Another factor to think about is if you travel a lot or stay in your city for the most part… If you never travel then a maw and paw store can take care of you, but IF you do a lot of traveling in your car then check the website or Google to make sure they have locations where you will be and everywhere in between for any kind of warranty issues…
Example, the store that VDC and Mike are talking about could be the best thing since sliced bread, but if you travel to Nashville (hypothetically) and have a flat here then you are out of luck cause the nearest Mavis tire is over 2 hours away or 125 miles, then 152 miles from Nashville area…
Now we have hundreds of tires stores but not the one you would need… So check what is best for your needs… BTW Discount tire probably has the best phone skills but if you have a lug nut issue they won’t help you, even Sam’s club and the like don’t mess with lug nut issues either, but a place that does more then just tires can take care of your problem and even know what a loose ball joint etc are incase you have a safety issue, you don’t get mechanics at tire only shops like mentioned above (Sam’s club etc, BTW not picking on Sam’s, just less typing lol) I worked at a shop VERY close to a huge Walmart supercenter and they would sell you 4 tires then mount 3 and put the other in the trunk and tell you to go to X tire shop to have the lug issue taking care of and the 4th tire installed or you could come back and wait in line again… Me personally, I had rather have a tire store that can fix a simple (most vehicles) wheel stud issue then have to go to multiple locations… but that is just me… And yes over 17 years I saw customers that bought local right before vacation and get to my area and hit a pothole or pick up a nail etc (unrepairable) and just be crap out of luck cause there big tire store is 3 states away… Add AWD and even worse, nobody close shaves tires…
And BTW, places that stock and sell tires for a living are not real fond of having tires bought on line and shipped to them (always exceptions to every rule lol), other then they get to charge more for installing them, they have agreed on set prices depending on aspect ratio and tpms or not… Think of it as taking your own eggs to Waffle House and asking them to cook them for you, or taking your own Steak to a steak house and asking for them to cook it for you, it is kind of a slap in the face to them… Unless it is a strange size that is very rare and hard to get… Or a repair shop that doesn’t stock tires…
So consider ALL your options and figure out what is BEST for YOU and your situation and future situations…
I just use the local Goodyear store. Their prices are fine and they also sell other brands. They know more about what I’d be happy with than I do. I bought a tire from the dealer once since I needed an exact match but the price was about the same either place. I quit buying mail order when I quit buying used tires for my vw from sears. I just like to go in and see what the guys recommend and be done with it. I’ve read the reviews but the customer reviews are all over the place and the vendor are generalizations to me that may or may not fit me. I don’t go to discount places but I’m not trying to save five dollars and don’t buy tires that often to make a difference.
Might be an issue if you do a LOT of traveling. But traveling out of area occasionally brings the likelihood of a tire failure while out of area down to about 1% or less
Not disputing that in anyway, just worked for a big company that delt with tires for 17 years and saw it happen almost daily when I worked downtown Nashville… and more then you would think at other locations… We have 3 major interstates that run though Nashville (as you probably already know lol) so saw a lot of travelers and a lot of shops are close to one of the interstates…
I really don’t care where the OP buys his/her tires, as it won’t effect me in any way, all I am saying is to consider ALL your options and figure out what is BEST for YOU and your situation and future situations… nothing more nothing less…
Honestly I don’t travel much. I go to work and home and around town. Once in a blue I will go out of town but I’d say no more then 2 hours of driving daily. Not too much is highway miles unless I do decide to go out of town which I’ll be on the highway for at least 1 hour to an hour and and half. The weather up here is mixed with everything as I am in the northeast. But I will say this I will like to travel at the end of the year. Probably will only be about 3-4 hours each way most likely unless I go farther not certain yet.
I’m in that 1%. But it only makes a difference if you buy the lifetime warranty. If you don’t opt for that, then it doesn’t matter where the tire failure occurs, it will cost you about the same.
Edit: Walmart is a crapshoot. My local Walmart has a good manager in the tire department and because I like the Cooper AT3 tires for my trucks, I get them there. I use Costco for the cars. Costco has a good training program for their tire techs so they are more consistant, store to store.
Yes, you have to be a Costco member in order to buy their tires. The installation cost (19.95 per wheel??) includes free lifetime rotation and balancing, and a 5 year Road Hazard Warranty.
I have generals on one car for about $600 and Goodyear weather ready on another fir over $1000. Either one works fi4 me but if ice or snow hits, I’d rather have the Goodyear under me.
Now in the last ten years I think I have had two out of the area tire problems. One I was 200 miles out and blew a tire that was nearing th3 end of life. I was lucky enough to get to a tire shop that had a used one fi4 $20. I replaced them all when I got home. The other was picking up a large screw about 600 miles from home. It was just patched but again it wasn’t long after that, that I just replaced them all. If it could not have been repaired, I would have put a cheap new tire on until I go5 home. It wouldn’t have been the first time I wasted $100.
