Did I get a good deal on tires?

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Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Vanguard User »

I shopped around and did some price matching and negotiating.

2016 Ford Fusion SE. FWD.

Ended up at Discount Tires. I needed 2 front tires because both treads were at 3. Back tires are at 9 and 6.

Initially, they didn’t have the tires in stock but got just 1 day to get to the store. I bought Barum Bravius 5HM 235/50 R17 (this size because all my other tires are this size).

Online and store price was $92 but online priced match at $86.41 for another brand which was not in stock at manufacturer but I still got the $86.41 for a $97 tire. Reviews were good online as well. 40k miles warranty.

Passed on $16.50 per tire warranty because I drive less than 5k a year.

Installation and life of tire maintenance $22 per tire. $2.75 disposal fee.

Total OTD: $237.03 with 2% CB on MC.

Got the 2 new tires rotated and rebalanced.

Similar tires were more expensive elsewhere or not in stock. I know Goodyear is competitive as well.

What PSI is recommended? Tire recommended or the sticker on the side of my car?

Did I get a good deal?
Last edited by Vanguard User on Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:11 pm, edited 4 times in total.
tj
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by tj »

I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Vanguard User »

tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
Back tires are at 9 and 6 tread level.
Californiastate
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Californiastate »

Read your owner’s manual for vehicle specific information.
bloom2708
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by bloom2708 »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:34 pm
tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
Back tires are at 9 and 6 tread level.
9 and 6 means something is out of alignment or something else is wrong. Never heard of Barum brand tires, but then there are a lot of Chinese tires on the market today. The deal seems "good enough".
azanon
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by azanon »

tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
It's not that uncommon, and generally ok if the other two tires have plenty of tread. A common scenario would be someone with a front-wheel drive car that didn't rotate their tires when recommended, so over time the front ones wear much faster than the back ones.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Vanguard User »

Californiastate wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:37 pm Read your owner’s manual for vehicle specific information.
For PSI?
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Vanguard User »

bloom2708 wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:38 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:34 pm
tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
Back tires are at 9 and 6 tread level.
9 and 6 means something is out of alignment or something else is wrong. Never heard of Barum brand tires, but then there are a lot of Chinese tires on the market today. The deal seems "good enough".
Tire 9 and 6 were not bought at same time and installed.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Vanguard User »

azanon wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:44 pm
tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
It's not that uncommon, and generally ok if the other two tires have plenty of tread. A common scenario would be someone with a front-wheel drive car that didn't rotate their tires when recommended, so over time the front ones wear much faster than the back ones.
Right. It’s recommended to rotate every 6-8k.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by bob60014 »

Never heard of Barum Bravuris.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by baconavocado »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:55 pm
Californiastate wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:37 pm Read your owner’s manual for vehicle specific information.
For PSI?
The correct air pressure for your tires should be in your owners manual and on a sticker inside the drivers side door of the car.
Normchad
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Normchad »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:55 pm
Californiastate wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:37 pm Read your owner’s manual for vehicle specific information.
For PSI?
PSI will normally be on the sticker inside the driver side door jamb, I believe.
psteinx
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by psteinx »

The thing is:

1) Very often there are tire deals that require purchasing 4 tires at once
2) The process of getting a vehicle to a tire place, selecting tires, and getting them installed, takes time (from the vehicle owner)

The combination of 1 & 2 means, I think, that for many (most?) folks, it's worth replacing all 4, unless maybe the last 2 tires have a LOT of life left in them. I'm not sure if your "9 and 6" are 32nds or mm, but IIRC, in 32nds, the general "you should probably replace this tire" level is about 4, and "you REALLY REALLY should replace this tire" is 2 or 3. So really, only 1 out of your 4 tires had much life left. If it were me, I likely would have replaced all 4...

(And of course, there are further considerations if your vehicle is AWD...)
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Vanguard User »

baconavocado wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:04 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:55 pm
Californiastate wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:37 pm Read your owner’s manual for vehicle specific information.
For PSI?
The correct air pressure for your tires should be in your owners manual and on a sticker inside the drivers side door of the car.
Some say go with tires recommendations.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Vanguard User »

bob60014 wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:04 pm Never heard of Barum Bravuris.
Name brands like Michelin is more expensive. They achieve the same job.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Vanguard User »

psteinx wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:07 pm The thing is:

1) Very often there are tire deals that require purchasing 4 tires at once
2) The process of getting a vehicle to a tire place, selecting tires, and getting them installed, takes time (from the vehicle owner)

The combination of 1 & 2 means, I think, that for many (most?) folks, it's worth replacing all 4, unless maybe the last 2 tires have a LOT of life left in them. I'm not sure if your "9 and 6" are 32nds or mm, but IIRC, in 32nds, the general "you should probably replace this tire" level is about 4, and "you REALLY REALLY should replace this tire" is 2 or 3. So really, only 1 out of your 4 tires had much life left. If it were me, I likely would have replaced all 4...

