Price of Living

Coldwood

Coldwood

Joined
Jun 5, 2006
Messages
2,718
I got some sticker shock Thursday. I went to my local volume tire dealer to get some new shoes for my Dodge 1500. Four tires, $600+. Ouch. I'm no expert on tires, to me they are a commodity like socks and underwear. When I need new ones, I buy them. For what it's worth, these were Cooper Discoverer 225/75R16 (my tires, not underwear).

A week earlier, we bought a new gas range for about the same price, $600+. I expect that to last me about 20 years.

Tires will last me about 3-4 years tops. Last time I bought tires they cost about $400+. I know, prices have gone up dramatically on a lot of things. In all fairness, I know tires are better today. When I was a kid, I remember my father getting blowouts on the road and having to change a tire right there. I've never had a blow-out in my 40 years of driving, thanks to better tires.

So, my questions: Is this typical? Did I accidentally get sold above average expensive tires? Is there a reason why tires are so expensive?
 
While that seems a little high for that size tire to me, it would depend on which Discoverers you bought. There are several different models and a quick google shows them selling online from $83-$137. FWIW, the last time I bought truck tires was 3 years ago and I paid $180 each on sale, although they were larger than your's.

At least with car/truck tires you get decent value for the money. Be happy you're not buying motorcycle tires. A good pair of those runs around $300 and if I get 8000 miles out of them it's a miracle.
 
I'm not sure why but it's something to do with the price of oil.My brother worked for a tire shop and between him and hearing it from other people,that was what I heard.I don't know if they use it in the composition that makes up a tire or if they use it to make the tires.I also know that the last tires that I bought for my truck had gone up considerably and that was a year ago.
 
Mine are Discoverer ATRs. Having done my own Google search, I see now the price was right. I was just surpirsed. Needed this forum to commiserate :)

Living in snow country, I don't mind paying the extra price to stay out of an accident or out of the ditch.
 
You got off easy. My truck still has good tires but I've been having to travel alot more lately and was thinking about getting something more aggressive than the all terrains on it for winter.I'm on the road long before the plow most days. I couln't find ANY decent brand tires online for it under $200 per tire and that doesnt include shipping, mounting or balancing.
I believe I'll keep rotating the ones I got and run them till they fall apart :eek:
 
Cooper is a more expensive brand too. I've always used the BFG All-Terrain TA, size 31x10.5r15. They haven't gone up much over the last ten years. Last I checked anyway...

Just checked and they're $143 at Sams Club. If that's more expensive than when I bought two years ago, it's not much more at all.
 
Bob W said:
Cooper is a more expensive brand too. I've always used the BFG All-Terrain TA, size 31x10.5r15. They haven't gone up much over the last ten years. Last I checked anyway...

Just checked and they're $143 at Sams Club. If that's more expensive than when I bought two years ago, it's not much more at all.
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Well mine were $135 base price. Then the price of balancing ($7 each and the guy spent one minute on each one, GMAFB!), $1 each for lead weights, sales tax, turn in price on the old ones, yada yada....$626.

It could have been worse :D

One thing that was shocking: The wheels were rusted frozen to the hubs. That's my fault for not rotating (that's another story, I was so unhappy with the old tires, I was punishing them by not rotating, couldn't wait for them to wear out so I could buy some new ones :eek:). But these guys were whaling on the tires with a sledge hammer trying to bust them loose. They spent half an hour on one front wheel. I'd never seen that before.
 
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Well....I never thought I would pay more for a gallon of gas than I do for a six pack of beer but....lol.

My Mini CooperS needs tires too, price those sometime...I did. Very unusual size in low profile run flats. And yes the run flats are necessary, there is no place for a spare in that lil car!
 
I just put new tires on my 02 Dodge 4x4.. Its a heavy 3/4 x-cab with the Cummins diesel. I use it off road to go out and mess around in the desert and in the mountains hunting, so I like a tough tire. Also one thats designed for the extra weight of the diesel. Plus we usually have a fair amount of snow and ice in the winter.

$1162.00 for 4 Toyo M-55's in 255/85/16. Its a lot of money but they are a great tire, wouldn't trade them for anything....
 
Absintheur said:
Well....I never thought I would pay more for a gallon of gas than I do for a six pack of beer but....lol.

My Mini CooperS needs tires too, price those sometime...I did. Very unusual size in low profile run flats. And yes the run flats are necessary, there is no place for a spare in that lil car!
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I've never driven one but those Mini Coopers are cool cars..
Do they have any leg room in the front?
 
i have run flat tires (P285/40/ZR17 EMT goodyears)on my vette and they also run ~ $500 each - 1st time i replaced them i wasnt expecting that lol, i was thinking $200 or $250 each maybe, oh well what can ya do but buy some tires.

then, when NTB was breaking them down they broke my wheel air pressure sensors which ran another $150 or so, NTB bought that though BUT they broke the right front, all 4 are a diff # and each is different, wont interchange, i couldnt find a RF for about a year, chevrolet had farmed them out to another company, was having probs, and the co disco'd them, and it took chevy 10 months to tool up, do the R&D, etc and make a run of them, couldnt believe i couldnt find a part for my 2 yr old $40K car, i was pissed lol.

oh, and left front, right rear, left rear were a dime a dozen .........only the RF was not available. why? dont have a clue.
 
