[BG Auto] Tires

[Ikith]

So recently I found a nail in 2 out of 4 of my tires, well fix a flat didn't work on them and now I'm screwed for 2 tires, the other two tires on my car need to be replaced anyway. I've never had to buy new tires before so I have no clue where to go or what to get, I drive an Acura Integra GS-R, personally I'd like to keep the current rims since they are stock and just get new tire put on them, any suggestions? I live up in Bellingham. I want something good but not extremely expensive.

[miokomioko]

The cheapest option for tires that I always see is Costco (or your local gigantic economy-size wholesale warehouse hellhole) although you'll probably need a membership or know someone who has one.

[Shakki]

Tires with nails in them can be repaired for less than 10 dollars per tire. That is, if they have enough tread life.

Usually, buying the tires all at once doesnt save you money. Costco/Sams Club or Wal-Mart will have the cheapest tires you can find. Usually all tires with the speed rating your vehicle requires are 'good enough' if you arent looking for something specific.

Pretty much every tire place will print out a quote for the exact cost/brand/installation fees/etc no questions asked. So call/shop around. DONT buy used tires.

Not really searched but your tire probably falls around 195/55/15 for size, but look on the inside of the door (or on the side of the tire) to know for certain. If you cant figure it out, tire places will tell you the tire size as well.

EDIT: Like Derock said, if you are investing in new tires, get the warranty. Saves you sooooooooooo much money
Edit2: my grammer/spelling sucks

[Ikith]

Fix a flat? lol. And if you don't care about high end shit just go in there see what they have, they're just fucking tires. Get warranties on that shit though, can't tell you how many free tires I've gotten for spending the extra 15 bucks.

So really, just go to a couple of places and look at what they have? See the problem is, I've no clue what I'm looking for exactly.

[Shakki]

Dont even bother driving. Lol. Follow these steps:

1. Find out your tire size and speed rating(its probably 195/55/15 V, but i cant know for certain).
2. Call those three places first, and ask if they have anything that meets your cars basic needs.
3. Write down prices/brands on notepad. Hang up. Look up the brands they DO have that meet your cars basic needs online for performance reviews.
4. Repeat til you are satisfied you have found the best deal.
5. ????
6. Profit(dont forget to ask if tire repairs fall under their warranty)

[LiquidFriend]

www.tirerack.com

As already mentioned, shop around. I would of spent $100 more than I did when shopping if I didn't look around first.

Ended up getting Hankook Optimo H727's on my Honda a few years ago as I got tired of getting stuck in the snow, but it didn't snow enough to justify spending money for a separate set of snow tires. They are pretty awesome tires.

[Brill Weave]

Sam's Club/Costco/Walmart for cheapest tires. Flynn Tires for reasonably priced better quality tires.

[Dantrag]

Step 1) Go to tirerack and find the tires you want.
Step 2) Find comparable/same tires at similar price in a local store.
Step 3) Yeah... that's it.

[Amastacia]

Tirerack or Discount Tire Direct.

Can easily search for anything in OEM size.

For an Integra, I'd seriously consider Sumitomo HTR ZIIIs or Hankook Ventus V12s. Inexpensive, decently-performing summer rubber. If you live in an area with shitty winters and don't want to keep an extra set of snows around, Continental ExtremeContact DWS or gtfo.

I cringe when people put shitty tires on fun cars. Tires make more of a difference than most mods people do.

You don't have to spend a pile of money to get good tires, but they're such an essential item for both fun and safety that it's worth buying something decent.

DTD does free shipping, Tirerack ships fast as hell to anywhere in the lower 48.

[Acevalefor]

Since you live in Bellingham, you should see if there is a Les Schwabb Tire Center there. They aren't the cheapest, but they are competitive and have awesome customer service. Some of the stores are better than others, but they will bend over backward to help you understand your purchase. They also offer free flat repair, free balance and rotate, and discounted services all over the place if you buy tires from there.

P.S. It works better if you are a woman walking into their store. They treat women like Goddesses.

My wife has gotten about $800-$1000 worth of work done to her van over the last 3 years and paid only the original bill for the tires of $460. So send your girlfriend for a good deal lol.

[Jojothemidget]

You should also check the treadwear rating number on them it's a number printed on the tire it ranges from 100 (shitiest) to 800 (best).

[Omnipotent]

You should NEVER use fix a flat, the only time you should use fix a flat is if you are literally stranded in a desert and you are about to die from dehydration. Fix aflate is the bane of a tires existence, and can possibly ruin a tire and your rim completely if forgotten or left in long enough. If you get your tire fixed. some tire places won't even touch your tire because of all the cleaning that needs to go into getting that goo out, at least will charge you more. I recommend buying a tire fix kit, the adhesive tire plug you pull through.

