Save on Tires
10 Ways to Save on Tires
I understand that you are looking to save on tires so it is as painless as possible. No one wakes up excited to drop a few hundred dollars on rubber shoes for a vehicle.
You can save money buying this necessary evil for your car with tire coupons, deals, and price matching options. Good tires will save you money in the long run because you will be less likely to replace them.
If you would rather spend the money on a mini-getaway with friends or towards an extra house payment, here is how to buy tires.
1. Tire prices are generally the same across retailers.
A recent example is the Michelin Defender T+H tire. It’s the same price (within pennies) across five different websites.
Tires aren’t the only things you should look into, though. The deals and rebates are also important, so check those out, too.
2. Check rebates and tire coupons at manufacturer websites if you can’t find a retailer deal.
Some of the manufacturers that offer promotions directly on their websites are: Goodyear.com,Michelin.com, BFGoodrichTires.com, and others. You will need to purchase tires from one of their approved dealers and then submit them online for the rebate.
When you can’t find a store offering a deal, this is a good option.
Here are a few examples:
- Goodyear: $200 back on a set of four tires.
- Michelin: $70 off a set of four tires.
- BF Goodrich: Up to $70 off a set of four tires.
3. Buy four Costco Tires when they’re offering a manufacturer savings deal.
When you apply this deal, how much of the Defender T + H tires are you going to get? $110 is in savings on four of the models if you include the savings card you receive with your purchase.
Sam’s Club, Discount Tire, Walmart, and TireRack.com all offer these tires for around $740, so this price beats them.
4. Discount Tire offers price matching — even on a sale price!
Discount Tire is so serious about being the lowest-price option that they will match any other price for tires or installation, and they will give you the savings you can get from Costco.
If you miss out on the deal because they ran out of stock, just show Discount Tire’s offer and you’ll get the deal anyways.
You can get a price match online if you tap the “found it Lower?” button on the tire’s listing at DiscountTire.com.
5. Discount Tire offers deals galore at any given time.
Most of these savings can be found in the form of mail-in rebates or pre-paid cards. I did not include those that require you to pay with a discount tire credit card. There are a lot of deals for brands like Cooper and Firestone. Some examples are presented here.
- Rebate: $100 off Goodyear tires
- Rebate: $80 off Firestone tires
- $130 off Cooper tires when you sign up for a Discount Tire online account.
6. Determine what size of tires you need to purchase. Bigger tires are more expensive.
When shopping for tires online, you will be prompted to enter the details about your car, and you will probably need a rough idea of your tire size since many cars have only a few options.
There is a sticker that looks like the one above on your driver’s side door. You will be able to see front and rear tire sizes. My tire size is P225/60R17 on my car.
7. Next, pick a type of tire based on what your climate is like.
You need to look at the weather in your area in order to make a decision.
All-season tires, winter tires, and summer tires are the three main categories. If you do not live in an area with harsh winters, an all-season tire is the way to go.
8. Walmart Tire Center offers the cheapest price on installation.
You will not be able to beat the cost of installing a tire. Sam’s Club and Discount Tire are all around the $20 mark. If you use Discount Tire’s price match policy, Walmart wins on the installation cost.
Installation prices will only be matched by Discount Tire if there is a tire purchase included. It is possible to get a price match on a set of cheaper, installed tires at Walmart. Walmart’s installation price for tires is fifteen dollars, but Discount Tire will not match that price.
9. Walmart is the cheapest place for installing tires you bought somewhere else.
You will pay more per tire if you buy tires from Walmart and Discount Tire. Be sure to consider that when you shop for tires online.
- Walmart charges $25 for the installation of non-Walmart tires.
- A discount tire costs $35 for the installation of non-discount tires.
10. You won’t pay extra for a Road Hazard Warranty at Costco or Sam’s Club Tire.
A manufacturer’s warranty is not the same as a road hazard warranty. If you accidentally run over a nail, a piece of glass, or pop a tire because you hit debris in the road, you can get a Road Hazard Warranty.
Sam’s Club’s warranty is included with the installation price.
You can get coverage for the first 25% wear of your tire at walmart if you pay an extra $10 per tire. If Walmart can’t fix your tire, you’ll get a replacement if it’s 25% worn down or less.
When you buy tires at Discount Tire, you can get a certificate for repairs, refunds or replacements for $25. Discount Tire doesn’t care if the tire needs repair because it covers both road hazard and manufacturer defects.