Is it worth it to buy more expensive tires?

[xlxo]

I do wear them out before I get new ones

Do you chirp your tires? Are you a drifter? Ever try these magic markers (Scorchers)?

Checking tire pressure monthly... especially summer/winter extremes. If one tire has a leak, it messes up my ABS.

the shop manager asks me if I want the best tire or the best price so I just tell him somewhere in the middle, lol.

I feel the same way. When you are sliding on icy roads into other cars and into ditches... you'll say YES to better tires. Personally I call in a snow day or take the bus. SHIELDS UP!

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

My husband says yes, it's worth it to buy more expensive tires because they last longer. For me, I'd rather get new, cheap tires every fall and go into the snowy season knowing that I have brand new tread on my tires. Plus, new tires are made out of softer rubber that wears quickly, but i feel like it's more "grippy" on icy roads. I have no facts to support the validity of my stance though. My husband gets the better tires on his truck and they last about 2 years, give or take, depending on how much he has to drive for work and whether he maintains them (checks for excessive wear, addresses problems quickly, and has them rotated). But he drives a lot more than me.

 

[amcnj]

I am an above average mileage driver per year, and I look at the cost per mile or 10,000 miles for the tires and choose that way. I know I am going to need them anyway, so if the tires with the higher life are not more costly per 10,000 miles, I prefer to not have to go back again for new tires as quickly.

 

[sksjasams]

I agree with PPs...you need to find a balance between your budget, how many miles you drive and if you drive in icy/snowy conditions.

I have always bought the cheapest tires I could in the past, but with changes in our life we got minivan and I put on nearly 20k miles each of the last two years. I didn't like the thought of having to buy new tires again in 1 1/2-2 years with the cheaper tires. Plus I needed something with good traction living in Wisconsin.

I went with Uniroyal Tiger Paw for about $90 each - good traction and 70k miles. For us, that was a step up in tire quality. I cold never consider a tire that cost over $200 - that is just not in our budget.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Golf4food]

Every time I see a question like this I think of an adage I heard:

Never skimp on anything that comes between you and the ground: shoes, beds, tires, or airplanes.

 

[savannie]

I would say it's worth it because I've experienced the struggle of really bad tires before–and it's terrifying! Bad tires go bald really quickly, and you'll slide all over the road during the smallest rainstorm. They also have blowouts more often, which is a whole other experience. That being said, we always try to balance budget with quality. I asked our local tire shop for good tires, and he said Michelins are about the best you can get. (I've asked several other experts since then, and that seems to be the general consensus.) Anyway, he knew we were on a budget, so he recommended Tiger Paws, which are apparently made by the same company as Michelin, but they're much cheaper. I was a little nervous, so I called my dad, and he agreed that Tiger Paws are good budget tires. We put them on our car before a Disney trip back in 2013. We easily put 30,000+ miles on our car each year, and I just checked them a few weeks ago–they still have tons of tread left. We got the same tires for our other car recently, and they're working well.

I promise I don't get any money from this ad. I just really appreciate these tires. I could tell a significant improvement in my vehicle's performance as soon as they were put on.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I agree with PPs...you need to find a balance between your budget, how many miles you drive and if you drive in icy/snowy conditions.

I have always bought the cheapest tires I could in the past, but with changes in our life we got minivan and I put on nearly 20k miles each of the last two years. I didn't like the thought of having to buy new tires again in 1 1/2-2 years with the cheaper tires. Plus I needed something with good traction living in Wisconsin.

I went with Uniroyal Tiger Paw for about $90 each - good traction and 70k miles. For us, that was a step up in tire quality. I cold never consider a tire that cost over $200 - that is just not in our budget.

Good luck with your decision!

The cheapest tires made for our crossover are $161 each and the mid-level tires we got were about $200 each. Darn 18" rims

Course the 16" tires on my truck are about the same, but they're load range E.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Well look at it this way. If you spend less you will end up spend more later on when you have to put on new tires in a short amount of time and the price increase.

 

[havaneselover]

Well look at it this way. If you spend less you will end up spend more later on when you have to put on new tires in a short amount of time and the price increase.

Plus installation and disposal fees (another $20 or so per tire).

