Cheap tires and mounting

[1gengsxz3]

does in any one know of a good place to get tires mounted on rims and allingment cheap? and if there's any place other then online to buy tires cheap?

 

[Defiant]

PepBoys usually has inexpensive wheel scrape insulators; check the other tire chain companies in your area. Also, some shops may have either take-offs (tires replaced by people upgrading a new car's setup) or even usable used tires.

 

[roadrunner2176]

Like defiant said, pepboys is usually offering a 4 wheel alignment for 64.00 or so. Only problem with that is when you go there they always find something that is or really isnt just about to go bad and demand that it be fixed before they do an alignment costing hundreds more. Look in the back of your phone book for supporters adds. You should be able to find coupons for local shops offering discounts on all types of auto parts. If you have a tire rack nearby thats probably your best bet for cheap tires, unless you have to ship them. Otherwise call some local shops and see if they have any used tires, or scrapyards. Most times you can get a decent used rim and tire from a scrap yard for next to nothing.

 

[unlmtdndeavor]

you can get rt-615 for pretty cheap. don't buy used tires...don't be ghetto.

 

[roadrunner2176]

Whats ghetto about used tires. 10.00 for a tire vs 50.00 and up with 9/10 tread remaining instead of full tread is not ghetto. Ghetto would be buying bald tires and trying to get away with calling them slicks.

 

[MyBlack94GST]

I've been using used tires on my DDs for almost 10 years now, it's all good in the hood.

 

[T9S1i]

where are you located??? Come aug 15th ill be back in school at auto class at city college evans campus and i can mount/balance tires all day. Im cool with most of the teachers and the tool room guy so i can get all the stuff i need to get those tires on and balanced. YOu just gotta bring all the goods. I'd buy new valve stem's too if i were you.

 

[unlmtdndeavor]

Whats ghetto about used tires. 10.00 for a tire vs 50.00 and up with 9/10 tread remaining instead of full tread is not ghetto. Ghetto would be buying bald tires and trying to get away with calling them slicks.

first off...if you are buying $50 new tires that means they are shit. if you can get $10 used tires...they are garbage. the only time i have purchased used tires is r-compounds. i MIGHT buy used slicks if they were a great deal...

go ahead for a fwd car...i could care less. but for an awd car i would not buy used tires. unless you plan to find a set of 4 that are off an awd car that have the same amount of wear all around.

don't buy shit tires

 

[roadrunner2176]

What are you getting all defensive about. If you want to play stupid games, an eclipse comes with standard with 14" inch tires. A cheap 14" inch tires starts around 35.00 and goes upwards of 100.00. I said 50.00 and up. Now lets be fair here, just because a tire is inexpensive doesn't make it a shit tire. It's your choice to buy whatever tire you want, but with that said there are lots of 50.00 tires on the market that will match and outperform a tire twice its cost.

The used tires you wouldn't want to purchase are r-compounds. R-rated tires just mean their rated for higher speeds. Their compounds are softer meaning they don't last as long. If someone is ditching an r-rated tire, most times that is a sign of a tire imperfection. Used slicks are even worse, theres no tread indicator of what good rubber is actually remaining.

As for a fwd or an awd vehicle it doesn't make a difference. Both systems include a differential designed to slip, so it makes no difference if your tires are brand new or slightly worn down on the front or rear axles on either format. Most tire manufacturers recommend that when you replace tires you replace them in pairs, front axle, rear axle. But even then if their the same size it doesn't make a difference unless you have a vehicle where both axles have a permanent locked differential.

Now if your thinking about tire wear on a fwd vs an awd the tires in the front will always wear faster than the tires in the rear because of steering. The only way all 4 tires would wear the exact same is if you had 100% flat roads and a 4 wheel drive vehicle with all wheel steer with a 50-50 weight ratio. And even than it's not guaranteed.

Used tires are not shit tires, they are used. Most are dealer takeoffs due to the new owner of the vehicle wanting to put rims on or larger tires at time of purchase. Scrap yards sell tires from vehicles they get in. Rule of thumb at most scrap yards is to measure the tread depth of the tire before selling. They would rather have someone buy a decent used tire than have to pay for them to be recycled. Yes you can get a set of bald tires at a scrap yard, but if your dumb enough to buy a set of bald tires, you shouldn't be there in the first place.

So heres what it comes down to. Cost.
A basic 14" tire being around 50.00 x 4 =200 plus 10-15 for mounting and balancing each for a total around 250. Full tread around 50,000 miles average, most likely more.
4 used tires at 10.00 each x 4 = 40.00 plus 10-15 for mounting and balancing each for a total around 90.00. Full tread average 50,000 miles say 3/4 tread left leaves you with 37,500 miles remaining.
12,500 miles equates to 160.00 for the cost of new tires vs used tires at one purchase. One theoretically could buy almost 3 sets, 12 tires, for the price of 4 new tires and get 112,500 miles of tire life.
Obviously the larger the tire was the more they would cost, but the economics wouldn't change.