[idklol]

I know plenty of places that would just clean enough of the fix a flat stuff away to do the repair and leave the rest...anyway since i've not seen anyone mention how to find out what size your tires are, asuming you don't already know. Just look on the side of you tires and you will find a series of numbers something like what has already been suggested (195/55 R15 H) Also just make sure that both the front and rear tires are the same as some cars have different sizes on different axles.

[Ghost_Wheel22]

Les Schwabb confirmed for being awesome. Pretty decent pricing on tires and their CS will do everything short of road head. Free flat repairs, free rotation, free battery/brake/pressure/??? checks, free tire swaps (summer <-> studs), can deliver to your house, and other useful things.

The commercial where it shows them sprinting to your car when you pull in? Pretty much this.

[Ikith]

This is what I've got from all of the places Google gave me, the prices are installed balanced and with tax unless it says per tire.

Any suggestions from that list, I personally don't like discount tire because they left me on hold for like 5 mins between 3 people plus their prices are super low which seems shady, they also didn't give me a brand like the rest did.

Lynden Wallgren is also Les Schwab I believe.

[Haxx]

Another option is used tires. They usually have 80% thread life or more and the go for $25 installed/balanced for cars here in Dallas. These tires usually come from auto salvage yards. The yards themselves sometimes will sale straight to you or call and ask around local owned tire shops. No extendo warranty/certificate or salesman to deal with. Which to me have always been a big rip off and hassle. Discount tire will push their certificate crap hard and then fight you if you want to use one of them.

Used factory take offs is another cheap way to go. Specifically ask for pricing just for that. At new car sales dealerships, salesmen will try to get you to upgrade your wheels to w/e they have currently on display in the showroom. When people do the shop takes the tire/rim off of this brand new car and that is a used factory take off.

[Shakki]

Not heard of some of those brands before, which isn't a good or bad sign per say. Goodyear/BFG/Kumho are all safe bets. Most performance tires wont be anything spectacular in snow.
Do you have a price limit? Do these prices include warranty?

I know it doesn't mean TOO much, but found this discussion while checking the tires you found for reviews:

http://www.team-integra.net/forum/21...claim-uhp.html


Discount tire usually is pretty shady, and again, never buy tires that aren't new with any expectations. They can last a week, or they can last 3 years. Depends on how they were treated during their life. It should go without saying, but if you intend on going the used tire route:
-Dont buy tires with uneven tread wear
-Dont buy tires from multiple brands
-Dont buy tires with more than one flat repairs

[Elesirdur]

If you're in Bellingham, WA then snow won't be very important but rain/wet weather performance will be. Tirerack can search by wet weather performance which can be a big help in finding a good tyre. The last time I bought tyres I got a set of Falken Ziex ZE-512 (mid-performance, still made), which were amazing in the rain and the dry; a big deal here in Victoria, BC with similar rainy weather to Bellingham and the Pac. NW.

I know tyres are expensive, but for the sake of safety and having a car that's enjoyable to drive, do not buy the cheapest shit you can buy. The tyres are the only part of the car that touches the road and their performance and quality makes a big difference in how the car handles, rides, and - most importantly - stops. It's not just a performance thing, but a real safety thing. Lower-range or mid-range tyres from good brands will be worth the extra cost over the cheapest rubber you can buy in how your car feels to drive and how much safer it will be.

[Ikith]

This is what I've found so far...

Toyo Proxes4(Les Schwab): After Les Schwab suggesting these tires like they were sent from the gods I did some research and found that I really need to stay away from these tires. The reviews scare the crap out of me, not only are they completely mixed but the bad reviews are BAD!

Ohtsu Zexius XI 427 (Les Schwab): I believe these are the ones on the car right now, as far as I know these drive pretty well and I'm tempted to just buy these again and hope they aren't as bad as the reviews. I never had them new they were on there when I bought the car.

Kumo ASX UHP (Local place called Keith Cox Autobahn): These also have very mixed reviews, mostly bad even though I've looked on here and in a thread people were speaking very highly of them. I'm really not sure about these at this point. Plus if I buy these I get them from a more local place than Les Schwab so if I'm out of state and a tire goes flat I have to pay for it to get fixed VS Les Schwab which is pretty big company with places everywhere.

Ohtsu Greneda: This was quoted to me by Les Shwab but I cannot find anything on google about them saying anything good or bad, which if I can't read about the tire I probably won't buy it.

General GMAX (190/55/15) (Keith Cox): As far as I can tell these tires have good reviews but that's only from two sites, other than those two I can't find anything else about these tires.

Any suggestions or additions?

[cosworthrs]

Get michelin, pirelli, yokohama or bridgestone. Anything else is a waste of money...Seeing roughly 2400 tires a month, most inexpensive tires are so far from the quality from the manufacturers I suggested that I would never purchase anything else. I am currently running yoko YK520 on the wrx, a second set of yoko avid trz for backups, and michelin pilot xgt h4's on the focus. Incredible performance for the money.