(And of course, there are further considerations if your vehicle is AWD...)
Why replace the 9 and 6?

9/32” and 6/32”.
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illumination
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by illumination »

I don’t really think it’s much of a cost savings to get super cheap tires, FWIW. I’ve done it both ways, a quality set actually seems to save money. Usually a better warranty and longer lasting. The cost to install a cheap set “sooner” seems to eat up the savings from not getting a better tire. Plus better ride, handling, braking and safety concerns.

I'll pay $50 more for a Michelin tire with a 70k mile warranty than a Chinese brand I've never heard of.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by surfstar »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:55 pm
bloom2708 wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:38 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:34 pm
tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
Back tires are at 9 and 6 tread level.
9 and 6 means something is out of alignment or something else is wrong. Never heard of Barum brand tires, but then there are a lot of Chinese tires on the market today. The deal seems "good enough".
Tire 9 and 6 were not bought at same time and installed.
Replaced due to damage / road hazard or due to uneven wear?

So you have 3 different tires on, basically, even if all the same brand and size. I rotate routinely and replace 4 at a time, almost always.

5k mi/year is very low use, so they should be fine.

But for the best deal, you need to time a holiday sale with Discount Tire, a manufacturer's rebate and their CC rebate. You got an okay price due to not being able to time your purchase. Check on their price for black friday, for example...
rooms222
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by rooms222 »

Discount Tire has been selling the Barum brand for at least 15 years. It is owned by Continental Tire, and they are decent tires generally. I had them on my VW Golf a long time ago.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by mhc »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:55 pm
bloom2708 wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:38 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:34 pm
tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
Back tires are at 9 and 6 tread level.
9 and 6 means something is out of alignment or something else is wrong. Never heard of Barum brand tires, but then there are a lot of Chinese tires on the market today. The deal seems "good enough".
Tire 9 and 6 were not bought at same time and installed.
That makes more sense. I thought maybe they were 9 and 6 because you refuse to make left turns and only make right turns. Left turns are way to risky for bogleheads. :twisted:
52% TSM, 23% TISM, 24.5% TBM, 0.5% cash
mggray17
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by mggray17 »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:07 pm
baconavocado wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:04 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:55 pm
Californiastate wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:37 pm Read your owner’s manual for vehicle specific information.
For PSI?
The correct air pressure for your tires should be in your owners manual and on a sticker inside the drivers side door of the car.
Some say go with tires recommendations.
The Tire will show the max psi that the tire is rated for. It is not a recommendation for setting the psi. Your car manufacturer knows what the correct psi is for your car with the standard sized tires shown on the placard. Nobody recommends inflating car tires to the max psi on the tire. Use the value on the placard inside the door.
YeahBuddy
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by YeahBuddy »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:30 pm
Got the 2 new tires rotated and rebalanced.



How do you rotate 2 new tires?

For PSI check your owners manual. Usually around 35psi +/- 5psi for these small commuter vehicles.

Also needing to replace just the front tires is usually the result of not rotating tires at recommended intervals. This just happened to me with the wife's vehicle. It's more expensive to buy just 2 tires vs all 4.


Deal sounds ok. I just did 4 new 80k Michelin tires with road hazard warranty, mounted, balanced, etc. from Costco on my Prius for $455 OTD.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by psteinx »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:10 pm
psteinx wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:07 pm The thing is:

1) Very often there are tire deals that require purchasing 4 tires at once
2) The process of getting a vehicle to a tire place, selecting tires, and getting them installed, takes time (from the vehicle owner)

The combination of 1 & 2 means, I think, that for many (most?) folks, it's worth replacing all 4, unless maybe the last 2 tires have a LOT of life left in them. I'm not sure if your "9 and 6" are 32nds or mm, but IIRC, in 32nds, the general "you should probably replace this tire" level is about 4, and "you REALLY REALLY should replace this tire" is 2 or 3. So really, only 1 out of your 4 tires had much life left. If it were me, I likely would have replaced all 4...

