Where do you guys buy tires at?

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
06/09/2016 at 14:26 • Filed to: None

Since my current set of tires are getting rubbed to death on the edges by my fenders, I don’t think they are going to last much longer for autox. I am looking to source a used set of wheels that fit better and keep my current ones for street driving only. Anyways, for my autox only set, I would like to get a nice set of Bridgestone RE71r tires so that I have the best of the street tires I can run. However, seeing as summer is right here on the horizon I believe tire rack has run out of stock for two weeks or so. In this case, I am looking for an alternative place to find a set of these tires and curious where you guys buy yours.

DISCUSSION (32)

Jcarr > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 14:31

I’ve bought a number of sets through Discount Tire Direct. They have free shipping and great customer service in my experience.

Tripper > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 14:33

I buy them from my mechanic because he mounts and balances fo free

The Dummy Gummy > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 14:33

From the tire store.

TeamClearCoat > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 14:42

I usually go to Discount as well. They’ll do free rotations/inspection/balance checks pretty much whenever you want, so I usually get that done after every track day. Plus, my car has no spare, so having my warranty honored within towing distance is really nice.

ttyymmnn > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 14:43

Discount Tires. Been very happy with service and price. We were traveling in NC a couple of years ago when we had a blow out. Stopped at Discount (which was luckily about a mile away), they sold me one tire to get me back on the road, but then I could use that sale to prorate the purchase of the other three when I got home to TX.

RyanFrew > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 14:43

How competitive are you? RE71-Rs have a notoriously short life, which is part of the reason they’re such great autocross tires (soft, hate heat). If you’re competitive, maybe think about slicks?

If you’re not competitive, I’d recommend just skipping the RE71 and getting something else that will be in stock and still really good. Pilot Super Sport, AS-3, Star Specs....those last two will be cheaper than the RE-71r.

Anyways, Tire Rack is the answer fo sho.

Ash78, voting early and often > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 14:46

Discount Tire Direct (cheap and tax free for many) and I have them shipped to my house or the shop directly. I don't usually bother trying to browbeat my local shops into price-matching, since 9%-10% sales tax usually kills it for them. I pay them to M&B the tires and usually try to give them a little extra business here and there. But IMHO, brick and mortar tire shops have been off my radar for almost 20 years.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 15:02

I buy Michelin from Costco and Goodyear from Walmart.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 15:05

I have gotten my last two sets here:

https://www.kaltire.com/

dogisbadob > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 15:06

Walmart

The World of Vee > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 15:08

I buy my tires on ebay. I know, terrible. But I see RE71s for around 140 from tirerack or DTD on there.

I run Kumho Ecstas in a very awkward tire size (215/35/18) because i’m weird and the only place to reliably find them is from DTD’s ebay store. In the winter I run Nankang NS-2s in the same size and DTD tends to sell those for 40-50 bucks a tire

Textured Soy Protein > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 15:13

I have an actual Discount Tire store near me so I usually buy my tires there. Even if they don’t list a tire on their site, they can usually order it, and they’ll price match the best (shipped) online price that I can find.

I just bought a set of wheels & tires from Tire Rack though, because I wanted these specific wheels and Tire Rack had them, plus they do free mounting & balancing when you get wheels and tires together.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > RyanFrew
06/09/2016 at 15:20

Well since I am putting them on an extra set of wheels and the only use they will see is autox, I figure tread life is not all that important. Having street legal tires is good though since I don’t plan to buy a tire trailer and I drive a Miata so fitting them in/on the car is not something I want to do every autox. So the only street use will be to/from events.

The reason for the RE71Rs vs some of the other 200TW category tires is that the price difference is minimal, they are supposed to be the best, and I see how well they perform at every event.

RyanFrew > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 15:21

Yeahhh, especially on the Miatas, there’s a ton of love for them.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Textured Soy Protein
06/09/2016 at 15:22

Yup, DTD does free mounting/balancing too. But I plan on buying a cheap set of used wheels since I don’t really care how they look. Buying new wheels sets me at $1k which is a bit steep. I can buy new tires, used wheels, and get them mounted for $700 at most.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Ash78, voting early and often
06/09/2016 at 15:23

I am definitely gonna give them a call and see if they can order the tires, get them sooner than tire rack, and get near their price (including shipping).

