I need new tires for my older Audi A4. I seem to burn through tires like a house on fire. (Apparently, I am a bit... hellbent... at the wheel).

Honestly, I usually just go to a discount tire place like Mavis and get whatever's on sale. But, my uncle recently mocked that process, rolled his eyes and enjoyed a good laugh over my cheap "no name" tires... he said I should get a good quality, brand name tire purchased through Tire Rack on the internet. Apparently, they have a network of places that will put them on and balance them for you. He claims the whole thing comes out to the same cost (or even less) than Mavis but you get better tire that last longer.

I always like multiple referrals before I change a process. Does anyone else recommend Tire Rack? What I know about tires could fit in a thimble with room to spare. (I know nothing about tires).

 

I love Tire Rack.  I usually buy my Michelin Pilot Sports from them.  Have bought winter tires/wheels combinations in the past.

In my experience the prices are great but if you factor in shipping (and have Amazon Prime) you can get it cheaper from Amazon.  Unless TR now has free shipping.

I almost always buy from Tire Rack.  I use EBates as well to get 3% back, and with tires that adds up...  

My 0.02:

I still employ/prefer the Mrs. Peel "no name" tire system, but with a caution; I do look to see who is making the tires - for example, the Walmart "Douglas" brand is made in USA by Kelly-Springfield - Seriously, they're the SAME TIRES-just follow the mileage rating-I check because I will NOT use ANY "made in China" tire for anything beyond my tractor; they're simply crappy tires.  All of them. 

One word of caution, I've never been pleased with Michelin tires.  I have found their sidewalls to be rather thin; every sidewall problem I've ever had was with a Michelin. 

I almost always use tire rack, but if you print out the prices local shops will beat them and save you some hassle. 

https://alltirecompany.com/?utm_source=goodyear.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Store_Website

If they're not too far from you, give them a call and see what they price your preferred tire out at.  When you factor in shipping, mounting, balancing, disposal, road hazard, and all the etc. bits, they've always done me right.  Plus they're not too far from the range, so if you decide to go with them we could work out an adult play date possibly.

I've never used Tire Rack but know many who buy their tires through them.  I usually buy my tires at Sam''s Club.  Good prices no issues.

The last tires I bought for my Honda I just bought from the Honda dealer.  The Honda dealer charged me about what the discount tire places charge when you figure in shipping, mounting, and balancing. They're a middle grade Hankook made in Korea that meet my needs. Theyp are R rated (sustained speed of 108 mph plenty of safety margin built in).  You pay a lot more for higher speed ratings that you really don't need unless you're running on the Autobahn.  Hankook has gotten good writeups for their performance tires in Car and Driver and other enthusiasts magazines.  I realize a snob is only going to buy something like Michelin, Pirelli, or Continental.

The next thing you want to look at is traction and treadwear.  The higher (AA to C, top to bottom) the better. A tire with a A traction rating doesnt  hold the road better it just stops in a straight line in a controlled test better. Most decent tires come in about 280 or better in treadwear. 

Heat range comes in A,B, and C.  It shows the tire''s ability to shed heat.  A is the best.  A C tire is not dangerous and there are other factors like proper tire pressure that play important factors. A A tire might be a good idea if you're driving in the desert all the time.

Check to see what it's really going to cost you with shipping, mounting, balancing, new valve stems etc.  You may be surprised it might cost you more than rolling into Joe and Charlie's tire.

 

Griz offered good advice.   I've bought all of my tires either through Tirerack or Costco for many years, and have great experience with both.   Can't comment on Amazon, never thought to look there for tires.  Tirerack does let you look up local installers, many of whom will let you have the tires shipped directly to them, and they break out all of the additional costs that can add up quickly...mounting, balancing, stems, disposal fees, etc.    I think Costco lumps all that together and you can see what the add-on prices come to.   Tirerack will have a LOT more options, and some great online tools to help you sort through them.  I've seen the best prices bounce from one to the other.  Costco does have $70 off 4 tires specials every month, alternating between Bridgestone and Michelin.

A bit of trivia...Tirerack was one of the earliest big online sellers.   You'd think it would have been some company selling computers or other electronics or a precursor to Amazon...but no, it was a small family business selling tires in Indiana that laid a lot of the groundwork for how we buy things today.

 

Remember when price comparing.  You need to add 25-30 per tire for installation and disposal.  

After an exhaustive buying process for rubber for my Sequoia I came to two conclusions..
1. Hankook tires are outstanding and underrated
2. The absolute lowest price I found around(costco..sams..bjs...Mavis..including the online retailers)..was from my Toyota dealer...buy 3 get 1 free..

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My wife got her tires at the honda dealer. They were not more expensive than anybody else.

OK, that's enough "thumbs up" for Tire Rack for me to give it a whirl. I'd never even HEARD of it before! Sheesh. Ignorant me!

To be blunt, I have ZERO interest in price checking at a slew of places.... seriously, who has time for that?  I don't have a Costco membership, but I do have Amazon Prime, so I'll probably check Tire Rack and Amazon. And I'll keep all those sundry costs in mind. Thanks, guys!!!

@sota - we don't need an excuse for a range date - sheesh, let's just do it! PM me when you're ready.  

1 minute ago, Mrs. Peel said:

 

@sota - we don't need an excuse for a range date - sheesh, let's just do it! PM me when you're ready.  

I may be going tomorrow @ about 11

 

Just now, Krdshrk said:

I may be going tomorrow @ about 11

 

I have an app't at my mechanic at 11. How long will you be there?

