Where to buy tires online?

[shooter250]

I need a new set of tires for my '99 GMC Sierra. I've been looking at the General Grabber HTS on tirerack.com. Does anyone have any experience buying tires online pros or cons? I'm also open to other website recommendations.

Thanks in advance.

 

[marc1]

Tirerack is great, I have ordered many tire sets from them. They have good inventory and prices. I have to ship to Canada even and they are still worth it. My second favorite tire depot is Costco.

 

[bruckus]

I have bought 2 sets from tire rack and also 2 sets from discounttiredirect.com. Both places are first class but discount tire is generally cheaper with their free shipping offers. Both seem knowledgeable about their products.

 

[gmctodd]

Originally Posted By: bruckus
I have bought 2 sets from tire rack and also 2 sets from discounttiredirect.com. Both places are first class but discount tire is generally cheaper with their free shipping offers. Both seem knowledgeable about their products.

+1

I also found that discounttiredirect was cheaper than tirerack.
Todd

 

[Spazdog]

I've had good experiences with treaddepot.com

I'm a little less enthusiastic about buying from them since Kauffman Tire left my market, but the prices are competitive and I got my tires very quickly (from Shreveport, LA or Ellenwood, GA)

 

[stephen9666]

Another vote for Discount Tire Direct. I've orders from them twice. Smaller selection than TR, but lower prices.

I ha them mounted/balanced at the local Firestone. It cost $80.

 

[fdcg27]

Check tires-easy as well.
They were less costly with shipping on the same tires recently than either tirerack or discounttiredirect.
Discountiredirect also insists upon charging me OH sales tax and OH tire environmental fees, which neither of the others do.

 

[MNgopher]

The set I bought off Discounttiredirect has worked out well. With free shipping, it was tough for anyone to touch them.

Don't be afraid to bring in the internet price, including shipping, to a local retailer. At lease give them a chance to price match, and most will.

 

[The_Jeff]

I got kumhos off tire rack. Very pleased. Was before DTD and treaddepot really were well known. I got to skip a state disposal fee that goes to take care of scofflaws who illegally dispose of tires-- something that bugs me, as I pay for disposal (again?) when I, er, dispose of things.

 

[Rand]

I Dont like DTD's generic steel rims otherwise a great company.

Tireracks generic steel rims are better and hub centric.

DTD failed to mention theirs are generic that fit 120030 applications and not compatible with any centering rings.

oh and they sent me the wrong lugnuts once.

 

[DreamerGT]

Onlinetires.com has really cheap tires. What I do is go to discount tire website fine the tires I like and find the same tire at onlinetires.com, then I fill out the price match form at the discount site. Then they call me the with the price matched, no need to pay the hefty shipping at onlinetires witch is a killer.

 

[rjundi]

Cons, if you have problems of bad tire or warranty issue you need a retailer who absolutely no interest or vesting in helping you. Been there/done that and now use locals only.

Pros, excellent prices and selection however check locally always.

 

[stephen9666]

I will second what rjundi says. While some retailers may help you with a warranty claim, many won't unless you bought your tires from there.

I used to work at a tire store in college. We wouldn't handle warranty claims unless the person bought the tires from our chain.

But, the two times I've bought tires online, it's been well worth it. I paid $380 mounted/balance for my Hankook H727. The local tires wanted $650 for the same tires mounted and balanced.

My $380 even includes lifetime rotate and balance at any Firestone locations.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Check tires-easy as well.
They were less costly with shipping on the same tires recently than either tirerack or discounttiredirect.
Discountiredirect also insists upon charging me OH sales tax and OH tire environmental fees, which neither of the others do.


My buddy got a good deal on some Gislaved tires off of there. It was the only place he could find studdable winters for his S4, aside from the option of spending twice as much on some Hakka7s.

 

[meangreen01]

I've bought from Tirerack several times. Their shipping is quick- no problems. When I bought a set of wheels they threw in a nice set of chrome lug nuts at no extra charge. I've never had any warranty issues with anything I've purchased, so I can't comment on how they handle those sorts of issues.

The biggest thing that led me to purchase tires on line was price. At one time the savings vs brick-n-mortar was substantial. Not so anymore, at least in my observations. For example,I just bought a set of Coopers at a local shop at a price online retailers couldn't touch. Plus, if I were to need warranty issues addressed I can just drive over and have them checked out.

 

[K20FA5]

A little off topic, but where does everyone get their tires purchased online installed at? I've ordered from Tirerack and Onlinetires, both with great success, but have always "had it stuck to me" on the install. I used Discount once, NTB once, and a local Mom and Pop shop. The Discount and NTB were installed fine, but they charged me a TON. The Mom and Pop shop was cheap, but their balancing machine was jacked up and I had to take them to Discount to fix the balancing.

I've heard some say that WalMart does a decent job for cheap. I've always tried to stay away from WalMart for any kind of vehicle service.

Where do you have them put on at?

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: K20FA5
The Discount and NTB were installed fine, but they charged me a TON.


What do you define as "a TON"?

I paid $80 to mount/balance my carry-in tires at Firestone. This includes lifetime rotate and balance. I think that's fair.

 

[DinoLover]

I don't buy tires online, but I do shop online for the best price and then have Discount Tire price match it.

This reduces the hassle in case of a tire issue or a warranty claim and gives me the free rotations and balancing.

 

[The_Jeff]

I have my own tire machine from HF. $40. Paid for itself many times over.

Walmart is VERY CAREFUL with peoples' cars. They don't want to be sued. They have managers check torque, put blue goo on to seal oil filters and drain plugs, etc. Their business model is to work on your car at or below cost to trap you in their store for an hour buying tchotskies in the mega-section.

You may have a problem if you go a different size or speed rating. If you have a 2nd car, just bring in loose rims. Mine doesn't care.

 

[troyh]

I went through this not long ago. I ended up buying from a local dealer that match DTD for same tires.

When checking prices here varied quite substantially. OK Tire, Bruneel, COmmercial Tire wanted about $115 to mount and balance all 4. Les Schwab wanted nearly $200 for 4.

Walmart was $11.50/tire.