(And of course, there are further considerations if your vehicle is AWD...)
Why replace the 9 and 6?

9/32” and 6/32”.
As I said, you'll likely save some across all 4 tires, by replacing 4 at a time, and you'll save time.

If you hold the car for a long time (replacing each tire 3-4 times), you'll likely waste time and money if you continue replacing tires in 2sies (or 1sies), versus doing 4 at a time now, and then 4 at a time when they're hopefully ~equally worn a few years from now, and so on.

The main exception should be if a specific tire goes flat because it's punctured or whatever. But if you replace the 1 then, and then you have 3 worn tires a couple years later and 1 that's at 6 or 8 32nds, it's still probably worth replacing all 4.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by azanon »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:08 pm
bob60014 wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:04 pm Never heard of Barum Bravuris.
Name brands like Michelin is more expensive. They achieve the same job.
Don't be disingenuous to yourself though by convincing yourself they're of the same quality and perform equally to a Michelin. Though there are certainly exceptions, generally speaking, the tire world is the same as most products - you get what you pay for. Only other tier 1 brands can sometimes achieve parity to them.

Personal opinion - I think it's the worst area of a car to try to save money because that's what connects you to the road.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by tibbitts »

RobLyons wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:28 pm Usually around 35psi +/- 5psi for these small commuter vehicles.
Fusion is a "small commuter vehicle?" I thought it was the largest sedan Ford produced in recent years?
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Normchad »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:07 pm
baconavocado wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:04 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:55 pm
Californiastate wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:37 pm Read your owner’s manual for vehicle specific information.
For PSI?
The correct air pressure for your tires should be in your owners manual and on a sticker inside the drivers side door of the car.
Some say go with tires recommendations.
Those people are wrong. The people that made those tires don’t know anything about your car. Listen to the people who made your car. https://www.aaa.com/autorepair/articles ... -inflation
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Californiastate »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:55 pm
Californiastate wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:37 pm Read your owner’s manual for vehicle specific information.
For PSI?
Yes
Doctor Rhythm
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Doctor Rhythm »

I think it’s fair to say you paid a low price at < $120 per tire, installed. Name brand tires for your car tend to start around that price without installation, based on a quick look-up at TireRack.com. Whether this was a good deal really depends on how comparable the quality is, which is difficult to gauge objectively. TireRack and places like Consumer Reports have track testing data and enough consumer feedback to demonstrate meaningful differences between models. However, I don’t think they evaluate the low end (small, discount brands) of the market.
Last edited by Doctor Rhythm on Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Devil's Advocate
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Devil's Advocate »

tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
Really?
mggray17
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by mggray17 »

Californiastate wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:50 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:55 pm
Californiastate wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:37 pm Read your owner’s manual for vehicle specific information.
For PSI?
Yes
The owner's manual will direct you to the tire decal inside the door. At least the owner's manual explains how to use the information.....

https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford ... bled=False
Last edited by mggray17 on Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by sully45 »

azanon wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:33 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:08 pm
bob60014 wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:04 pm Never heard of Barum Bravuris.
Name brands like Michelin is more expensive. They achieve the same job.
Don't be disingenuous to yourself though by convincing yourself they're of the same quality and perform equally to a Michelin. Though there are certainly exceptions, generally speaking, the tire world is the same as most products - you get what you pay for. Only other tier 1 brands can sometimes achieve parity to them.

Personal opinion - I think it's the worst area of a car to try to save money because that's what connects you to the road.
In general I agree with you. I think if you live in a state where you can drive on summer tires year round its not an unreasonable choice. Compounds and tread design are simpler for summer tires, less to mess up.

If you live in a state where you need all-Seasons (or you change to winters); I personally wouldn't cheap out on those.
Last edited by sully45 on Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by anoop »

tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
Is the norm with sports cars where the fronts and rears are different tires and rears usually wear quicker.