Just make sure you find out if the wheels on the vehicle are stock when you buy it from the dealer. When I bought a Dodge Dakota, it had larger wheels (boy don't those look nice). Too bad the tires that go to the larger wheels are about twice as expensive as normal ones. Then of course you have to go around and around with the geniuses that work in tire stores.

"No don't read the the sticker in the door that states the tire size...those aren't stock wheels.

Ok go get your manager and then spend 1/2 an hour searching for info on your crummy computer...it isn't there. You might want to just read the tire size printed on the tires, but hey you are the tire expert..."
 
SIFU1A said:
i have run flat tires (P285/40/ZR17 EMT goodyears)on my vette and they also run ~ $500 each - 1st time i replaced them i wasnt expecting that lol, i was thinking $200 or $250 each maybe, oh well what can ya do but buy some tires.

then, when NTB was breaking them down they broke my wheel air pressure sensors which ran another $150 or so, NTB bought that though BUT they broke the right front, all 4 are a diff # and each is different, wont interchange, i couldnt find a RF for about a year, chevrolet had farmed them out to another company, was having probs, and the co disco'd them, and it took chevy 10 months to tool up, do the R&D, etc and make a run of them, couldnt believe i couldnt find a part for my 2 yr old $40K car, i was pissed lol.

oh, and left front, right rear, left rear were a dime a dozen .........only the RF was not available. why? dont have a clue.
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That sucks... With all the engineering that went into those cars and they pull a bonehead thing like that....

zenheretic said:
Just make sure you find out if the wheels on the vehicle are stock when you buy it from the dealer. When I bought a Dodge Dakota, it had larger wheels (boy don't those look nice). Too bad the tires that go to the larger wheels are about twice as expensive as normal ones. Then of course you have to go around and around with the geniuses that work in tire stores.

"No don't read the the sticker in the door that states the tire size...those aren't stock wheels.

Ok go get your manager and then spend 1/2 an hour searching for info on your crummy computer...it isn't there. You might want to just read the tire size printed on the tires, but hey you are the tire expert..."
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Thats funny Zen.. I went through the same thing when I was shoppin for my tires(even though I knew I was goin with the Toyos. Well what kind of vehicle is it? Doesn't matter, they aren't the stock size.. This is the size I want. Goober pauses while scratching head, Ya know thats not the correct size for your vehicle ? Ya I do... Well I don't know if they will fit...
Well I do because I've got them on there now and had them on before..

Then comes the obligitory alignment afterwards.. This crack smokin douche bag from the les Schwab store tells me my ball joints are shot, will be about 800.00 to repair.
Me being the consumate auto repair/race car builder type guy thinks, NOT..
This truck is still tight, the tires wear great, there is no clunking.
Well I've been wrong before so I have a local diesel repair shop check them out for me..He calls and says there is absolutely nothing wrong with your ball joints(big surprise). O.K while ya got it there might as well put an all new exhaust from the turbo back and put a new cold air induction on it as well :D
Runs much better gettin better fuel mileage to boot. All for a little more than havin perfectly good ball joints replaced..
 
338375 said:
I've never driven one but those Mini Coopers are cool cars..
Do they have any leg room in the front?
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When I got it my insurance agent who is also a friend of the family wondered the same thing. He is 6'9"" and was amazed he could fit in it so well. More room up front than you would expect but the back seat is useless except for a child seat, only about 3 inches of legroom back there.
 
I just priced a set of Michellins online at Costco for my Chevy S10 and they were about $150...so sounds like it's in the ballpark.

A question: How many miles to you guys generally get out of a set before you replace them? I'm pushing 100K now, and figure it's time.
 
338375 said:
Thats funny Zen.. I went through the same thing when I was shoppin for my tires(even though I knew I was goin with the Toyos. Well what kind of vehicle is it? Doesn't matter, they aren't the stock size.. This is the size I want. Goober pauses while scratching head, Ya know thats not the correct size for your vehicle ? Ya I do... Well I don't know if they will fit...
Well I do because I've got them on there now and had them on before..
.
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Well I left out the part where I went through all that then the guy finally figures out they don't have those tires in stock but the Costco half way across town does. He even calls to verify and hold the tires for me.

((Wow what great service thinks I))

Drive over there, in rush hour traffic so it takes 3 times as long but I need the tires and today is my only day to do it.

Get there and the tire size BS starts all over again. Then after half an hour this guy says the other guy is wrong and that I need a totally different tire and it isn't in stock, will take a week to order, and is significantly more expensive.

((Hmmm this seems to be taking a turn for the worse))

Next week go in drop off truck. It'll be ready in about an hour says he.
I kill an hour come back and there is a problem. Those tires don't fit you need this other tire blah blah blah. :mad:

So the moral is make sure you get stock tires when buy your next vehicle. :p
 
Back in the 90s we had a Mazda MPV, the RWD variety with the V6. The weight of the kids in the back plus my wife's press-on driving style meant new rear tires every year.
No retail therapy in shopping for tires.
 
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