How much would you spend on tires?

[madison2000]

I need to buy four tires for my car this weekend. 2001 Mazda 626 LX 4C
I went to two places (Tires Plus and FireStone) and they only had one choice which would cost me $400 total, including installation. I thought that was high so I walked out and decided to do more research.

Anyone shopped at Walmart or Sears for tires? Anywhere else?

[Taverner]

1. Costco

You can get them for ~100 per tyre

[xray s]

2. Costco is good place to buy

Their price includes balancing and valve stems and lifetime free tire rotations.

Plus Costco is a "blue" business.

[madison2000]

3. No Costco in Wisconsin, as far as I know

[TexasLady]

4. My very smart husband

just spent a lil over a hundred a piece for mine just today, and he says they are Goodyear Allegras, and he used to be in da business so I trust his judgement.

He said the price sounds right though.

[madison2000]

5. Its weird to see Texas blue, weird in a good way

Goodyear is a good name.

[arkie dem]

25. I had a set of Allegras on my Toyota that lasted close

to 60K miles (4yrs). The only problem I had with them was wet road traction. Definitely not the best for wet roads.

[AlCzervik]

6. if you can't go to Costco $400 is reasonable imo.

[mr_hat]

7. Comparison shop at www.tirerack.com >

Even if you don't buy from them (and I've had several flawless transactions) it'll help you decide what to get and how much you should pay.

[scarlet_owl]

8. I just spent $200 on tires at Farm and Fleet.

They weren't expensive, high performance models mind you.

[madison2000]

9. All 4 tires for $200?

That sounds a lot better to me!

[DS1]

10. I don't mind spending upwards of $140 per tire

Good tires can keep you out of a lot of trouble, help you brake faster and give you more feedback in corners. All weather performance tires also have amazing wet-weather grip.

Considering tires are the last thing between you and the road, and typically run for 18 months, the price is justifiably in my mind.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. Depends on how fast I want to go but screw firestone

They KNEW their tires were defective. A good off brand is Dunlop and they usually run far less than other name brands.

If you wish to drive over the speed limit regularly, however, consider getting a tire that is rated for higher speeds.

[Cornjob]

12. Kumho makes great cheap tires!

I have a set of Ecsta 795s on my Taurus and they are terrific.
They wear like iron and handle well in rain or snow. They run less than $60/tire.

For high-performance tires, I would recommend Goodrich Traction T/A's.
My wife has them on her Jag and they are superb. They will run you about $120/tire.

[ChoralScholar]

13. Wal-Mart and Sears both carry

Michelin Symmetry, which is about the best tire for the money. They are rated for 60,000 miles. For my car, which has 205/75/14 tires they run about 79.00/each mounted and balanced.

[yellowdogintexas]

14. try Discount Tires, if they are in your area

also remember this: part of what makes the tire more expensive is the estimated # of miles the tire will last.

You can get cheap 25Kmile tires, and replace them again in 2 years, or you can get costlier 50K or 75K tires and not have to replace them for four or six years. You should get at least 50K mile tires.

And the higher quality tires are safer, give you better traction in bad road conditions, cause less wear/tear on your braking, and give you a better ride.

If I can, I always go for the longer mileage tires. Also, Discount, Pep boys, and most other places offer a warranty. Take it. If the tire blows, or goes flat or what ever, you get replacement free or highly reduced.

If you have Pep Boys, call em, I know they are a blue company.

I do not know about Discount Tires politically, but they offer the advantage of being just a tire shop and nothing else, therefore your car isn't waiting to get into the service bay along with cars that are having major repair work done so you are in and out pretty quick. I have never been dissatisfied ever, and they will fix leaks in tires that are not theirs for free or next to nothing. They have fixed leaks for me on more than one occasion, the most I ever paid was $5. They usually have some sort of special of the month going on for one thing or another too.

[Catshrink]

15. How about $140 for four -- mounted and balanced?

That's what I paid on Thursday. My dad's friend has a tire shop. These were "take offs" meaning someone had driven them a bit then decided they wanted something sexier. So freaking what? I got a nice set for a good price that maybe had 200 miles on them.

I expected to pay at least that at Costco. (That was my second choice -- good value, blue company, good customer service.)

on edit: I forgot to say that the cords were showing on my old ones. I was days away from a blow out.

[madison2000]

16. I live in WI so I face some challenging weather, but I don't do much

highway driving and I never go above 80mph and that's realy rare.
I walked into two shops yesterday and they each only gave me ONE option and it was $400. I became paranoid about being female and being taken advantage of for not knowing a thing about tires except that I need them.

I am going to take a week to do this instead of buying in a hurry- thanks for all the input!

[skygazer]

17. I usually spend 60 to 100 dollars per tire

Depending on what I'm buying. I like a good all season tire and can almost always find what I need for under 100 a tire.

[Deja Q]

18. I paid $650 for mine (or, how much is your life worth?):

At Tires Plus:

50k mile lifespan.

Great protection for winter driving conditions.

Ditto for rain.

Also bought a roadside assistance warranty that covers free alignment and rotations. As my vehicle needs rotation/balancing every 7500 miles, and how much that all costs, it's worth it.

1999 Subraru Impreza Outback Sport is my vehicle.

(Oh, I ahd spent $500 back in 1998 for tires for my 1995 Toyota Corolla.)

Tires are important, especially in states like Minnesota.

But I would recommend against doing it on the cheap. Unless you're a neocon pro-death maniac like *.

[Droopy]

19. A lot of it depends on the size of tire you need

I have 13" wheels on my little Isuzu pick up. I was able to find new tires for $200 installed. That was with a 45,000 mile warranty. The bigger the tire, the more money you are going to have to shell out.

[tigereye]

20. 260 for four at DW Tire

I think that is what it is called. It's a chain. I got the medium priced ones. And I thought that was high! Not compared with some of the prices quoted here.

[Nikia]

21. I don't know about that particuliar car and tires

I know that I needed to spend that much money for my tires because they don't carry them at Farm & Fleet and other places where you can buy inexpensive tires. There are some tires that you can buy cheaply. Some you cannot buy cheaply.

[lgw1]

22. Discount Tire?

hmmmm... do you have a Discount Tire near you? I've always liked them because they will rotate your tires for free even if you didn't buy them there. They will get my biz next time.

[madison2000]

23. I went to a Goodyear shop today and he had 10 different tires that would

fit my Mazda, ranging from $60 to $120 per tire. I was indecisive and hesitant, and finally he let me know that they are all going on sale on January 14, which is Friday. I'm not working this week so I can wait!
I don't just want good tires, I want good tires ON SALE!

[arkie dem]

24. I purchased four Bridgestone 215R 70 14 tires

from a local tire dealer for $318 mounted, balanced and tax included. Seeems if I remember correctly my daughters 626 had 15" tires which would cost more???

[madison2000]

26. a little more, but not much- that's a really good price

Someone told me to get Bridgestone BT70 if I could.

[madison2000]

27. Geez, its more complicated than buying pantyhose...

too many choices.