HOW TO GET CHEAP CAR TIRES
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Do you really want cheap car tires, or do you want to get the best value from your tires? There is a big difference. Some folks who want cheap tires, go to the junkyard and pay a few bucks each. Then they have to pay someone to install them. Warranties? Forget it. And no matter how good used tires may look, they could be dangerous, even lethal. This National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Tire Aging Research Report shows that tires that have been in service for about six years become weak and subject to sudden failure. And the failures have resulted in a number of deaths. The best, and safest, path to really cheap car tires is good maintenance and getting the best value NEW tire. _________________________________________________________________ QUICK & SIMPLE TIRE MAINTENANCE Your car tires gradually lose air pressure. Tire pressure also varies with the outside temperature. Regular pressure checks are the only way to assure that your tires are always properly inflated. Keep them up to, but not above, the manufacturer’s recommendation. Tires inflated above manufacturer’s recommendations are unsafe to drive and will wear unevenly. So ignore the stories of high mileage champs who run excessively high air pressures in their tires. While you're checking tire pressure take a look at your front tires. Uneven tread wear may be an indication that your car needs a front end allignment that will save both fuel and wear and tear on your tires. _________________________________________________________________ COST AND VALUE If you want cheap car tires, which is really getting the best value tires, you need to consider a number of items including: Rolling resistance Tire life expectancy Cost per tire Shipping costs Mounting and balancing costs Cost to dispose of old tires Cost of road hazard warranty Cost for lifetime flat repair, balance, and rotation Taxes _________________________________________________________________ ROLLING RESISTANCE Rolling resistance deals with a tire's resistance to movement. Every tread design creates a different level of rolling resistance. Tires with low rolling resistance will consumer less gas than tires with higher rolling resistance. Anyone who has ridden a bicycle with low tire pressure becomes intimately familiar with the fact that higher rolling resistance requires more energy to move a vehicle. The Tire Rack
As discussed in the article, the easiest way to be sure that you’re getting a low rolling resistance tire is to get the same tires that were on your car when it was new. _________________________________________________________________ GETTING THE BEST TIRE VALUE Finding the best tire for your needs involves a little simple math. Suppose one tire cost $50 and has a 40,000-mile warranty. Another tire cost $75 but has an 80,000-mile warranty. The warranty figures point to an expected cost per mile. The $50 tire that runs 40,000 miles is expected to cost (50/40,000) about .125 cents per mile to operate. The $75 tire that runs for 80,000 miles can be expected to cost (75/80,000) about .094 cents per mile. What all that means is that the more expensive tires actually cost about 25% less to use than the cheap car tires. The question you now need to answer is how much longer you expect to keep your car. If you plan to trade it in, say, 30,000 miles, then you may want the cheaper car tires depending on how much extra value you think the better tires might add to your car when you sell it. _________________________________________________________________
SHOPPING, PRICING, AND CUSTOMER REVIEWS The Tire Rack
Even after adding shipping costs, prices at The Tire Rack
Be sure to read the customer reviews of the local installers and get your own comparisons on mounting and balancing costs. And be sure to find out ALL extra costs BEFORE you buy any tires, either online or in person. By the way, some places will charge a premium to mount tires that were purchased elsewhere. Exchanging or getting a warranty replacement can also be a problem when buying from a remote location. That's especially true if you buy an off-brand tire and can't find a local dealer that carries that brand. On the other hand, taxes may be cheaper online. You just have to check, compare, and decide. You may find it worth your time and money to order tires online, have them delivered directly to you, and take them to a place like Walmart for mounting and balancing. If you also get the roadhazard protection you'll have an easy to find place to get a tire repair when needed, no matter where you are. _________________________________________________________________ FINDING GOOD PRICES LOCALLY Walmart has earned a reputation for offering tough-to-beat prices on quality tires. And they have reasonable mounting and balancing charges, even for tires brought to them. They can mount and balance them while you wait, or shop of course. Walmart Online also offers free shipping to your local Walmart Store and free mounting on tires purchased from them. But for some odd reason Walmart almost hides it's tire department. It seems to always be in a back corner of the store. And online you have to hunt the website and test an array of keywords to find it. OR. You can use the easy-link below, enter the term "car tires" and connect straight to the tire department. [Be sure to use the exact term "car tires" or you might find yourself looking at baby buggies because they have tires on them.] [Note: A number of Walmart Stores are now taking appointments for installation. If that's a store near you, you can set an appointment time to have your tires installed and avoid a long wait at the shop; and you can do it all from your easy chair. We understand from Walmart sources that they are pondering the use of internet appointment scheduling in the very near future. We'll let you know when it's official.]
Wherever you shop for tires, be sure to ask friends and neighbors for references. _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________
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