 

[3boymthr]

If buying solely for the warranty then NO. Because what I found is that the tire warranty is absolutely useless. I bought 80,000 mile tires with 6 year warranty - in part because they were on sale, in part because of the mileage rating and in part because they were Michelin as opposed to no name and in part because hey 6 year warranty that's pretty good and worth the extra $20 per tire - right? 40,000 miles later my tires had dry rotted. Call place bought tires - I still had receipt - they were absolutely still under warranty. So I was told I had to call Michelin. Called Michelin. Okay tires are dry rotted - sides are splitting - warranty is only good if I can prove I had tires rotated every 10,000 miles and this and that and... "Okay, but the problem is the sides not the tread. Don't have a problem with the tread - still plenty of tread but my car won't pass inspection because the tires are cracked on the sides." Um, hmmm. How long have I had tires? about 3 years. I have to take to michelin service center to have a warranty inspection - can't take back to where I bought nope not at all so where is nearest center? - 50 miles away! Make appointment. Then the rep (after almost 1 hr arguing on the phone with the guy just to get them to look at the tires because yeah, the problem is NOT the tread) he finally explains how the warranty works. They don't give you new tires, nope, that only happens within the first 6 months or if the tires completely fail (like completely disintegrate and only if you can prove no road hazard). They give you a pro-rated credit toward the cost of new tires. After 3 years driving on the tires and because I had put 40,000 miles on them I got a whopping 20% credit toward the cost of new tires - oh and that was a 20% credit off the full retail value and had to be purchased directly from Michelin and that was only if the inspection at the tire center proved they were at fault for the defect and not my driving (driving causes dryrot??) or storage of the car (ooookay) - add to that frustration the big kicker the new model of tires they now sold to replace the model of tires I had was on sale for less than that at BJs. So basically I found out the warranty on tires is USELESS after 6 months.

 

[3boymthr]

I agree with PPs...you need to find a balance between your budget, how many miles you drive and if you drive in icy/snowy conditions.

I have always bought the cheapest tires I could in the past, but with changes in our life we got minivan and I put on nearly 20k miles each of the last two years. I didn't like the thought of having to buy new tires again in 1 1/2-2 years with the cheaper tires. Plus I needed something with good traction living in Wisconsin.

I went with Uniroyal Tiger Paw for about $90 each - good traction and 70k miles. For us, that was a step up in tire quality. I cold never consider a tire that cost over $200 - that is just not in our budget.

Good luck with your decision!

Wow ! $90 for tires! Soooo cheap. The cheapest all season tires made for my car were over $650 for 4 installed (went to BJs so the installation cost is rolled into the tire as is road hazard and disposal but they said it was about $15/tire). I wish I could pay $90. They just don't make them that cheap for my car. I also have to special order my tires every time I replace because they are an extremely odd size - no matter where I go even the dealer. Takes a minimum of two weeks to get them.

 

[Ali]

Thoughts....

• can you clarify the make and model of your vehicle?
• are you looking at all-seasons, winter, all-weather, or performance tires? Would you pay a little more for a tire that saves you money from an collision?
• my vehicle specifies I should be using V-rated tires, but I never drive at those speeds. I found savings by having H-rated tires... I still don't drive H speeds.
  https://www.kaltire.com/tire-speed-rating/
• with regards to mileage... how many miles do you drive in a year? Will you exceed those mile ratings in 6 years to avoid "tire aging". My economy car gets driven the most and has a higher mileage tire. My gas guzzling sports car gets taken out on the weekend and gets a lower mileage tire

I have a 2012 Toyota Prius V hybrid, I live in Central Florida, drive 12000ish miles a year, don't drive over 80 mph, and like tires with good wet weather traction

 

[marmalade]

More expensive, yes they are worth it. Most expensive, ehh probably not.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

