What is a good price for tires for a car?

[Zuni]

I haven't bought tires in a while and I am curious as to what a good price for average tires would be at Pep Boys or NTB or someplace else..what should I be looking forward to paying?

[Deja Q]

1. $650 for the 4 wheels on my car, but mine

came with a lifetime warranty. Good stuff, that. All weather conditions, 60k miles lifespan.

[Bluzmann57]

2. The last set of tires I bought were on sale

at $200.00 for all four. It depends on the size of the tires and what type of warranty, etc. I'd say between 200-300 though for good tires.

[Zuni]

3. $200 for four?

That sounds like a damn good deal.

[eaprez]

7. Geeze...mine were over $100 each!

[Blue-Jay]

4. Depends on Make/Model and what kind of tires.

If you have a small car with four lugs on each wheel, you should be able to get by at around 150-200 for decent new tires. If you have a truck or a performance car, expect to double or triple that figure.

[Zuni]

5. It is a Nissan Altima, with 4 lugs

so I should expect 200$ or so?

[GOPisEvil]

8. I have a smiliar car.

I paid $55/tire at Discount Tire. That was their mid-range option.

[Blue-Jay]

9. That sounds about right.

If you want to keep it for a while, spend a little more for better tires. If money is tight, get the cheapos and end up spending 40-50 per tire. Depends on how long you plan to own the car. I'd recommend buying good tires if you can afford it AND you like the car.

[Zuni]

10. Currently, I can only afford the cheapest possible

between rent, food, car expenses, legal bills I am as poor as a motherfucker

[Blue-Jay]

11. Understandable.

Make some calls and check the paper for coupons/deals. You can probably drive for a few more years and spend less than 200 toadskins on tires.

[CottonBear]

6. Try you local independent tire shop too.

I got medium priced All Terrain tires for my 4x4 truck for around $300 plus I paid some extra (about $100) for road hazzard warranty and an alignment. I didn't get the cheapest or the most expensive. Many places have a Dayton card: 3 months same as cash. Just don't go over three months or you get hit with a criminal 21%+ interest rate!

Edit: a friend of mine ordered some online and UPS delivered them to her work (just tires, no box!). She had a local shop install them. She found out what type and size she needed then just searched around online. I think it was a bargain price.

[GingerSnaps]

12. Do you do business with Sears?

I believe that they have a tire sale going on right now. My Dad use to be a Wards man until they went out of business. :D

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. When Doesn't Sears Have a Tire Sale Going On?

Not a flame. Sears has owned NTB for several years now, BTW. I don't know if they're red or blue.

I'm not recommending that you buy tires through the mail. Nonetheless, the online stores, which advertise extensively in "Road & Track" and "Car and Driver," give one an idea of prices and selection. I've chosen one at random. Again, this is not a recommendation. I'd much rather deal with a bricks and mortar store for car tires than buy online.

The Tire Rack

[flvegan]

14. Information first. Price second.

First, it all depends on the size of the tire, then brand. The size is, of course, on the sidewall, something like 205/65R-16 (the size of the standard 2002 Altima tire).

Once you have the size, do some searching online. I think tirerack.com has prices on it's site. Your prices will fluctuate depending on where you live. Then, call places around you. Prices rise with the brand names (Goodyear, BFGoodrich, Michelin are higher, whereas Dayton, etc are lower). Ask who makes the tire if it's a brand you've never heard of. Some of the big boys make the generics, so to speak.

Beware of "lifetime balancing" and expect add-ons (environmental disposal fee, valve stems, etc).

Good luck.

[jobycom]

15. I work at a local tire shop

Family owned.

You can get tires as low as $200. If you're really busted, you can buy good used tires for around 30 apiece. From my experience (I'm the controller, so my tire exposure is a little limited) a good set of Michelin used tires would beat a set of NTB or Walmart new tires of a similar price or even slightly higher.

Tires are rated for speed and miles. Check the speed rating and the mileage rating on any tires, then see if you can find good used tires around the same price or lower with a higher mileage and speed rating and a lot of tread left on them. Find used tires at a reputable local dealer, not one of these places that has a big hand-painted sign on bare plywood.

If you can afford more, you'll save more. A good set of tires will cost maybe 30% more than bad tires (depending on what your car requires) but last over twice as long, and be a lot safer. A lot of discount tires aren't as sturdy, but they are also made with cheaper materials, and do not hold the road as well, and will blow out more easily. I'm not claiming they are dangerous, I'm just saying that overall there is a bit higher risk involved.

One final thing: if you buy used tires, put the best tires on the back, even for front-wheel drive. A lot of tire people will tell you the opposite, but you want the best tread in the back because you can't control the back end. Tests have shown that the tread on the back tires can make the difference in a swerve between a spin and a simple swerve.

[Wilber_Stool]

16. Always figure in the price of a good

alignment, either two wheel or four wheel. It's a must.

[Mountainman]

17. I got 4 17" tires for my F150 for $75 a piece brand new.

I went to Big O Tires here in Bakersfield. They do custom work for a local Ford dealer and they have new tires that were taken off of new trucks that they customize. I got 4 new tires for $75 a piece. They are original equipment tires so they are not the best you can get but they are the best tires I have ever gotten for that price for my truck.

[MercutioATC]

18. Check prices and get reviews HERE:

www.tirerack.com