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > The World of Vee
06/09/2016 at 15:24

interesting, I definitely will check out ebay. I hadn’t thought of that! Especially if DTD has them already on there.

Needmoargarage > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 15:26

Probably stating the obvious here, but TireRack. Usually has the best pricing for the sizes I need.

Once in a while I’ll price match TireRack’s prices at local chains and go ahead and purchase there.

EDIT: Just realized I missed the whole TireRack stock issue. Whoops.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TeamClearCoat
06/09/2016 at 15:26

Would be nice if there was one close to NJ lol

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Jcarr
06/09/2016 at 15:27

shipping is "free" since it is included in the price of their products. I like it much better that way in this case but still its not really free. I ordered my winter set from them and was very happy with that.

Ash78, voting early and often > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 15:30

FWIW, I have never seen Tire Rack as cheap as Discount, since DTD almost always has free shipping and no tax (I've never seen Tire Rack offer free shipping). But DTD's selection is far more limited and I believe a lot of states have to pay sales tax due to physical Discount locations. Good luck!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > RyanFrew
06/09/2016 at 15:34

Yup, its crazy how many I see. And everyone I talk to loves them. Even in the wet (at least when new). My main motivation for getting them is since I do so much autox anyways, I might as well have the right tires for it.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Needmoargarage
06/09/2016 at 15:35

Haha yeah if discount tire direct cant beat their date then I will probably just order from tire rack. But I was curious if people had alternatives anyways.

Textured Soy Protein > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 15:41

Really I just went with Tire Rack this time because they had the wheels I wanted. I’m actually not fully satisfied with the balancing job they did. I called them about it and they said to have a local shop rebalance them and they’d refund me the cost of balancing. So I’ll probably go to Discount Tire for that.

Since I have that local store, I’d have to pay tax to DTD, so if there’s ever something on DTD that I want I have my local store order it for me.

Back when I had a Miata I ran 949 Racing 6UL wheels. Light weight and 15x8 and 15x9 are both well under $200 each.

Arrivederci > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 15:52

I typically use TireRack, but I actually got my last set from Discount Tire Direct off eBay. They beat TireRack’s price by $50 and threw in free shipping.

The World of Vee > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 16:00

Yep! if you have a good local tire dude that doesn’t charge much for installation then it’s a great deal.

I have a guy that’ll do mounting for 20$ for 4 tires so it’s a steal for me.

Dave the car guy , still here > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 16:03

The obvious choices are TireRack or Discount Tire but I’ve used a few others. My second choice after TR is often Vulcan Tire not just for price but if you are farther east they sometimes have lower shipping. My Pirelli last year were not only a few dollars cheaper per tire but shipping was about $20 less from PA to Ohio. Have purchased from eBay twice and beat every regular web retailer. I have three tire warehouses that I purchase 20-40 tires a week from for work and I have beat them every time with TR, Vulcan and eBay for my personal purchases.

Jcarr > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 16:06

Their prices have always been in line with Tire Rack or any of the local shops I frequent. Most of the times I’ve needed tires no one has been able to beat DTD, free shipping or not.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > The World of Vee
06/09/2016 at 16:12

Yeah finding the local tire guy is the next step. I also have access to a DIY shop where the attendant will do it for $5 a tire on the machine. But I cant imagine they are too skilled at that sort of thing lol.

The World of Vee > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 16:41

well i mean unless you’re stretching extensively mounting a tire is real easy

CaptDale - is secretly British > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 17:58

Personally I buy mine from a local store. I get a really good discount through work (dealership) with them because we do business with each other. Plus I like that they are a local company.

boxrocket > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/09/2016 at 22:59

Work, because I work in the service department.

Local tire shops aren't bad. Firestone (owned by Bridgestone) might have the RE71s in-stock.