Otherwise, can happen if someone is not rotating their tires regularly (bad).
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by anoop »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:30 pm Did I get a good deal?
Are the tires available on tire rack? If so, how does the price you received compare?
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by RCL »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:08 pm
bob60014 wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:04 pm Never heard of Barum Bravuris.
Name brands like Michelin is more expensive. They achieve the same job.
Oh boy... :oops:
You are correct, Michelin tires are more expensive; for a reason :shock:
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Luckywon »

tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
What would you do if one tire was damaged and the other three have plenty of treadwear left? Whenever this has happened to me I have just replaced one tire.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by stoptothink »

RCL wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:09 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:08 pm
bob60014 wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:04 pm Never heard of Barum Bravuris.
Name brands like Michelin is more expensive. They achieve the same job.
Oh boy... :oops:
You are correct, Michelin tires are more expensive; for a reason :shock:
That's painting with a pretty broad brush. The only tires I ever recall that I could noticeably tell performed poorly (and they wore faster than expected too), were the Michelin primacy that came stock on my jetta and I've had my fair share of "budget" tires.
Nicolas
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Nicolas »

What age are those new tires? Hopefully you didn’t buy new-old stock. The manufacture date is imprinted on the sidewall in the same area as the PSI rating. For safety, tires should be replaced after six years regardless of wear.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by azanon »

sully45 wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:03 pm
azanon wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:33 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:08 pm
bob60014 wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:04 pm Never heard of Barum Bravuris.
Name brands like Michelin is more expensive. They achieve the same job.
Don't be disingenuous to yourself though by convincing yourself they're of the same quality and perform equally to a Michelin. Though there are certainly exceptions, generally speaking, the tire world is the same as most products - you get what you pay for. Only other tier 1 brands can sometimes achieve parity to them.

Personal opinion - I think it's the worst area of a car to try to save money because that's what connects you to the road.
In general I agree with you. I think if you live in a state where you can drive on summer tires year round its not an unreasonable choice. Compounds and tread design are simpler for summer tires, less to mess up.

If you live in a state where you need all-Seasons (or you change to winters); I personally wouldn't cheap out on those.
Last time I saw a shootout on summers, Michelin and Continental ran away with the prize by quite a big margin vs. cheaper brands. I think one could make the opposite argument that if you’re driving a car aggressively or actually tracking it, which is going to be more common for someone paying a premium for summer tires, then there’s even more reason you don’t want to cut corners on costs.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by bugleheadd »

i paid around $610 for a set of 4 Michellins at Costco, so about 152 a tire
Normchad
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Normchad »

bugleheadd wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:39 pm i paid around $610 for a set of 4 Michellins at Costco, so about 152 a tire
You definitely got a good deal!
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by tibbitts »

Devil's Advocate wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:01 pm
tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
Really?
Yes, kind of hard to believe, but it may be more common today than years ago to replace all four due to AWD. Replacing two used to be a very common practice; not sure if it was more common than four but probably close.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by tibbitts »

Nicolas wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:24 pm What age are those new tires? Hopefully you didn’t buy new-old stock. The manufacture date is imprinted on the sidewall in the same area as the PSI rating. For safety, tires should be replaced after six years regardless of wear.
Michelin seems to be more in the ten year range and mine are... ten, within the mathematical tolerances that resulted in my underestimating the neighbor's share of our fence replacement by about 30%. So the tires will probably will be ten for a few more years. It's off-topic, but this was the first time any of the neighbors has offered to pay a portion of fence replacement, ever, so that was very appreciated.
Last edited by tibbitts on Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by UpsetRaptor »

Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:57 pm
azanon wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:44 pm
tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
It's not that uncommon, and generally ok if the other two tires have plenty of tread. A common scenario would be someone with a front-wheel drive car that didn't rotate their tires when recommended, so over time the front ones wear much faster than the back ones.
Right. It’s recommended to rotate every 6-8k.
Off-topic, but humor a guy who doesn't know anything about cars and probably has an over-sensitive scam detector as he turns into an old curmedgeon.

Let's say my shop charges $50 for a tire rotation, and I follow the guidelines and rotate my tires 6 times over their 50k mile life, so I've spent $300 on tire rotations. So they wear evenly, and then when I replace all four tires at once, I get the 4-tire discount of like $80. Is that really more cost effective than just doing no rotations and replacing my front 2 when they're ready, and then doing the back two a year or two later, etc... ?
stoptothink
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by stoptothink »

UpsetRaptor wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:59 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:57 pm
azanon wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:44 pm
tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
It's not that uncommon, and generally ok if the other two tires have plenty of tread. A common scenario would be someone with a front-wheel drive car that didn't rotate their tires when recommended, so over time the front ones wear much faster than the back ones.
Right. It’s recommended to rotate every 6-8k.
Off-topic, but humor a guy who doesn't know anything about cars and probably has an over-sensitive scam detector as he turns into an old curmedgeon.