If buying solely for the warranty then NO. Because what I found is that the tire warranty is absolutely useless. I bought 80,000 mile tires with 6 year warranty - in part because they were on sale, in part because of the mileage rating and in part because they were Michelin as opposed to no name and in part because hey 6 year warranty that's pretty good and worth the extra $20 per tire - right? 40,000 miles later my tires had dry rotted. Call place bought tires - I still had receipt - they were absolutely still under warranty. So I was told I had to call Michelin. Called Michelin. Okay tires are dry rotted - sides are splitting - warranty is only good if I can prove I had tires rotated every 10,000 miles and this and that and... "Okay, but the problem is the sides not the tread. Don't have a problem with the tread - still plenty of tread but my car won't pass inspection because the tires are cracked on the sides." Um, hmmm. How long have I had tires? about 3 years. I have to take to michelin service center to have a warranty inspection - can't take back to where I bought nope not at all so where is nearest center? - 50 miles away! Make appointment. Then the rep (after almost 1 hr arguing on the phone with the guy just to get them to look at the tires because yeah, the problem is NOT the tread) he finally explains how the warranty works. They don't give you new tires, nope, that only happens within the first 6 months or if the tires completely fail (like completely disintegrate and only if you can prove no road hazard). They give you a pro-rated credit toward the cost of new tires. After 3 years driving on the tires and because I had put 40,000 miles on them I got a whopping 20% credit toward the cost of new tires - oh and that was a 20% credit off the full retail value and had to be purchased directly from Michelin and that was only if the inspection at the tire center proved they were at fault for the defect and not my driving (driving causes dryrot??) or storage of the car (ooookay) - add to that frustration the big kicker the new model of tires they now sold to replace the model of tires I had was on sale for less than that at BJs. So basically I found out the warranty on tires is USELESS after 6 months.

That sucks. I've had 3 warranty issues with tires:

1) found a bubble on inside sidewall of tire after just a couple thousand miles. No name tire replaced free of charge.

2) damaged a sidewall while four-wheeling. Tires actually had an off-road warranty. Had 26,xxx miles on them and according to the tire shop, 50% tread wear. That tire was prorated - I paid 50% of dealer cost, no labor or tax. Cooper Discoverer STT.

3) belt separated on a tire with over 80,000 miles. That one was replaced free of charge - Cooper Lifeliner.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

When I needed tires for my Toyota minivan my ds18 was telling me how he learned in economics class how many discount tire places can offer them cheap because even though they can be sold as new, as in unused, they are actually old (chronologically). If they've been sitting on a shelf for years, this could explain why some tires dry rot after a short amount of use.
I asked Toyota about that and they told me that Toyota corp only allows them to keep tires for 3 months.
So I got the same tires that cames with it Bridgestone. They were $200 each but I had a Toyota coupon for buy 3, get 1 free.
By the time you add up costs for balancing & alignment, it's not worth buying cheap ones when those fixed costs will keep getting added every time you have to change out cheap tires.

 

[havaneselover]

When I needed tires for my Toyota minivan my ds18 was telling me how he learned in economics class how many discount tire places can offer them cheap because even though they can be sold as new, as in unused, they are actually old (chronologically). If they've been sitting on a shelf for years, this could explain why some tires dry rot after a short amount of use.
I asked Toyota about that and they told me that Toyota corp only allows them to keep tires for 3 months.
So I got the same tires that cames with it Bridgestone. They were $200 each but I had a Toyota coupon for buy 3, get 1 free.
By the time you add up costs for balancing & alignment, it's not worth buying cheap ones when those fixed costs will keep getting added every time you have to change out cheap tires.

From a business perspective, a discount tire place would not likely sit on inventory like that. It's very costly.

 

[tvguy]

From a business perspective, a discount tire place would not likely sit on inventory like that. It's very costly.

Yeah, I think their business plan is to never have a tire in stock longer than 2 weeks.
A full service tire store, at least a good one, will try and match the production date to the use. I put 3,000 miles a year on my truck, and they had 4 tired that were 2 weeks old they put on my truck. A commercial truck, that was driven 40,000 miles a year and wore out tires every 18 months got the tires that were made 3 months ago.

Always a good idea to look at when your new tires were made before your leave the tire shop to make sure they aren't too old.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

 

[scrapquitler]

We always buy the middle of the road tires, never the most expensive, and never ever the least expensive.

My FIL who has worked for a dealership for over 40 years says the single most important thing is to rotate and align on a regular basis (every 5000-6000 miles) so that they wear evenly.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

From a business perspective, a discount tire place would not likely sit on inventory like that. It's very costly.

I know a guy who is VERY high up in a tire company (small, specialty company) and he confirmed that many of the discount tire stores are a "dumping ground" for blems and poor selling tires that have been discontinued. So, it wouldn't be a surprise that they stock "old", but unused tires - not because they keep them a long time, but because they were already old when received.

That said, all tires are stamped with a date code. If you have a concern, ask your dealer how old the tires you're getting are. If they don't want to say, well that in itself is telling.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Tires are like crash helmets. The more expensive the more likely better. My michelin Eco's lasted 70k miles. I just replaced them for Defenders rated at 90k. Deal was 70 bucks off at Costco. Ended up costing 500 plus.