Don't Buy Another Tire Til You Read This

I recently blogged about my troubles with my 2005 Honda Odyssey here and here. I was talking to a friend the other day about tires, and she thought that when your tire goes bad, you just go to your nearest tire shop or car dealer....bad idea.

You'd think that with all the surfing we do online, that we'd all know better. I'll admit, I used to think along those lines too before my own saga. But these days, in the interest of saving money and making wise decisions, you do have some options, provided you have some time.

• When you are looking to buy a tire, call around locally and compare the cost of the tire installed...not just the price of the tire itself. Give them the make, model and year of your car. Or you can look at the inside of your car door. The tire size is listed there. Some shops inflate the price of the tire and others the cost of installation, so you need to compare the whole shebang...apples to apples.

• Look on the internet. There are many discount tire shops out there..the most reputable I hear highly recommended is Tire Rack. You can save quite a bit, even when you factor in shipping.

• If you order online, have the tires shipped either to you directly or the repair facility you will use (check with them first). Most will comply with that, because they can still make money off the mounting.

• Don't belive the brand name hype..most tires are about the same. Don't get roped into thinking one brand name is better than another one. If you're going to compare, compare price and warranty.
  

• With that being said, do check Consumer Reports. Get a short lived subscription and research those tires.

• Double check the right size and speed rating for your car. Look inside your car door again. Many cars' tires wear unevenly or prematurely because they are the wrong fit. You'd be surprised how many are sized wrong to begin with.

• Learn how to read tire markings, so you understand what you are getting and why.
  

• Be sure you know how to check your tire air pressure. Before I got my Odyssey with the automatic tire pressure sensing system, I used to check with my handheld tire gauge at every other fill up. Or how about putting this nifty gadget on your tires? Be aware that very cold weather will make your tire pressure look low, so don't go filling in more air thinking you need it. You could suffer a blow out. When first starting out in the morning in the cold, it's okay to leave the pressure a little low. You want to allow for expansion as the tires heat up.

• Don't forget to check the warehouse clubs such as Sam's or Costco's. They have tire shops. We once got a nice deal too on a set of tires at our local AAFES.

• Lastly, get an idea now of what new tires for your car cost...before you actually need them. When it's an emergency and you are more vulnerable to getting hosed...you will get hosed. Be informed and proactive...before the trouble starts!

Do you have a tire story to share? How do you buy new tires?