Tire Store’s….. all the big stores pretty much the same in price?

[dgorsett]

Lots of good points in this thread, but I wanna call this one here out - because it's absolutely true.

There's a Walmart everywhere, and a majority of them anymore have a tire/service center. They typically will do mounting and balancing for free IF you are buying the tires there. They're not any cheaper than anywhere else, BUT if you travel you've got a good bet you're gonna be able to get service done on them if you need it. I've used them before, and their service department is usually pretty decent, surprisingly. And clean.

Local shops are, as noted, usually better in the service department but not always, and any road hazard warranty you get that isn't backed by one of the name brand tire companies is going to be limited in range. That can be a concern for people who travel a lot.

The other thing I'll point out is that, typically, if you can wait a week or two, just about every tire shop can order in the tires you want. Sure, you won't get a deal on them, but it'll be the going rate that you're going to get quoted everywhere else, or close to it. Generally speaking I'll hit up Tire Rack and review tires, see what sizes are available, see what the ratings are on the tires I want, then contact a local store (big name or locally owned, doesn't matter) and have them order me in a set for installation. Usually a few days to a week and I'm dropping my vehicle off for new shoes.

I think I pay $12 or so for mount and balance at Walmart, but that includes 5K rotation and flat repair at any Walmart. The service guys seem as good as anywhere and some have gone above and beyond to help out.

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[T800]

It's a blessing and a curse that, thanks to the Internet, all businesses can compare prices with their competitors. So I find that all of the shops are similar in price.

I have an America's Tire about 5 minutes from my house. They have competitive prices and are convenient. Plus you get free rotation through them (like many). Another shop would have to be a few hundred less expensive for me to consider switching.

 

[jonesh242]

Walmart has some GREAT deals on tires at times. Significantly less. But not all locations can mount 35s. I saved a ton buying at Walmart, then had them mounted at America's Tire and still get the free rotations every 5k miles.

 

[Oilbrnr]

FYI - Discount/America’s Tire, Tire Rack, Dunn Tire & Auto, Suburban Tire are all owned by the same family. Tire Rack ships direct to DT/AT stores as an install option.

 

[MileHighBadlands]

When I was spending lots of money every 25k miles for high-performance tires, I would order from TireRack and pick them up at the local warehouse. Mobile tire installers are common here, and it would give me time to do burnouts and get every dollar/smile out of the pricey tires before calling the mobile installer. I do my own rotations, so that might be an issue for some.

 

[GL4DY5]

Mount & balancing may differ as well as quality of service.

Some don’t do alignments at all too.

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