Tires online and install locally? (vehicles, motorcycle, best, buy)
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Does anyone have experience with purchasing tires online and then having them installed locally? I don't have access to a free or substantially discounted place to install them, but some of the deals online make me think I could save substantial money this way.
I bought tires online from Walmart.com (ones they don't stock locally) - VERY good low price (lower price and higher quality than what they stock locally) , had them delivered FREE to local walmart, and had them install for $9 a tire (many stores charge between $9 and $12 or so). Worked out well. Saved a ton of $$. Going to do this from now on for all my vehicles.
$$ saved on shipping alone makes it worth the install cost.
Don't know if they'd install 'carried in tires' (you got elsewhere), but just call them and ask (any local installer). Most will.
Does anyone have experience with purchasing tires online and then having them installed locally? I don't have access to a free or substantially discounted place to install them, but some of the deals online make me think I could save substantial money this way.
I've gotten tires from Tire Rack. I think this process works if you have a specific tire you are looking for that isn't very often stocked. Otherwise, for a daily driver or something, your big box discount tire place (merchants, Mr. Tire, Costco, Sam's, Walmart, etc.) will likely come in at the same price or even better. The thing about Tire Rack is that while the tire price may be less, the shipping, installation, etc. still adds up.
Not to mention it takes a few days to arrive at your installer. What I would do is perhaps just see who their local installers are, and then talk to them. The prices may be comparable. As long as you can trust the place. I have a Mr. Tire by my home and my work. One I use, the other I avoid like the plague. These places are independently run, so your experiences can still differ.
Similarly, I've been doing this for over a decade. Most online tire places have agreements with local shops, even in Really remote places like the middle of Wyoming, or a tiny town in the boonies of Georgia. Heck, I've had a dealership do it for me before (Ford/Chevy on my Toyota), and they were Easily the best price of any shop that had a decent roadforce balance machine.
Even with shipping, install, fees for tire disposal, blah, blah, blah... I tend to be hundreds under the best price for crappy tires while putting on the Specific tire I actually researched to death and wanted to buy.
Don't try this with motorcycle tires though... some shops simply won't mount them, others up-charge $100/per tire and a very few will do it with no issues/extra costs (speaking as a MC mechanic who started out 20-some odd years ago). .
Pay attention to total cost. Call a few shops and see what the OTD costs are.
My one experience at Walmart, mirrored by others, is that it takes them hours to do the job. You might want to just drop off loose rims and have them do it while you're off doing something. But at the point you might as well use JimBob's corner garage.
That said, last few sets I've had were done this way. Everything in life is a gamble; I'm gambling that I'll save enough on tire purchase to not only cover mnt&bal costs but the risk that I get a bad tire or have one that gets road damaged.
Part of what appeals to me is that I can drop off loose rims and have the shop do the tires on their schedule. I kinda hate waiting around for my car to get worked on.
I've bought tires online in the past. When you factor in shipping, it isn't much cheaper than just buying locally. It's also easier dealing with warranty issues when there's a brick-and-mortar store.
I've used NTB on various occasions to put tires I purchased online. There are times when they don't even put it in their system. Cash transaction only.
I've been buying from Tire Rack and having the tires mounted locally for almost 20 years. There is one chain in the area that won't mount them but I haven't had an issue anywhere else. I usually save about 10-15% even with the shipping costs and I get to have the exact tire I want, not what the local shop has in stock.
Interesting enough, Tire Rack is a giant wholesaler as well and your local tire store might actually buy from them.
I've bought tires locally only one time as since I discovered Tire Rack. They had what I wanted in stock and matched Tire Rack's price.
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some shops simply won't mount them, others up-charge $100/per tire and a very few will do it with no issues/extra costs (speaking as a MC mechanic who started out 20-some odd years ago). .
