FrankenBlaster's Guide to Buying Winter Tires

"FrankenBlaster" (FrankenBlaster) 12/03/2014 at 09:55 • Filed to: None

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After the single most obnoxiously drawn out purchase of my life, I present to you, "FrankenBlaster's guide to buying winter tires".

Search Craigslist for winter wheels and tires.

Approach seller about said winter wheels and tires.

Agree on a price, and arrange meeting place.

Have seller text you saying your merchandise has been sold hours before meeting.

Search online for deals. 1010Tires, Tire Rack, Discount Tire, discounttiredirect.com, etc.

Find that most sites require you to purchase TPMS for your factory equipped vehicle if you want to receive tires already mounted to the wheels you have purchased.

Refuse to pay $270 for TPMS on a set of fucking winter tires.

Search for other cars that will fit with the offset needed, correct bolt pattern, and right hub bore diameter (Tire Rack does not specify hub bore diameter on their steel wheels, and for the sake of ruling out all possible error, this is imperative in FrankenBlaster's Guide to Buying Winter Tires)

The '07 Mazda 3i can have a package ordered without TPMS, however the only steel wheel offered offset is +50. It is important that you note at this stage that when you search for packages for the 2012 Mazdaspeed3, you are able to purchase the +42 offset version.

Search like a madman and find that the '06 Ford Fusion can have a package ordered with a +40 offset steel wheel in 16x6.5 with the correct bolt pattern. Be happy with yourself, place this order in the cart, and spend $200 more than you had originally planned.

Have a friend with a shop who can save you $100 on shipping, but ensure that you only figure this out hours after you have placed the original order.

Meet at your friend's shop to arrange payment.

Find out that Tire Rack has placed a $1,000 hold on your debit card and, even though you more than enough to pay him in your account, you cannot access it.

Try to pull the cash from the ATM, but be unable to due to the hold on your account

Go to the bank and ask them why you can't spend your own money, be guaranteed if you go back today you will be able to pay him.

Return to pay your friend, and have your card declined yet again due to the hold that is lingering on your account days later.

Have a credit card with you but do not use it because you hate credit cards.

Call the bank again and ask why you can't spend your money.

Be instructed that the hold is still not gone.

Wait until next week and try to order the package from Tire Rack again so you don't have to continue calling your friend about payment.

Look for the original package for the '06 Ford Fusion and find out that the steel wheels you found are "sold out for the season"

See that the next cheapest wheels for sale are in the shape of daisies. Remember that your girlfriend named your car Daisy to piss you off, start breathing heavily, and go with the next least expensive wheels that bring your total to $800.

Note that this is $100 more than you had originally planned to spend, and even still $300 more than the craigslist deal that went sour. Breathe heavily again.

Look on Facebook directly after your order, and see that a local car enthusiast is selling the exact set you need for your car for $500, barely used.

Cancel your order from Tire Rack from a second time.

Note that there will be another hold on your account for a week.

Save $300.

Yes, there were different ways to go about this. This is how I chose to go about it, not intentionally, but this is where I ended up. I hate buying wheels and tires.

For a more in depth look at the Tire Rack buying process in trying to circumvent the pesky TPMS issue, please see my other post entitled "Dear Tire Rack, please frig off".

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Frank Grimes > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 01:03

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holy crap that sucks! I had a minor quibble with an ebay dork. he had a wheel cap for sale lives in my city for cheaper than any other on ebay. he has shipping for $4 I contact him ask if I can come pick it up and not pay shipping and even pay cash if he wants. he replies he doesn't have a retail location. Who on ebay has a retail location? Why would he even need a retail location? I HAVE CASH! I tell him I live in the same city and paying $4.99 to go literally 3 miles would be stupid and pointless. He says he would have to put it in an envelope and mail it. I send him my address so he can see I do actually live in the same small as heck city and ask him how much it would cost to ship it to me. He quotes me the same $3.99.