Let's say my shop charges $50 for a tire rotation, and I follow the guidelines and rotate my tires 6 times over their 50k mile life, so I've spent $300 on tire rotations. So they wear evenly, and then when I replace all four tires at once, I get the 4-tire discount of like $80. Is that really more cost effective than just doing no rotations and replacing my front 2 when they're ready, and then doing the back two a year or two later, etc... ?
No, it isn't. Every 6k-8k miles is probably overkill for a normal commuter. It's also pretty darn easy to do it yourself. I do it myself, every 10k miles (at earliest), and have never had any issues.
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by UpsetRaptor »

stoptothink wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:02 pm
UpsetRaptor wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:59 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:57 pm
azanon wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:44 pm
tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
It's not that uncommon, and generally ok if the other two tires have plenty of tread. A common scenario would be someone with a front-wheel drive car that didn't rotate their tires when recommended, so over time the front ones wear much faster than the back ones.
Right. It’s recommended to rotate every 6-8k.
Off-topic, but humor a guy who doesn't know anything about cars and probably has an over-sensitive scam detector as he turns into an old curmedgeon.

Let's say my shop charges $50 for a tire rotation, and I follow the guidelines and rotate my tires 6 times over their 50k mile life, so I've spent $300 on tire rotations. So they wear evenly, and then when I replace all four tires at once, I get the 4-tire discount of like $80. Is that really more cost effective than just doing no rotations and replacing my front 2 when they're ready, and then doing the back two a year or two later, etc... ?
No, it isn't. Every 6k-8k miles is probably overkill for a normal commuter. It's also pretty darn easy to do it yourself. I do it myself, every 10k miles (at earliest), and have never had any issues.
So, just thinking about this logically, let's say I have 50K tires and am paying someone to do the rotations - Would it not be most efficient to just do a single rotation at 25K?

Bonus question: Is there any real reason, other than angling for an all 4-tire discount, to worry about uneven wear between front/back at all, as opposed to just replacing the front two whenever they're ready, and the back two whenever they're ready?
tibbitts
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by tibbitts »

UpsetRaptor wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:36 pm Bonus question: Is there any real reason, other than angling for an all 4-tire discount, to worry about uneven wear between front/back at all, as opposed to just replacing the front two whenever they're ready, and the back two whenever they're ready?
Yes, there is a real reason: you may not be able to purchase identical tires at a later date. These days that later date might be an hour from now, but even in normal times, tire models have often short and/or unpredictable (to the consumer) lifespans.
surfstar
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by surfstar »

I'd say 99% of the shops that sell tires, installed, also rotate them for free. So foregoing the rotation and replacing them two at a time is more costly.

Reason being: rotation evens out the wear - not just depth, but side to side, etc. You should get more miles out of rotated tires than non.
THY4373
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by THY4373 »

UpsetRaptor wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:59 pm
Off-topic, but humor a guy who doesn't know anything about cars and probably has an over-sensitive scam detector as he turns into an old curmedgeon.

Let's say my shop charges $50 for a tire rotation, and I follow the guidelines and rotate my tires 6 times over their 50k mile life, so I've spent $300 on tire rotations. So they wear evenly, and then when I replace all four tires at once, I get the 4-tire discount of like $80. Is that really more cost effective than just doing no rotations and replacing my front 2 when they're ready, and then doing the back two a year or two later, etc... ?
I buy my tires at Costco so the rotations are free. How often you need to rotate and the cost effectiveness probably also depends on a lot on your car and your driving style. My relatively high powered FWD car that I have to often gun to make a left hand turn on to a busy road leaving my neighborhood will eat up the front tires quick. My son's 4WD Explorer has much more even wear.
tj
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by tj »

Luckywon wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:16 pm
tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
What would you do if one tire was damaged and the other three have plenty of treadwear left? Whenever this has happened to me I have just replaced one tire.

I had one tire that kept triggering low tire pressure. Since it couldn't be resolved, I just replaced all 4.
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Devil's Advocate
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Re: Did I get a good deal on tires?

Post by Devil's Advocate »

tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 6:05 pm
Luckywon wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:16 pm
tj wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:31 pm I've never heard of replacing less than all 4 tires.
What would you do if one tire was damaged and the other three have plenty of treadwear left? Whenever this has happened to me I have just replaced one tire.

I had one tire that kept triggering low tire pressure. Since it couldn't be resolved, I just replaced all 4.
I would think that may have been an over reaction. But they are your tires.
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