out over Costco and Tire Rack based solely on convenience.

dm200 · Post by **dm200** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:28 pm

Whew-Only10MoreYears wrote: ↑Tue Apr 03, 2018 12:54 pm Perfect timing! I just got 4 Michelin Defenders yesterday at our local tire place (Belle Tire). Paid $2.00 more per tire than Costco & Tire Rack but I would have had to order them and I was off yesterday so didn't want to wait. The store is literally walking distance from my house so I was able to drop the car off and walk home and back to pick it up.
Unfortunately they called saying I needed an alignment (not surprising considering Michigan's awful roads) and some of the numbers were in fact waay out of spec. Don't know if Costco does alignments but something to consider.
Did my due diligence but for me the local guys won out over Costco and Tire Rack based solely on convenience.

My wife bought two tires at Costco about 7 months ago - and just biught what Costco had in stock and recommended. Turned out to be Michelin Defenders

dcdowden · Post by **dcdowden** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:37 pm

Have been very happy with buying highly rated and well priced tires from Tirerack.com and using my local NTB for installation. Have also used Costco in the past, but they had very limited selection of tires.

vested1 · Post by **vested1** » Mon May 07, 2018 1:44 pm

I would consider going to one of about 30,000 Tire Pro dealers, nationwide, who offer a great warranty. https://www.tirepros.com/

I used to be skeptical until I had to use the warranty, once again just today. Our dealer rotates the tires and repairs them for free up to the full mileage of the warranty. They replace them for free for 12 months or 12,000 miles, which ever is greater. They deduct usage after those limits are reached as described below.

We've always taken our cars to a local dealer who is a Tire Pro member because of their service and honesty. They mentioned in the past that Costco tires may be cheaper but are of lower grade, but take that for what it's worth.

We bought 4 new tires in November of 2015 for our Rav4. The tires had a 75,000 mile warranty on them. The additional tire protection, (6 years and 75,000 miles) cost about $14 a tire. On Saturday we picked up a bolt through one of them, so I put on the spare and drove it to the dealer. The tire was non-repairable and needed to be replaced. The new tire, which matches the old ones was listed at $124.95. The discount was 67%, a combination of 2.5 years of use (58% discount off 6 years) and 17,428 miles (76% discount off 75,000 miles), 58 + 76 = 134 divided by 2 = 67%. That equated to a discount on the new tire of $83.72 ($41.23 net cost). The warranty on all 4 tires was $56, and we've had a couple of other repairs from nails and such in the interim, all done for free.

I'm not one who buys extended warranties, but the unpredictability of road hazards make purchasing one for tires a no-brainer in my opinion. Needless to say, I bought a new tire protection contact on the new tire for $14.

I will say that if you purchase a warranty, carry it in the glove box and be aware of your coverage. About 10 years ago we flew back to SF (about 120 miles from home) after a trip to Hawaii and found one our tires slashed. Our flight was a red-eye so we had to get a motel for the night and get the tire replaced the next day, as all we had for a spare was a small donut, incapable of freeway travel. We took it to a shop that was a Tire Pro affiliate, and were told that the tire was non-repairable. I didn't have the warranty with us, so paid the entire freight for a new one. A lesson well learned.

lostdog · Post by **lostdog** » Mon May 07, 2018 5:30 pm

We bought all of our tires at Walmart. They have the best price and cheapest install. So far no issues at all. They also do free tire rotation for the life of the tires

Compound · Post by **Compound** » Mon May 07, 2018 6:14 pm

Another satisfied Costco and Tirerack tire buyer here. Have had good service and value with both places.

il0kin · Post by **il0kin** » Mon May 07, 2018 7:31 pm

Amazon has prices that are often WAY lower than anywhere else, shipped directly from the manufacturer, with free shipping. I got Cooper CS5 Grand Touring tires from Amazon for $93/tire. Unbeatable elswhere, even Tire Rack who wanted $135 shipped.

