i was wondering what peoples experinces where buying tires online. like prices compared to local, extra costs? where you got them. bassicaly pros and cons to buying tires online?

im in the market for some new tires and want to keep stock tire size with some good off road and on road tires? and suggestions would be greatly apreciated. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

thanks

I was getting some 35s. I looked all over online and then went to a local tire shop (not a chain) and got the tires cheaper at that shop than anywhere else.

For regular street tires, I went to Sams and ordered online then went to the local store and they put them on.

I always buy my tires online, no real cons. Of course you have to account for the shipping fees, but generally the prices are better on the net, not saying always, but in general. Do you want mud tires or do you just want some all terrains? Mud tires will be noisy and most tend to wander and follow every crack and groove in the road, all terrains won't do so well in the mud but will ride/sound good. I see lots of rigs with BFG A/Ts out on the trail, so it may not be a bad tire for what you want.

I bought a set of Pro-Comps a couple of years back online. Where I was living at the time Wal-Mart was the only reasonably priced place for 100 miles or so and i didn't want anything they had. I ended up ordering from 4wheelparts during a buy 3 get 1 free promotion and I got free shipping.

I love my michelin LTX M+S. (they make an AT version if you want more aggresive) I just got them and National Tire and BAttery will beat any price you bring them. They had to order my 225 75R15's cause they arent a size they keep in house. I was driving with GoodYear wranglers and the ride was terrible on road,the radio wasnt loud enough over the highway noise. Had to wear earplugs! Michelins don't require that I even turn up the radio from 10MPH to 70MPH.
The last set of these I had was on a GMC Z71, I used it on snowy trails and snowy roads often, and they drive great in snow. I got 93,000 miles out of them before I sold the truck and they still had 15,000 miles left on them. The tread wore evenly and I never rotated the tires. Ok maybe once. THe tires are expensive, but worth every penny if you want stock tires.

In my experience if you're looking for a particular/specialty brand, size, etc then online can be a very good way to go. Places such as Discount Tire Direct has free shipping. 4wheelparts has free shipping/freight almost every weekend.

Basically the positive side is that you don't have to pay tax and any disposal fees or other tire fees are already calculated into the price. No real negative side in my experience. I've ordered my last 3 sets of tires online and have saved literally $100's.

On the other hand, if you're just looking for some stock 235's or a no-name brand doesn't bother you, go local. Just remember to take taxes, disposal fees, etc. into consideration. In this case, I usually just call around for prices before I go anywhere.

You'll have to pay for mounting and balancing regardless. Certain places, such as Discount Tire/America's Tire offer free lifetime rotating and balancing standard with their installation- regardless of where you purchase the tires.

Sometimes it can be complicated choosing which route is best b/c local stores will give you either a total 'out the door' price or one that doesn't even include any fees; make sure you ask. Online stores however will give you a total price at the click of a button.

IMHO by how you describe your tire search you're probably better off going local but it doesn't hurt to check online prices just like you'd call around before just going to one place.

It never hurts to check the local classifieds and eBay as well. Of course if you go eBay, try to stay local. I managed to get a set of 5 brand new 31x10.50 MT/R's for $500 picked up off of ebay! That's over $250 in savings if bought today; I saved over $300 when I bought them 2 years ago.

HTH

~R

Keep in mind, while you dont have to pay sales tax and disposal fees, you do pay shipping and still have to get the tires mounted/balanced locally unless you do it yourself.

This can often times equal out in price and if you buy locally then if you have any problems with the tires or need to get them rebalanced, etc they will do it for free (ie: Discount)
Most people dont know, but tire stores will deal on tires. Shop around, dont settle on the price they state. Its like buying a rifle or a car - they will always negotiate price.

A Lot of times, if you buy with rims.. they'll come balanced.. so all you have to do is mount them.

I wouldn't buy tires online, while you may save a little money up front, in the long run after you've paid some place for mounting & balancing and then rebalancing over the life of the tire you will be paying more. Especially big off-road tires that need rebalancing a lot. Plus what if you get a defective one, you then have to pay some place unmount it and ship it off. No thanks

I've used Tire Rack for tires the last few times and it has worked well and also Summit Racing. I picked up some inexpensive mounting and balancing tools from Harbor Freight and now mount/balance my own tires.