I’m dumbfounded as I’m looking at two different prices for the same (or pretty close, I presume) all-season tire, identical brand name (Firestone) from the same store, Walmart. (Something is wrong, and it’s quite possibly my lack of knowledge…which is why I’m contacting y’all.) One is sized P225/60r17 99t bsw for $83; the other is sized 225/50r17 94 T for $114. I have a little car (Nissan Versa SV sedan) and am hoping a good all-season tire will get me through St. Louis winters…which are not as bad as other cities to our north, but we have our share of hills here, to be sure. Thanks.
Only look at tires that are what your drivers door plaque calls for . 50 r and 60 r are not the same thing. And since you did not list what brands these are how is someone supposed to answer ?
Sorry. I should have specified: It’s the same brand. Thanks for the heads up.
One of those tires is wrong for your car.
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Keith , you said in one of your other posts that you are unemployed at this time . So why are you not looking at the Walmart house brand ( Douglas ) and the low price just to get you by for now.
This may be rude but you seem to make things a lot more complicated than they should be ( like shopping for a tire gauge ).
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Absolutely. I’m going to do as VolvoV70 suggested "look at tires that are what your drivers door plaque calls for. Thanks.
I was trying to get a handle on the disparity of tire prices in general, not specific to my car. Sorry for the confusion. My main goal is to get an adequate tire for the winter. I got stranded twice last winter on an snow-packed hill. Maybe an all-season tire won’t suffice? Don’t know, but to fit my budget I’m figuring would be to not buy an additional set of winter tires & replace them in the summer. Hope this makes sense, or at least making more sense. Thanks again.
Different sized tires with slightly different load ratings. It’s also possible that one size in more in demand/popular than the other. Or possibly one size is produced in the U.S. and the other is not and the production costs are different or one tire is subject to a tariff and the other is not.
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The 225/50r-17 is almost an inch shorter then the 225/60r-17.
You said the tires are the same brand…but are they the same tire. All manufacturers make many different tires at many different price points. If the tire isn’t the exact same tire (brand and model) then you’re just comparing apples to oranges.
As everyone else said…stick with the size recommended by the manufacturer.
Do you have any locally owned tire shops in your area? I deal with one and they beat Wallmart and Sam’s club and even Costco prices. And they are far more knowledgeable.
I don’t know if you have heard of Westlake brand tires or not. I tried a set from Amazon and to my surprise they have been fantastic tires at a cheap price. They’ve worked well enough that I have ended up buying another 2 sets of them.
One set is on my Lincoln and another set on my Sonoma pickup. After 3 years and approximately 30k miles on each set I can’t even detect any wear at this point.
A 3rd set ended up being free. Amazon tracking showed the tires being delivered to an address that does not even exist where I live. Half a dozen phone calls and 2 emails got me nowhere. Finally Amazon said they would send another set.
Second set arrived with no sign of the first set. A week or so later the first set showed up with Lord only knows where they were traveling.
Trying to be honest about it I contacted Amazon 3 times by email and one phone call and never got a response as to what to do with the tires about returning them. Finally I said to hell with it and have an extra set of new tires stacked up for future needs. It’s been 2 years now with not a word…
Make sure to check the Tire Rack survey results for snow traction. All-season tires vary quite a bit in this regard.
Thanks for the question re locally owned shops. I’m a believer in buying local.
The sizes are different and the load ratings are different. I’m not sure why you expect the prices to be the same.
As others have said, answering this question isn’t important in getting the right tire for your car.
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So true. Another excellent source of actual test data on tires is in Consumer Reports. Every November issue has their latest test results. The General Altimax RT 42 (43?) is a moderately priced all season with better snow and ice performance than most. They work quite well in winter on my van here in Duluth, MN.
Even with all season tires that rate well for snow and ice performance, there will be times actual winter tires perform much better; and times when even actual winter tires don’t get you through, especially up a hill. Some times the best choice is to drive later, not now.
I usually buy tires on line and have them delivered to my mechanic. They mount, balance, and align the tires and suspension. I get exactly the tires I want and still support a local shop. Since more tire shops are chains, that is not necessarily supporting a local store.
Even by using a chain store tire shop you are still supporting your area . The taxes are for your area , the people who work there are also in your area and they spend the money they earn in the same area .
Just as much as I support small local business by using my mechanic to mount and install internet tires.
Two different size tires—two different prices.
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P225/60r17 99t vs 225/50r17 94 T
Besides the profile difference 50 vs 60, there is also a load capacity difference.
the 99 = 1709 lbs
the 94 = 1477 lbs
I had a bad experience buying tires from Walmart, First, it took 4 hours even though I was the 2nd person there. My van came with Goodyear Viva tires and I was satisfied with them. Walmart had a good price on Goodyear Viva ll tires so I went with them. I rotated them and they were worn out bt 22000 miles.
I later found out that the Goodyer tires sold at Walmart are made in China and sold only at Walmart and not at Goodyear stores.
I now buy my tires at a locally owned chain that provides good prices and great service and free lifetime rotation.
I had been doing my own rotations because my car dealer did free rotations but every time I had it done there they were torqued to between 2 and 3 times spec.
When I complained to the service manager, he said “That can’t be , we use a torque stick!” I think they use it to decorate there toolboxes.
The local chain has never over tightened the lugs.
I am currently using Goodyear Comfort Tread Fuel Max tires and am very happy with them.