Doom&Gloom · Post by **Doom&Gloom** » Mon May 07, 2018 7:45 pm

vested1 wrote: ↑Mon May 07, 2018 1:44 pm I would consider going to one of about 30,000 Tire Pro dealers, nationwide, who offer a great warranty. https://www.tirepros.com/

I used to be skeptical until I had to use the warranty, once again just today. Our dealer rotates the tires and repairs them for free up to the full mileage of the warranty. They replace them for free for 12 months or 12,000 miles, which ever is greater. They deduct usage after those limits are reached as described below.

We've always taken our cars to a local dealer who is a Tire Pro member because of their service and honesty. They mentioned in the past that Costco tires may be cheaper but are of lower grade, but take that for what it's worth.

We bought 4 new tires in November of 2015 for our Rav4. The tires had a 75,000 mile warranty on them. The additional tire protection, (6 years and 75,000 miles) cost about $14 a tire. On Saturday we picked up a bolt through one of them, so I put on the spare and drove it to the dealer. The tire was non-repairable and needed to be replaced. The new tire, which matches the old ones was listed at $124.95. The discount was 67%, a combination of 2.5 years of use (58% discount off 6 years) and 17,428 miles (76% discount off 75,000 miles), 58 + 76 = 134 divided by 2 = 67%. That equated to a discount on the new tire of $83.72 ($41.23 net cost). The warranty on all 4 tires was $56, and we've had a couple of other repairs from nails and such in the interim, all done for free.

I'm not one who buys extended warranties, but the unpredictability of road hazards make purchasing one for tires a no-brainer in my opinion. Needless to say, I bought a new tire protection contact on the new tire for $14.

I will say that if you purchase a warranty, carry it in the glove box and be aware of your coverage. About 10 years ago we flew back to SF (about 120 miles from home) after a trip to Hawaii and found one our tires slashed. Our flight was a red-eye so we had to get a motel for the night and get the tire replaced the next day, as all we had for a spare was a small donut, incapable of freeway travel. We took it to a shop that was a Tire Pro affiliate, and were told that the tire was non-repairable. I didn't have the warranty with us, so paid the entire freight for a new one. A lesson well learned.

I am glad to hear that you had a good experience with Tire Pro. We had used a local tire shop, which expanded to four locations, for years. Then the owner sold out to Tire Pros and everything went downhill. We observed simple incompetence and less than honest dealings with us. Sounds like our experience may be an outlier, but we have severed all business with them and I wouldn't recommend them (at least in our locale) to anyone.

I purchased my last set of tires at the dealership. I was shocked that they were able to get the exact tires I wanted at a very competitive price. We recently purchased sets of tires for our other two vehicles at a local tire shop after deciding what tires we wanted by checking out Tire Rack and other online reviews. And our experience with that local business far surpassed our experience with Tire Pro here.

pangea33 · Post by **pangea33** » Tue May 08, 2018 7:25 am

vested1 wrote: ↑Mon May 07, 2018 1:44 pmI would consider going to one of about 30,000 Tire Pro dealers, nationwide, who offer a great warranty. https://www.tirepros.com/

There are a couple near me. Every single tire listed on their website says "Call for quote"

Nope.

vested1 · Post by **vested1** » Tue May 08, 2018 8:14 am

pangea33 wrote: ↑Tue May 08, 2018 7:25 am
vested1 wrote: ↑Mon May 07, 2018 1:44 pmI would consider going to one of about 30,000 Tire Pro dealers, nationwide, who offer a great warranty. https://www.tirepros.com/
There are a couple near me. Every single tire listed on their website says "Call for quote"

Nope.

As I mentioned earlier, we had a tire replaced yesterday with a 67% discount due to an errant bolt through a tire with light use. On the way home I picked up a metal screw in a different tire and a nail in another. I'm taking the car back to the tire shop today to have both tires repaired for free. Maybe I should consider moving to an area that doesn't have careless contractors spewing screws, nails, and bolts all over the road from their trucks.