THIS GUY DOES NOT GET IT!

I am not gonna pay him the flat rate $4 shipping to ship something the size and weight of a poker chip to my house 3 miles away.

I think I would rather pay $5 more to someone else out of spite to this guy.

FrankenBlaster > Frank Grimes 12/03/2014 at 01:11

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hahahahah! I can just imagine some guy on the other end of the keyboard somehow managing to be completely taken back by the situation. eBay dork is just about the perfect way to describe that, what a nerd

Frank Grimes > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 01:20

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I have a theory he is one of those crazy people that never leave the house so his fear and anxiety keep him from leaving and dealing with people in person that it wouldn't even occur to him that I would want to pick up something in person rather than get it in the mail.

I have been in your position trying so hard to get a good deal and doing hours and hours of reasearch to come to a dead end and then repeat about 3 times. SO MUCH WORK!

Somtimes I wonder if it would be easier and save me more time to just pay the bit more to get something, but there is a part of me I think that likes hunting for a deal and spending hours on the internet searching stuff.

That GIF is hilarious what show is it from?

FrankenBlaster > Frank Grimes 12/03/2014 at 10:02

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Yeah I'm just glad it happened to work out in the end. I was gonna be strapped for cash for a few days if it ended up being the $800. The GIF, I'm not sure, but it was from a Reddit thread where a guy posted something like "this is how everyone views the IT guy" and it was a picture of a fat dude with doritos, mountain dew, and a framed picture of the Linux penguin. Another guy posted "This is how all IT guys view the end user". Perfect.

bob and john > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 10:04

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this is why my family just sucks it up and goes with it when it comes to TPMS

probably helps that we actually have nice wheels for the winter. besides, once a set of wheels has the senors, you dont have to replace them everytime you change wheels.

plus we dont have the light come on, so bonus!

vondon302 > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 10:05

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Ah yes wheel and tire shopping is always fun.

Raphmoe > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 10:08

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Do you have a hard time putting your shoes and socks on in the morning as well?

Pro Tips for life from Raphmoe:

1) Don't rush purchases.

2) Don't go over budget.

3) Think before you act.

4) Don't be dumb.

FrankenBlaster > Raphmoe 12/03/2014 at 10:10

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I only wear flip flops.

Raphmoe > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 10:11

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So, you do have difficulty putting your shoes and socks on. Be careful driving.

oldirtybootz > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 10:15

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Oh boy, thank god I can mount and balance tires myself. I could use some winter tires, but I just swapped on my stock steelies for the winter to replace my 17"s and Potenzas.

cazzyodo > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 10:15

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Wow...

I was in a rush last year before the potential for a storm (having never had winter tires) so I just went to Town Fair . Pricing wasn't bad, either. They realized I needed TPMS installed when they were putting the wheels on and were just like, "our bad, here ya go." Nice guys at my local one.

jmedarts > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 10:25

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Jmedarts addendum:

1) find the 335i 6mt you've been hunting for in february, buy it

2) go on c/l looking for chaepo BMW 3 series OEM winter wheels, find a pair for $500 and scoop them up for $400

3) take them to tire shop for new Nokians & install (it's snowing tomorrow!) . Find out your 335i has big' ol sport brakes that normal BMW wheels won't fit over Listen to tire shop guy snicker. Remember he's good friends with your little brother. Dread next family gathering.

4) Authorize tire shop to order new tire/wheel package that you're not nuts about the look of, but it's snowing tomorrow!

5) wait for tire shop to call and tell you the set that THEY ordered won't fit over your big ol brakes either. Snicker right back at tire guy. Feel like less of a loser. Wait till that afternoon when they can get a set that will fit. Rest assured that now little brother will NEVER hear this story from tire guy.