So if you wanted to do some upgrades to your car and had access to used tires it would save you some cash.

 

[meliketoball]

Over in San Jose, we have these Mexican owned tire shops called "Calderons" "Eagle's Tires" or "Josue's Tires" selling used big NAMED brand tires such as bridgestone, falken, etc. for pretty cheap. You can get 17 inch Z rated tires between 40-50 mounted and balanced! It's usually walk in so, you can check out and choose your own tires. It's not bad. Go MEXICO!

 

[MyBlack94GST]

If he really has a N/T, used tires will be fine. Completely fine. From a used tire shop. For my FWD (when it was done up with the Big 16G), I got Z-rated used tires and beat the hell out of them. They're not retreads, they're just used.

For my AWD I bought all 4 new Z-rated new.

 

[unlmtdndeavor]

whatever, do what you guys want. go get some POS tires for all i care. i'm just trying to point you in the right direction rather than listen to some guy with a 97 n/t. if you want excessive strain on your center diff, go ahead, go get a pair of used tires for the front and a set of used tires for the rear.

notice that you said getting 14" tires that last 50k miles...if your tire lasts 50k miles...it's GARBAGE. i don't care if they are even $70/each...SHIT.

don't be cheap guys...if you want to have a nice car...don't go cheap on tires. if any of you want me to prove it to you..come by with your $50 tires and i'll give you a ride on my falkens...then you tell me if those $50 are good.

here's a list of cheap tires:
- Falken RT-615
- Kuhmo MX
- Hankook Ventus RS-2

Any of those can be had for cheap..and will outperform any cheapy tire.

if you want good tires...
- Toyo RA-1
- Bridgestone RE01R
- Bridgestone RE050A Pole Position
- Michenlin PS2
- BFG KD
- Yokohama Advan NEOVA

take your pick..but don't listen to the guy that is suggesting tires that will last 50k miles for $10 used.

 

[roadrunner2176]

My mistake, I posted it twice. Read next post in response to one above.

 

[roadrunner2176]

whatever, do what you guys want. go get some POS tires for all i care. i'm just trying to point you in the right direction rather than listen to some guy with a 97 n/t.

What does my vehicle have to do with anything. So I have a 97 nt (DD), this is dsmtuners, it gets great gas mileage. If you must know I also have a 06 4x4 f150 (work truck), a 69 gto (inherited it, and love it), and a 03 yamaha r6. So just because I own a nt talon makes me ignorant. Ignorance isn't classified by what your drive, its classified by what your know, or don't know.

if you want excessive strain on your center diff, go ahead, go get a pair of used tires for the front and a set of used tires for the rear.

Vehicles were designed with differentials for a reason, to differentiate between your wheels rotational mass. If it didn't do this it wouldn't be called a differential, and you wouldn't be able to turn without one tire excessively hopping. Not like someones going to buy a set of used tires with a sidewall of 60 for the left and 70 for the right side.

notice that you said getting 14" tires that last 50k miles...if your tire lasts 50k miles...it's GARBAGE. i don't care if they are even $70/each...SHIT.


I never said they would last 50,000 miles. That was just an example to show an average lifespan of 50,000 miles implying that a used tire with 3/4 life left would have 37,500 miles remaining. It would be the same for an 80,000 mile tire, 3/4 tread left, leaves you with 60,000 miles remaining. Once again, the price of a tire doesn't mean it will last longer. Lifespan is calculated by many things like heat, compounds,and factory tread depth among others. The price just like most other things out there is reflective with branding. A newer tire company will sell its products cheaper to get some market share. Once they achieve their share, or their name gets out their prices rise as their old products are fazed out. Are their products junk, no. Their just making a name for themselves. If their product wasn't good the consumer wouldn't buy it.


don't be cheap guys...if you want to have a nice car...don't go cheap on tires. if any of you want me to prove it to you..come by with your $50 tires and i'll give you a ride on my falkens...then you tell me if those $50 are good.