20 minutes ago, Mrs. Peel said:

I have an app't at my mechanic at 11. How long will you be there?

Couple hours maybe - may not get there 'till 11:30 - depends on if my friend wants to go or not.

I've been running only Tire Rack tires since around 2005, at least 9 full sets plus at least another handful of pairs and single tires. I also always buy the road hazard warranty, which I have had to use at least 3 times. I only buy high performance tires because of cornering grip and stopping distance, at the cost of shorter lifespans - my summer tires averaged 15k miles, "winters" (all seasons actually) 20-25k miles, or about 2-2.5 "years" of use.

What scares me is there are drivers who go for the 'buy 3 for $100, get the 4th tire free' deal driving on the roads with me, probably also who run the $29.99 brake special. Or the cars wearing 3 or 4 different brands of tires... I felt strange getting my first-ever sub-$100 tires the last set I bought ($94 each at the time BFGoodrich Comp-2 A/S), but they were phenominal performance, and I am buying more soon.

Crap tires mean the difference between stopping safely and stopping a foot inside the trunk of the guy in front of you. There are so many things you can do cheap on a car. Tires are not one of those things.

7 minutes ago, Krdshrk said:

Couple hours maybe - may not get there 'till 11:30 - depends on if my friend wants to go or not.

OK, thanks! If you don't mind, I'll text you tomorrow after the app't - and see what the deal is. Thanks for mentioning... oh, how I do love when a random thread magically turns into mo' range time!  Weeeeeee!

Three orders from TR. Prices competitive if not the lowest. Fast shipping. No problems.

2 hours ago, Mrs. Peel said:

like Mavis

Mavis was always the bar we used to measure incompetent technicians. If you were beyond a screw up youd go from "helper monkey" to "lube tech reject" to "mavis" knowing people on both sides of that counter i trust them about as much as i do a sears auto center, and id cut out my own kidney with a rusty spork before i ever let someone bring something there.

the tires on my jeep came from amazon

ive ordered many sets, both mounted and unmounted from tire rack. when i worked for HP Automotive if i customer wanted specific tires we would have them order via tire rack and ship them to us, worked all around for everyone and in some cases was quicker and cheaper then getting them from any of our distributors.

I go on Tire Rack, print out the price and bring it to my local dealer (Mavis discount tire) They have guarantee price match. 

I'd just like to comment on the concept of "Buying at local brick and mortar"

I've priced online tires numerous times.  The price savings after shipping, mounting,  balance, disposal fees. is insignificant.

Compounded by the fact that when I buy tires local I get free rotation for life and a free road hazard package.

And... In many cases I'm getting an alignment too.

Support your local brick and mortar or when you need them they may be gone.

Nobody tries to save a buck more than I do. But this is the way I look at it. 

Jeez  @Mrs. Peel , first you start shoot'n gunz, now your surfing tire rack. What's next, are you going to take up chewing tobacco and spitting too?  Are you secretly wrenching your own cars?

26 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

Jeez  @Mrs. Peel , first you start shoot'n gunz, now your surfing tire rack. What's next, are you going to take up chewing tobacco and spitting too?  Are you secretly wrenching your own cars?

Cigars, Scotch, yardwork, etc.

I've bought from TR a couple of times. I don't do it anymore.  There were no problems but it's just more work having to order online from one company and then coordinate with a local shop to install what I bought.  I don't think I saved more than a couple of dollars either.

I compare warranties.  I assume that the tire will last as long as the warranty lasts.  If a 60,000 mile warranty tire costs 50% more than a 40,000 mile tire I consider them to be the same value.

10 minutes ago, Krdshrk said:

Cigars, Scotch, yardwork, etc.

And when she starts burping and scratching I'm out.

1 hour ago, WP22 said:

And when she starts burping and scratching I'm out.

Well,  if that's how Peel wants to roll, so be it.  We should be supportive of her lifestyle choices, we are an all accepting group here, mostly, sorta.

My son had a S4 Audi that was all tricked-out with leather stitched bucket seats & a nav system w/ 10 or 14 high-end stereo speakers.  He tried the Tire Rack deal by sending tires to a local shop that specializes in mounting high speed rated tires with very short sidewalls that are extremely tough to mount.  He had a good experience.  Then he bought a curb to avoid an accident & had to replace a tire.  The warranty for road hazard doesn't cover curb jumping to avoid accidents.  The guy who mounted the tire couldn't warranty it so he had to buy a new tire.  Then he hit a pothole & took-out another tire.  That was covered.  But the wheel that was bent wasn't & his deductible is $1K so no use filing a claim.

They guy at the specialty tire store for imported speedsters gave him a price that was lower than Tire Rack, so go figure.

FWIW I used to drive 80 mph right by Tire Rack's main warehouse in Indiana as I was cruisin' across Rt. 80 either going to or coming from my son's apartment while he lived & worked in Pella, Iowa.  Took the exit for Montezuma, IA to get to Pella & drove right past Brownell's front door, which was exactly 30 miles from his apartment.  17.5 hrs for 1,100 miles in my War Wagon, stopping only to fuel-up or pee.  1st fuel & pee stop was a Shell gas station in Hubbard, OH.  I have a button on the dash that can take me there, lol  

24 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

Well,  if that's how Peel wants to roll, so be it.  We should be supportive of her lifestyle choices, we are an all accepting group here, mostly, sorta.

Well, she did agree to the 'Adult Play Date' that Sota offered.   She didn't even flinch when Krdshrk suggested making it a three-way play date.

Costco for tires.

used TR once for tires, when they ship them they just slap a label on the tire and off they go to UPS as-is.