8 Ways to Save Money on Tires
If there is one thing I don’t like spending money on, it is New Tires for my car. If you’re anything like me, you may have found yourself in a situation where you suddenly needed new tires — and were floored by the exorbitant cost. According to the National Academy of Sciences, Americans spend around $20 billion replacing their tires every year!
It is better to be safe than sorry, so keep an eye on your tires and when it is time for them to be replaced, don’t procrastinate. Unfortunately, since good tires are a necessity for safety, vehicle performance, and fuel economy, they are an expense that we can’t escape. Here’s how to soften the blow the next time you find yourself in the market for new tires. This is a topic that I have researched well over my life, and I hope you get some tips that will help you the next time it is time to replace your tires, and of course, be careful out there.
1. Shop for Tires Online
Websites like Discount Tire Direct and Tire Rack offer a huge selection of tires at affordable prices. These online retailers will ship the tires directly to a garage for installation. Although you do have to pay for postage, online tire stores are still competitive. One of our readers reported to me that she was able to save money on her last set of tires for her car for $50 a piece plus $50 shipping — which was still about $100 cheaper than what her local tire store had quoted her.
2. Use rebates from Tire Companies
Tire manufacturers come out with rebates all of the time, which can equal some serious tire savings! For example, Tire Rack is currently offering an $80 rebate when buying four Dunlop or Goodyear tires. Check Tire Rack’s rebate page often to keep track of all the latest tire rebates and offers. You can also check your favorite tire brand’s website for rebate offers. Try Michelin, Goodyear and Cooper Tires.
3. Check warehouse stores
Do you already have a membership to a big warehouse store like Costco, BJ’s or Sam’s Club? If so, it could be your ticket to a wide selection of affordable tires! Even if you don’t have a membership, you’ll only have to pay an extra 10 to 15% surcharge to get your tires at a warehouse store, which would still be worthwhile if you found an awesome deal on your tires. And just to sweeten the offer, right now Sam’s Club is promising $80 off a set of four Goodyear tires, Costco will knock off $70 when you buy four Bridgestone tires, and BJ’s will give you a $50 instant discount when you buy four BFGoodrich tires!
4. Time your purchase just right
If you want to score the best deals, buy your tires in April or October. Why? Although tire sales happen randomly throughout the year, you can be sure they will go on sale in April when the weather turns warm and consumers start thinking about vacations and road trips. Tires go on sale once again in October to encourage people to buy new tires for winter driving.
5. Buy more than one tire
A lot of stores and service centers offer you discounts when you buy all four tires at once (or at least more than one tire at a time). For example, Sears will give you a $100 discount when you buy four select tires. If your preferred store doesn’t offer a multi-purchase plan, don’t be afraid to call around to find one that does.
6. Befriend your mechanic
Local service centers and mechanics make the most money on repeat business. And how do they repay their loyal customers? By getting you the best deals possible on your auto parts – including tires. Because our mechanic has become a family friend, my husband was able to get $100 knocked off of our tire bill! Talk about loyalty rewards!
7. Don’t wait until you need new tires
What’s the most effective way to save money on your new tires? Don’t wait until you get a flat! If you wait until you need new tires, you are pretty much at the mercy of the retailer. Instead, be proactive and purchase a tire or two throughout the year when they reach rock bottom prices. In the meantime, take good care of your tires by checking the tire pressure often and following your manual’s recommended tire rotation schedule.
8. Make Friends with a Small Repair Shop Garage
What I am going to share with you next will be a real mind tweak. Honestly, these are the two best places I have discovered to buy tires, and I never would have believed it. They are Amazon & Ebay… Wait, I know what you’re thinking.
- Won’t the Shipping Cost Be Outrageous
- OK, the tires arrive and my House, How am I going to get my old tires off my rims and my new tires on?
This is why you need to make friends with a mechanic that owns a small repair shop. My guy’s name is Clyde. Clyde is a great mechanic. He can fix anything on any car and he loves to work on cars.
Clyde doesn’t sell tires, but he does have the equipment in his shop to remove tires from the rime and replace them. From time to time people roll into Clyde’s that need to have a flat fixed or tire plugged.
He charges me, $20 to install 4 new tires on my car! 20 B U C K S !! So I buy my tires on eBay or Amazon for deep discounts and have them shipped directly to Clyde. When they arrived he gave me a call, and I drove over and he got them in my car.
I have been doing this with Clyde for over 10 years. It is hard to say how much money, My family and I have saved over the years. So the final tip and the most important, find yourself a Clyde!
Just to give you an example of the amount of money you can save, I just picked a random tire from the Good Year Website.
Here is the current price on eBay and note SHIPPING IS FREE (Note Set of 4 is $711.96).
Now let’s look the same tire on eBay
(Close to $175.175.00 savings!)
And on Amazon… At the time of this writing, you can save about $35.00 on a single tire purchase.
I hope you enjoyed this article, as always your thoughts and comments are appreciated.
Be on the lookout for your clyde, and why you are here make sure to join the Save Your Bucks Newsletter if you haven’t already done so!
