Best Place To Buy Tires Online

Buy <b>Tires Online</b>Hopefully the previous posts have provided you with some useful information on the many factors that should be considered before you buy tires online. Now that you understand the surprising amount of technology that goes into a tire it’s time to figure out where the best place to buy tires online is.

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The good news is that it is actually easier to shop for tires using the internet than to do so in person – at least some sites make it easier.

Since different people have different requirements and of course different budgets, we ended-up selecting two online retailers who together we feel will meet and exceed the needs of virtually any consumer.

Discount Tire

We considered making Discount Tire our only recommended site as the best place to buy tires online. There is very little in the way of short-comings we could identify with the product selection, customer service or the website user interface.

For probably 90% of consumers Discount Tire would be our recommended online retailer of choice.

Click here to visit Discount Tire and get Free Shipping

So Why Discount Tire?

  • Discount Tire has been in business since 1960
  • They are the world’s largest independent tire and wheel retailer
  • FREE SHIPPING on all in-stock items
  • Discount Tire stocks the largest selection of leading tire brands
  • Website is very user-friendly
  • MANUFACTURER REBATES available on many makes and models
  • Installation appointments easily set-up

We think you’ll be impressed with how easy Discount Tire makes the whole process of buying tires online.

3 Ways to Shop for Tires

OPTION #1 – USE THE DISCOUNT TIRE WEBSITE

On the homepage you will see a link near the middle of the page that says “Shop For Tires”. Simply click on “Tire Search” and you will then be asked a series of questions.

Step 1

Enter your zip code or State.  This will tailor the search for products found in your area. If there is not a Discount Tire within 50 miles of your zip or in your state you will be directed to Discount Tire Direct.

Step 2

Select the Year, Make, Model and Style of your vehicle. You will be shown the standard tire size you need.

Step 3

View tires. You can filter or sort by criteria such as brand and price range.

Our Recommendation

  • Select the lowest price range first
  • Then see if there are any tires with a rating of Better or Best and at least a 4 star Average Customer Review

OPTION #2 – CHECK OUT CONSUMER REPORTS

When it comes to choosing the best tires for your vehicle why not just rely on the product testers at Consumer Reports?

OPTION #3 – TAKE OUR 1 MINUTE TIRE SELECTION SURVEY

Get a customized tire recommendation based on your particular needs.

A Word About Buying Wheels

Some of you may be interested in buying wheels as well. The Discount Tire website also features a very cool Interactive Wheel System which shows you what various wheels look like on a database of over 9,000 vehicles in a variety of wheel sizes.

Wheels Next

Wheels Next has been around for about 10 years. Their two main facilities are located in South Florida and Southern California. Similar to Discount Tire they also offer FREE SHIPPING (via Fedex Ground).

So Why Wheels Next?

First, they seem to have a bit more of a focus on custom work and offer something similar to Discount Tire’s Interactive Wheel System, which they call their Rim or Wheel Visualizer, but with one major twist: you can actually upload an image of your vehicle to use during the process! We thought that was a fantastic option to have. Not only that but they also provide some examples of rim options that other customers have purchased.

The second thing which we thought was a nice touch was that they offer an Armed Forces Discount. It’s not huge, only $40 off your purchase but that may be enough to make Wheels Next your best bet.

We found the website layout to be very user friendly. You select your vehicle year, make and model and then have various filter options such as size, brand and price range. If there is one negative thing it would have to be that they do not have the functionality to provide customer reviews. Occasionally you can see Facebook comments on certain products but they are generally not very informative.

Click here to visit Wheels Next

One Final Piece of Advice

While we think Discount Tire is the best place to buy tires online, keep in mind that it is still up to you to purchase a quality set of tires.

If you’re still having a hard time making a decision keep in mind that according to JD Power the brand that ranks highest in tire owner satisfaction is Michelin. This is for all four market segments as well, passenger car, luxury car, truck/suv and performance sport. It’s also worth noting that in dealer surveys Michelin and Goodyear are consistently ranked at the top for dealer satisfaction.