So what does used tires have to do with having a nice car. A set of matching used tires will look and perform just as well as a set of new tires. Theres no need to have a road test. The same tire used vs new will perform equally on the same vehicle.

here's a list of cheap tires:
- Falken RT-615
- Kuhmo MX
- Hankook Ventus RS-2

Any of those can be had for cheap..and will outperform any cheapy tire.

if you want good tires...
- Toyo RA-1
- Bridgestone RE01R
- Bridgestone RE050A Pole Position

- Michenlin PS2
- BFG KD
- Yokohama Advan NEOVA

Who said anything about racing. You could get used falkens too. Not to mention everything else you listed above. So does a used falken make it a cheapy tire even though its the same tire with maybe a few thousand miles on it.

take your pick..but don't listen to the guy that is suggesting tires that will last 50k miles for $10 used. [/QUOTE]

Once again, that was an example. The price will vary with width, size, and amount of remaining tread. Most 14 inch used tires will be fairly cheap whatever brand they are.

Another way to think about it is to think about used cars. When someone buys a used car they buy it with used tires, unless you negotiate new tires. Does buying a used car mean you should go out and buy a set of brand new tires Everyone drives on used tires. They wouldn't be used if they weren't driven on. So those falkens your driving on were new at one point, but now their used.

With that said, most used tires are factory takeoffs. They have a few thousand miles on them, and are dirt cheap compared to new tires. Going back to the first few posts, the assumption was to look for something inexpensive. Used tires are inexpensive. Does everyone have to buy used tires? NO, but if your in a pinch or just want to save some cash, used tires will work just fine.

 

[1512gvr4]

i think unlmtdndeavor meant that when you buy used tires, you should make sure that the tread depth is the same on all the tires. if there is more than 1/32th of a difference, it can potentially cause damage to the differentials on an awd vehicle. this is stated in the the owners manual of a lot of awd vehicles. if the used tires are for a fwd then its okay.

 

[1512gvr4]

It's your choice to buy whatever tire you want, but with that said there are lots of 50.00 tires on the market that will match and outperform a tire twice its cost.

Can you point me in the direction of where you found these 50 dollar tires that will match and outperform a tire that cost twice as much?

 

[Locke]

Calm down guys. The OP asked about cheap tires, mounting, and alignment. Used tires are a cheap option.

OP: Discount Tire is the cheapest place I have ever bought a new tire, locally. I have Discount mount them as well. I avoid service stations at all costs, they have ruined too many of my rims over the years. Sears does a good alignment and pretty cheap.

 

[1512gvr4]

+1 for Americas Tire Company.

they will price match any online price you find. just print out what you find. they can also mount your tires for fairly cheap. unfortunately, they do not do alignments. i would reccomend that you DO NOT go to pep boys or wheelworks for an alignment, as they SUCK and will rip you off. Wheelworks will set everything to spec and then print out the sheet with the specs BEFORE tightening everything down. after the spec sheet is printed, they will then tighten everything down, and obviously, the alignment settings that they were set at will change

 

[Defiant]

Chain stores are area-specific. The sucking Sears in Vallejo has no relation to the one in Spokane. I'd had terrific service from the Winston Tires in Modesto, and the Big O in Napa, years ago. No telling what they're like now. Ask around.

 

[greentrbo_95gst]

http://www.discounttire.com/

It's his own personal choice if he wants to buy cheap tires. For some of us it takes longer to learn that shoes from Nordstrom will outlast and are better than shoes from payless. Hopefully nothing bad happens when he is driving crazy or just driving. Good luck with the tire choice. I didnt know any 4g63's that came with 14" wheel.

 

[roadrunner2176]

Can you point me in the direction of where you found these 50 dollar tires that will match and outperform a tire that cost twice as much?

Tire rack has a few decent tires for around 50, discount tire carries the same tires as tire rack for 5-10 dollars more, just a heads up, but not everyone has a tire rack next door. Haven't checked out big O tires seeing that one just moved in a few months ago.


That was an example I used for 14" tires which the base models came stock with. Under daily driving circumstances theres no need to test the limits of your tires, so an inexpensive tire will perform the same as the expensive tire. From my experience between an inexpensive tire and a expensive tire, I found no difference while daily driving. Why pay more for something your not using. Than again, I don't drive crazy or anything like that to work and back.


Yes yes, I buy new tires too. For best prices in your area, shop around. You might find a cheap price online, but shippings not cheap and most places charge extra to mount and balance if you don't buy from them.

 

[unlmtdndeavor]

i drive my 255's 70 miles daily and let me tell you...they perform better than cheapy tires. i can not imagine a tire half the price that would even compare to mine

 

[roadrunner2176]

Same here, 45 miles each way. I'm not going to argue, you like your brand of tires which is fine.

The consumer has the final say, and it's their preference to purchase whatever they choose fit, or is suitable for their price range. It never hurts to call around locally for prices and to read buyers reviews online. Discount tire as well as tire rack and others have a great online user review section for each tire they offer. Read the reviews, compare them and see what suits you. The most expensive tire isn't always the tire everyone needs.