So I'm looking at new tires

"Denver Is Stuck In The 90s" (denver80222)
12/26/2014 at 16:43 • Filed to: None

Never bought tires before. Dont even know what to look for, might even buy some from a fellow opponaut. Would !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! tires work? This is completely out of budget for me, so I'm taking a loan from my parents. I'd like to keep it cheap for 2 reasons.

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I want to change to larger steelies at some point, so I dont want these to last forever.

I want to pay my parents back as little as possible, I dont want debt hanging over my head

I currently have 225/70r14's on there, but it'll take 205, 215, or 225 widths. Its the height I'm worried about

DISCUSSION (28)

Rainbow > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
12/26/2014 at 16:50

Buy used tires. They don't last quite as long, but you're getting 80% of the tire for 10% of the price. A lot of places that sell them will even do free installation, and better still they sometimes offer some sort of warranty so you don't have to worry about accidentally buying bad tires. Plus it's not like you'd get four mismatched tires; they're typically sorted very thoroughly so that if they don't all come from the same car, they'll still be nearly identical.

Takuro Spirit > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
12/26/2014 at 16:50

If it were me I'd get the cheapest Chinese all season tire available.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Rainbow
12/26/2014 at 16:54

Where can I buy used tires?

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Takuro Spirit
12/26/2014 at 16:54

I cant find any in a 14" radius

Rainbow > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
12/26/2014 at 16:56

If you trust yourself to find your own, a lot of self-service scrapyards will sell a full set of wheels AND tires for under $75 or so (if you get steelies, at least). Otherwise, I'm not sure of any specific places, but I'm sure Google can help you out.

Takuro Spirit > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
12/26/2014 at 16:59

You'll probably have to go to some seedy tire shop.

Tohru > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
12/26/2014 at 17:02

NEVER BUY WALMART TIRES. They may be the same make and model tire name, but Walmart specifically requests a cheaper tire. If you compare that tire at Walmart and at another tire location, the Walmart once will have lower grip and treadwear ratings.

http://denver.craigslist.org/pts/4809039435… - 4 195/65R14 tires for $145.

195/65R14 = Diameter = 24", Width = 7.68", Sidewall = 4.99", Revs/Mile = 841.5

225/70R14 = Diameter = 26.4", Width = 8.86", Sidewall = 6.2", Revs/Mile = 764.3

With the 195 you'd lose an inch of ground clearance, and your speedometer would be read 10% higher at a given actual ground speed than it does now (i.e. if your speedo is 100% accurate right now, with the 195's you'd have to do 66 indicated to do 60 actual). So if the speedo is reading the speed limit, you'll be slightly under the limit.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
12/26/2014 at 17:11

Used tires? Craigslist. You might even be able to find some winter tires already on rims. This is the direction I'm planning on going if my tires fail the inspection I need to do in the next month.

Slant6 > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
12/26/2014 at 17:14

Just find a new set of wheels on craiglist that has maybe 50% left on them. Does the Ranger share a bolt pattern with anything? My Tacoma shares with Chevy trucks so I always have options.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Tohru
12/26/2014 at 17:15

Just asked my mom, she said nope

Birddog > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
12/26/2014 at 17:18

Keep an eye on Craigslist. When I had my Ranger I picked up a set of 15" Explorer wheels with almost new Hankooks for $150. I'm going to check out a set of 31x10.50-15s tomorrow for the F-150 off CL for $200.

Otherwise, find a good used tire joint as others have said.

Make sure you check the date codes on used tires though. I don't trust anything over 5 years old.

Slant6 > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
12/26/2014 at 17:19

http://boulder.craigslist.org/pts/4791409527…

http://denver.craigslist.org/pts/4800061171…

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Slant6
12/26/2014 at 17:19

Ill have to check what my bolt pattern is. That's a good idea

Tohru > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
12/26/2014 at 17:22

So your mom would rather you had Walmart tires made by the lowest bidder than good used tires? Sorry to hear she doesn't care about you.

Slant6 > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
12/26/2014 at 17:22

You're at 5x4.5, which is the same as Jeep. Think about how many jeeps owners have stock wheels with decent tires lying around.

Clown Shoe Pilot > Tohru
12/26/2014 at 17:24

imagine the horror of used walmart tires

Tohru > Clown Shoe Pilot
12/26/2014 at 17:26

I've actually bought used Walmart tires before. Douglas Xtra-Trac II's, mounted on 14" 4x100 alloys, $100. They still had the little nubbins on the treadface.

CRider > Takuro Spirit
12/26/2014 at 17:28

Don't do this.

Takuro Spirit > CRider
12/26/2014 at 17:28

Boo.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Slant6
12/26/2014 at 17:29

Heh, It's the same bolt pattern as our odyssey. I kind of want to change them out for lulz

CRider > Takuro Spirit
12/26/2014 at 17:30

Some things are worth spending extra on. Tires are one of these things. Good tires make a huge difference.

Takuro Spirit > CRider
12/26/2014 at 17:41

If he can't afford it now, and plans to upgrade wheels soon anyways, what's the harm?

It's a Ranger not a racecar.

CRider > Takuro Spirit
12/26/2014 at 17:45

If he's getting a loan for them anyway why not spend a bit more on a better, longer lasting tire? Ones that will ride and handle better, perform better in wet and snow (important in Denver), get better gas mileage...

Takuro Spirit > CRider
12/26/2014 at 17:45

I want to change to larger steelies at some point, so I dont want these to last forever.

I want to pay my parents back as little as possible, I dont want debt hanging over my head

Jayhawk Jake > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
12/26/2014 at 17:46

Oh fuck no not those. I have Optimo's on my car, they're horrible.

Xyl0c41n3 > Takuro Spirit
12/26/2014 at 19:47

1. Not lasting forever won't matter anyway with cheap tires when he spins out on a snowy/icy road a week before he plans on getting newer/better ones.

1a. Getting good winter tires now may cost more in the short term, but will even out in the long run when he can slip them back on next winter.

2. It's a loan from his parents, so it's likely interest free with no repayment deadline. Not that he shouldn't pay them back in a timely manner, but still, they're his parents. I bet they care more about his safety than they do about getting a couple of bucks back before summertime.

Takuro Spirit > Xyl0c41n3
12/26/2014 at 19:56

1. They can't be any worse than the worn out 10 year old tires he has now

1a. Although running snows on these rims will allow him to get some summer rubber on the wider wheels he's planning on getting

2. Possibly. We do not know the entire situation. My parents were dicks and charged me rent when I turned 18. And if they really cared about his safety we are back at point 1. He's already on worn out old tires. An issue they could have helped to solve a while ago.

Xyl0c41n3 > Takuro Spirit
12/26/2014 at 20:08

1. True. The most paramount issue is getting rid of those decade old hunks of rubber. They're an accident waiting to happen, even in fair weather.

1a. Fair enough.

2. True. Then again, my parents also wouldn't have let me complete a sale on a vehicle that needs so much work to begin with. My first car was a 15 year old hand-me-down POS that quickly went downhill after I got it. (It went through four drivers in my family, and that's because we got it used to begin with). First the transmission went, then electrical gremlins finally killed it. The car dying while I was driving on the freeway with a semi barreling down on me was the last straw. With their help, I got a new-to-me car that had fewer issues and drove well for almost a decade. My parents decided cheap wasn't worth the savings if I died.