how come the tirerack recomended people charge so much for balancing?

[Car Luver]

looking at the tire rack page they have recomended installers for their tires.

least expensive was 20 per and it went up from there

once it adds up I can get them from discount for just a few dollars more.

 

[Steelers]

Factor in shipping charges and high cost to mount and balance using their recommended installers and I don't think Tire Rack is such a great deal. I like their selection and reviews but find their out the door price similar to local discount stores. Check Walmart, Sam's BJs, Costco for reasonable prices on installs too.

 

[Dominic]

Im not sure, I use local guys and find them myself. Tirerack certified installers are great for some people since you can send them your tires, but they are kind of expensive.

 

[mph]

I think it's just bad luck where you live. The closest ones to me come up as $10-25 and $11-18 depending on size.

In the past, I've used tires.com (online version of America's/Discount Tire Company) and a local installer who charged $10 a corner and seemed happy enough to do it. Ask around--it's not like the people Tire Rack lists are the only ones who will mount tires you bring in.

Also, if you buy from America's/Discount, check their prices compared to tires.com. They will match the online price in my experience (though there's still the sales tax issue).

Here in California, the sales tax is pretty high (8.25% where I live), so saving that on an out-of-state mail order purchase can offset a lot of the shipping cost.

 

[Dominic]

I meant to clarify - the local non tirerack people I use charge $10/tire for Mount/balance.

 

[Quattro Pete]

The TR recommended installers in my area charge about $14 per tire. You can always have the tires shipped to yourself and then take it to a non-recommended installer of your choice which may charge less.

Of course TR is not always the least expensive alternative. You still need to do some comparison shopping. YMMV.

 

[surfstar]

I've found discount tire direct (tires.com) to be a better deal when they offer free shipping. Beats tirerack and the local shop who had the same tires and I even had them install them for me after they got delivered.

 

[moribundman]

My TireRack-recommended installer charges me around $18 (with tax) per tire, including disposal fee for old tires. That's about the eaverage price for tire balancing and mounting in my area.

The real savings is the tire price. I pay about $100 per tire from the TireRack, while the same tire will cost me $150 a piece plus shipping locally -- if anyone even has it in stock.

If you are buying inexpensive tires to begin with, you can likely find a better deal locally.

 

[Bamaro]

Remember, Tirerack can dropship to any installer that you want, not just to the ones on their website. Just make sure it is OK with your chosen installer first.

 

[wantin150]

My Goodyear would charge about $30 each for mount and balance. If I am not mistaken, once they do it once, the balance is lifetime so I can go back every 5K and have them rotated and balanced for free. I paid once to have my Firestone truck tires balanced and rotated and haven't paid since.

I does pay to shop. Tirerack + road hazard + shipping + mounting may be more expensive (as others have said) than just going locally and getting something.

 

[Colt]

I find it pays to go Tire Rack with tires retailing locally for $180ea and up.
You will save some decent bucks.

 

[XS650]

quote:

---

Originally posted by moribundman:
My TireRack-recommended installer charges me around $18 (with tax) per tire, including disposal fee for old tires. That's about the eaverage price for tire balancing and mounting in my area.

The real savings is the tire price. I pay about $100 per tire from the TireRack, while the same tire will cost me $150 a piece plus shipping locally -- if anyone even has it in stock.

If you are buying inexpensive tires to begin with, you can likely find a better deal locally.

---

No America's Tire Store in reasonable distance?

 

[moribundman]

XS, even if an America's Tire were right aroudn the corner, why would I buy it there?

TireRack charges me a bit under $100 per Conti Sport Contact 205/55 16 W summer tire. Per their website, America's tire doesn't have that tire in stock, but sells instead the Conti Pro Contact 205/55/16 H all season tire for $121 each. Summer tire vs A/S tire and W-rated vs H-rated, with the W-rated summer tire costing even with shippping less than the H-rated tire? That's exactly why I buy from the TireRack.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by moribundman:
XS, even if an America's Tire were right aroudn the corner, why would I buy it there?

---

When I've compared tire prices for the tires I want at Americas and Tirerack, their final installed price has come out very close and I get free lifetime balancing and flat repairs from Americas.

I have used Tirerack when Americas didn't have what I wanted, for instance some highly rated S speed rating bottom feeder tires for my truck. I liked their reasonable shipping price and delivery in just under 24 hours

 

[Colt]

The guy who owns the shop where I had my tires delivered said he doesn't mind being a Tire Rack installer.
He said mounting and balancing is only labor and profit.
He'd be happy installing Tire Rack purchases all day.
I believe I paid $60 for a 20 minute mount and balance.

 

[Nick29]

to answer the original question, just about any shop would charge more to mount tires that you didn't buy from them, regardless of where they came from. Usually, they make the most money from the price of the tires themselves, and a little more for mounting/balancing. It doesn't take any less time to install tires from somewhere else and they're not getting the profit from the sale of the tires themselves, so they charge more to mount/balance the tires than they would if you had bought the tires from them to make up some of the difference.

 

[rjundi]

It really depends. The shipping cost is typically cleaned out by the local sales taxes.

I think shopping around is the best policy including tirerack.com . A major plus on tirerack.com is their salespeople's experience, they have driven many of the tires on a track and will state they have not if they haven't or ask another salesperson they know who has.

Local tire places rarely have any real world experience with tires except what they own their cars. They don't go out on a track and try them.

 

[Racerjk]

As I've said before,I can get tires mounted and balanced for 4 bucks a tire here. They do the best balancing job of any place I've ever been to.

 

[Blue_Goose]

quote:

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Originally posted by rjundi:
It really depends. The shipping cost is typically cleaned out by the local sales taxes.

---

Not if you live in NH

I dunno..I take everything from a tire salesman with a grain of salt...guys at Sullivan Tire rave over Goodyears and the guys at Town Fair can't say enough on how bad of a tire GY puts out and Toyo is really the only good tire

Experience with Tire Rack guys have been mixed also...guy tried to make it sound like if I put T rated HydroEdges on my car it flip on it's side the first hard corner I took.

I've yet to find a tire place that is consistent in balancing a tire no matter how much they charge


Goose

 

[Jimbo]

Local tire dealers, especially the big chains like Sears and Bridgestone/Firestone company stores charge a lot for labor, disposal, wheel weights, valve stems, and sales tax on the above. The TR installer I use includes everything for $16 a tire. Some do charge a lot more. If the tires are under $100 each, shipping and sales tax are basically a wash. It is a big chore to find comparable selection and price locally.