5a) dump cheapo wheels on c/l, lose $50

6) enjoy 2 years of unsolicited comments from friends & colleagues about how good your winter wheels look. Rule the snowy roads with your Nokian's and your poor sense of wheel fashion.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 10:28

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This isn't the first time I've read this account with winter wheels and TPS. I honestly don't understand this. I ordered my set of tires last year from Tire Rack for my Crosstrek and never even considered the TPMS. I just told them no and that was that. Are they now forcing you to mount TPMS on all wheels or something? Shouldn't it be up to me as the consumer to decide what I want on my vehicle?

FrankenBlaster > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 12/03/2014 at 10:35

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Whenever I tried to order for my car, I got to the shopping cart and it wouldn't let me purchase without TPMS. I could either order them unmounted with TPMS, mounted with TPMS, or was given an option to order for a different car. There were a few other guys who had this problem with the same car too. I think it wasn't previously an issue, and a friend of mine even told me he ordered wheels + tires for his girlfriend's MINI and was able to choose to not have TPMS installed. For some reason it just wouldn't go with my car, and I had to figure out how to trick Tire Rack's site into allowing me to purchase the wheels + tires that would fit on my car.

I think it's something about knowingly removing a safety feature on a car that it came from factory with. I've also heard if you go to the store and your car is a confirmed TPMS car they won't mount and balance the tires without TPMS installed.

For Sweden > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 11:19

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I tried to find winter tires at Target and couldn't find any. Are there any team-approved places to buy tires?

Textured Soy Protein > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 11:19

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This is why you shouldn't use your debit card to make a big purchase. A few years ago after I got a fraud alert on my debit card (which my credit union sorted out quickly enough) I pretty much stopped using my debit card entirely. I now put everything on credit cards, then pay off the credit cards every month. They're more secure, are easier to deal with if you have fraudulent charges, they can't tie up your bank account (if a merchant authorizes a larger amount than you're spending, it doesn't temporarily show on your balance like a debit card) and you get free shit for using them. Just pay them every month.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 11:23

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SmoresTM's guide to buying winter wheels

Have a car with decent but not great wheels (E30 bottlecaps in this case)

Find a set of stupidly rare discontinued wheels from the 80s online.

Realize that you have been searching for this exact set of wheels for two years

Realize they are in Spain

Realize you are in the U.S.

Fuck it.

Send the seller an email using Google Translator and whatever Spanish you remember from high school

Receive an email in the most poorly translated English you have ever read. Try to comprehend said email.

Agree on a price

Empty your bank about

Consider that you just purchased a pair of used wheels from someone on a different continent and that the ease with which they could scam you is hysterical.

Fuck it pt. 2

Receive tracking number. Celebrate that you didn't just get scammed out of almost $2,000

Deal with Customs for at least one (1) week after the wheels should have arrived

Receive wheels. Celebrate again. Post them on Instagram and buy tires for the following summer with what little money you have left

Designate the wheels that you already have on your car as winter wheels. Don't bother with winter tires because you have no money left.

Realize that your car is absolutely useless in the snow no matter what you do. Roll your eyes at yourself for being dumb enough to think it would be anything but useless.

Fuck it pt. 3

Borrow girlfriend's mom's extra car for winter

Feel like a boss for driving a Yukon Denali XL all winter

Brian Silvestro > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 11:33

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that gif is fucking hilarious and I can't stop watching it

GhostZ > Frank Grimes 12/03/2014 at 11:44

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You're not paying $4 for shipping. You're paying $4 to avoid having to meet this person to receive your item and to subsidize the lower up front sale cost.

Frank Grimes > GhostZ 12/03/2014 at 12:13

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You are a smart person I can tell. not joking. I think you are right on both things and it is probably worth $4.

FrankenBlaster > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 12/03/2014 at 15:15

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Hahaha I fuckin love it. What wheels were they?

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 15:27

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A staggered set of Gotti Type 150s. The type of wheel isn't super rare, but they made them in all shapes and sizes, in both 2 piece and 3 piece. A staggered set of 3-piece 15x7 and 8 inch 150s are super hard to find. I actually got them for a decent price considering, but the shipping killed me. I'm happy with them though!

