I thankfully have a beautiful new car but also maintain and drive my 98 Honda Accord b/c it is costing me very little money to keep it and I like the idea of having a beater when I need it. The Honda needs new tires and basically I am not too worried about how much mileage I will get from these tires as I put maybe 6000 a year on it now. I just want cheap, safe tires. Any recommendations as to what route I should take? I mentioned refurbished tires to my husband and he doesn’t think those are safe.
Kumho makes some quality tires with decent comfort at an inexpensive price.
In the old days, we had premium, first line, second line and even third line tires. I couldn’t even afford the third line tire, so I ran on recapped tires. My independent tire store told me that a recap on a top of the line casing was better than a junky third line tire.
I haven’t seen recapped car tires for sale in years. In your case, if yu aren’t doing high speed interstate driving, you will probably do fine even with the least expensive tires of the proper size from WalMart. However, if you have a good independent tire dealer in your community, give them a call and tell them your needs and see what they recommend.
I would check at walmart, any wholesale club you are a member in, tirerack.com, and see what you can find. Tirerack.com also has reviews that can be helpful in matching your climate to the tire performance.
I had bad luck with retreads years ago and quit even trying in that arena. You can also check in your city and see if any tire dealer offers “take offs”, which are OEM tires that have very gentle use because the car owner wanted new, specific branded tires, and changed them out very early in their tire lives.
About three weeks ago, Sam’s club on line had some very good Goodyear tires on sale that are delivered free to the club on a close out deal. If you have time, do some research and perhaps cheap will not equal poor tire performance.
Thanks, I do live in a small community with several independent dealers and that’s what I was thinking of doing.
Budget priced tires usually are referred to as “Private label” tires…They have names you never heard of. Many are made in China…“Diamondback” is a name that comes to mind, I put a set on my “beater” and they are doing fine. There are many others. Big tire stores will of course try to upsell you at first, but will discover they have a set of inexpensive tires before they let you walk out the door…
Counter with "Gee, those are nice, but don’t you have something a little less expensive? The reply is usually: “Well, let me look…”
The Goodyear “Viva” tires Wally-World (Sam’s Club) sells are not sold anywhere else and certainly not in Goodyear stores…
I will check those out.
That’s interesting because I never had a problem with retreads. I had an independent tire dealer that was a family friend and he recapped only the best casings right in his shop. However, that was 45-50 years ago. This dealer is long gone. I haven’t even seen retreads for cars in the last 30 years.
I put a pair of tires with the Sumatoma label on my Uplander that I purchased at National Tire and Battery. I had a friend that was selling tires that had lost his job as the minister of music when the church where he was employed had to make budget cuts. Since he was on commission and I needed tires, I decided to help him out. These tires were moderately priced and seem to work just fine. On the other hand, the vehicle we use for our interstate travel is our 4Runner. My wife insisted on the top line Michelin tires. If your driving is around town and you only travel 6000 per year, a moderately priced tire should serve just fine.
My last adventure was in 1984, when I purchased four retreads from Sears. Had previous good luck mostly with retreaded snow tires. Within two weeks, had the tread separate from two tires; took all four back for full refund.
Lawyers put the recappers out of business with passenger car tires…They still recap trailer-truck tires but they are not allowed on the front (steering) wheels…
If there is a Costco near you, then I recommend getting a set of BFGoodrich - Premier? Touring tires. Reasonable cost, quite ride, and good in snow.
Well, he left the computer on and unattended again. Let me say this that your husband has your interests in mind in not wanting you to get refurbished tires. Be sure you put safe tires on your car even if you have to spend a little more. One thing worse than a cheap tire is a cheap husband.
Mrs. Triedaq
We don’t see recapped car tires anymore because tires last so long that their treads often outlast their sidewalls. Recapping a tire with a worn out sidewall is certainly a poor idea.
I think a similar argument could be made these days about used tires. IHMO, you’re better off buying a decent used tire than some of the bottom-of-the-line ones they sell some places. The last pair of cheap tires I bought lasted less than 20,000 miles-- then I bought a pair of good quality name-brand used tires with about 80% tread left for about half what the new cheap tires cost and they lasted me the next 40,000. They sure rode a heckuva lot better too.
Recapping is idiotic. The owner does not suffer however the drivers in the wake of debris especially just after not if but when they fall apart suffer.
The practice should be banned.
The general quality of tires has improved immensely over the years and the cost is so competitive that recapping does not make economic sense anymore either. You might be interested to know that the tires on a jet aircraft (very expensive) are still recapped as many as 4 or 5 times, mainly because the wear is very uneven due to landings.
If I was the OP I would get the least expensive tires that Costco sells; those are good, guaranteed, and cost about $50 each and have a lifetime rotation and balance included in the price.
The problem I have found with really cheap imported tires from Asia is not the durability, but some are nearly impossible to balance due to differences in the rubber density around the circumference. I had a Korean set (Marshall) once and ended up throwing them away long before they wore out!
A 1998 Honda Accord is not a beater, in my opinion. It deserves decent tires.
Happy motoring for many more years.
Either Sam’s or Costco can put you in to BFG Touring All Seasons, 70K warranty for around $75-80 with all install/balance fees considered. Costco has a $15 per tire BFG rebate, so they might be cheaper at this time, after considering rebate. I used 195/70R14 size as a rough reference size for your Accord. At low mileage, this would set you up for six or more years of good tires. I can vouch for these since I am running a set on my Mazda MPV. As good or better than the Michelin X-radials I had been running previously.
I’ve had pretty good luck with off brand tires – Toyo, Cooper, and Kelly specifically. I’ve known people who really liked Khumo and Sumitomo tires too.
Even on semis it is illegal to use recapped tires for steering tires, and most truckers know recaps don’t save any money in the long run.
Used tires, on the other hand, might be a good option for the OP. Perhaps jburgess should check the yellow pages to see if there are any used tire sellers in the area.