FrankenBlaster > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 12/03/2014 at 15:33

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That's awesome, I'd like to think I know a bit about older rare wheels and I'd never heard of those. Going on an e30 I assume from what you said about the bottlecaps earlier?

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 15:53

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A 2002, actually. I had a set of gold BBS RSs on there before, but I sold them and the the car came with the original steel wheels and a set of bottlecaps. They actually look like they belong on the car. I was pleasantly surprised.

The coolest set of wheels I've had so far were a set of BBS E71s off of an Indy Light car. I really wanted to do a center-lock conversion and use the faces, but there was just too much involved. I sold those to help fund the Gotti purchase, but I feel like I should have made them into a coffee table or something. They were huge! Rears were 15" by 14" wide. Talk about a deep dish.

FrankenBlaster > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 12/03/2014 at 20:07

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Holy crap that's awesome!! Off an Indy Lights car too. I work for an IndyCar team and keep trying to get the engine guy to make one of his extra turbos disappear so I can save it for a future build, haha. How'd you even get your hands on those?! thosre rears are freaking massive. Love the 2002 also. I worked at a BMW dealer previously and only saw one of those come through the doors. Rarest car I saw besides that was a dakar yellow z3 (non M) coupe. Really strange combo.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > FrankenBlaster 12/03/2014 at 20:43

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My grandfather owns a restoration shop and a race shop and I've worked there for the past few summers. I'm usually in charge in detailing cars for customer pickup or shows/concourse and and inspecting paint and body work, so I spend a lot of time in the wash bay. One of the rears had been sitting in a corner for a few weeks and I finally decided to ask about it while I was cleaning up one day. Turns out one of the mechanic's dad's friend (or something) crashed his Indy Light car and gave the mechanic some extra parts for the race shop or to sell, and I thought they would make an awesome coffee table with a simple piece of glass so I asked him if he had the other rear and if he wanted to sell them. I came back after lunch with $100 and put them in the back of the Nissan xTerra I had at the time.

Yeah, I got the full set for $100. I have literally no idea how that happened. I sat on them for a couple months and decided to find out what I even had, so I called BBS USA and, after reading off all the stamps, the guy told me they were magnesium e71s and that they cost at least $4,500 new but they weren't even in production anymore. I tried to figure out how to mount the centers on the BMW, but at some point I really needed the money so I sold them. I made a decent amount of dough off those wheels.

I love the Z3 Coupe! The Z4 Coupe as well. There's something so right about them. I usually bring the 2002 to my local BMW dealership for oil changes and whatnot, and I'm pretty sure that's the only reason they let me test drive the M cars. The salespeople are so enamored by the little blue turd I drove there in that they let there guard down and let a 20 year old with no intention of buying a new car test drive a loaded M5. But, hey, I'm not complaining! Ahaha.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > FrankenBlaster 12/04/2014 at 07:50

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Dumb question. If I keep my stock wheels (and TPMS) How much damage does mounting/dismounting winter tires cause?

Stupidru > Frank Grimes 04/30/2015 at 09:48

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Had to do that with a camera. Mind you, I live in a town of <10,000 people in Wisconsin. I asked if I could come pick it up and had the same response “Nope, I have to ship it”. I tracked it on the USPS website and it literally went out of my town, to Milwaukee, to Oak Creek, to Sheboygan, then back to the original post office it was dropped off at, then to my house. And all the while, it took an extra 2 days. I think they do this because they actually make a small profit off of the shipping rate claimed and what it actually costs them.

Frank Grimes > Stupidru 04/30/2015 at 13:10

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hmm I was wondering if this was the case but from my experience selling on ebay it is nearly always like $.50 difference at most. people are crazy and it is so frustrating. I cant believe yours went some where else and then came back to the same post office only to be delivered to you! that must be another level of crazy.