TAKE OUR 1 MINUTE TIRE SELECTION SURVEY

How To Buy Tires Online Like A Pro

If you are planning to buy tires online you should at least be familiar with the basic types and features of tires discussed in an earlier post. The key to making good decisions when buying tires online though is to be able to put all the pieces of information together. Tires are perhaps the most important safety feature your car has so you want to make sure you know what you’re doing.

How Many Tires Do You Need

If you have had a flat or some other mishap and only need one new tire it is imperative that you buy one that exactly matches the other three. Perhaps two tires have worn quicker and need to be replaced. While identical tires again are preferable you should at least make sure that the tires you purchase are the same size and type, i.e. category. Always install a new pair of tires on the rear axle. If you are in need of four new tires you obviously have many more options.

The first thing to do is select the appropriate category based on your needs such as performance, tread wear or driving conditions. You should always consider the worst driving conditions you may encounter when buying tires. Also, while it may be more expensive upfront to buy both winter and summer tires you will actually get longer total wear than you will with either set individually. The next logical step when buying tires online is to choose the size you need.

What Size Tires Should You Buy

The easy answer is what was originally on the vehicle. Regardless of what you do the first thing you need to make sure is that whatever tires you choose are rated to carry the weight of your vehicle which was discussed in an earlier post. If you do want to customize your tires perhaps to improve performance or handling of your vehicle one of the easiest ways to do this is called plus sizing.

Plus Sizing

Essentially what you would do is purchase tires that have a larger wheel diameter and section width than the standard size tires. Note looking at the image to the left that even though the wheel diameter increases the overall diameter of the tire does not. What this means is that the aspect ratio or the height of the sidewall must also decrease.

So, the larger footprint of a plus size tire from the increased section width combined with the shorter sidewall means you have more contact with the driving surface plus improved lateral stability and steering response.

As a general rule a maximum 3% increase in tire diameter is recommended for cars and vans (which equates to about ¾ inch) while most pickups and SUVs can handle up to 15% oversized tires.

Value vs. Price

While it’s easy to rationalize that a set of tires will last ten, twenty, maybe thirty thousand miles the fact is we still have to shell out that money upfront which makes us a little more prone to cutting corners. The fact is we spend much more on gas on a per mile basis than we ever spend on our tires and gas certainly doesn’t have the impact on our comfort or safety that tires do. It is worth keeping this in mind when debating about buying inferior tires because they are $10 or $20 cheaper.

Buying Tires Online Simplifies Everything

Now some of this may seem like a bit of overkill and it certainly isn’t all necessary. It is good to have a general idea of the thought process though. However, one of the biggest benefits should you choose to buy your tires online is how easy it can be. A number of tire retailers have huge databases of cars and the tires that fit them. You can simply select your vehicle and be presented with several makes and models of tires to choose from.

The next post will go into this in much more detail and recommend a couple of the best places to buy tires from online.

==>  Click here to visit Discount Tire and get Free Shipping <==

Beginner’s Guide to Buying Tires Online

Before you think about buying tires online or even in person there are a number of things that you really should be aware of. While in our experience both store staff and online customer service representatives tend to be quite knowledgeable they will likely assume that you have a basic understanding of some of the features and types of tires when trying to be of service.

To make sure that you have a good understanding of the fundamentals of tire specifications and design before setting out to buy tires online we have put together the following:

The Tire Sidewall

Tire Sidewall - Size

Tire Class (P) – P stands for passenger vehicles; the most common class. Included here are cars, minivans, sport utility, and light-duty pick-up trucks. The other popular class is light truck (LT) which includes medium and heavy-duty pick-up trucks up to 1 ton capacity, SUV’s, and full-sized vans. If there is no letter then that means the tire is a metric size and used primarily in European vehicles and some SUV’s and vans.

Section Width (205) – This is the distance from sidewall to sidewall in millimetres.

Aspect Ratio (650) – As the name suggests the aspect ratio is actually a percentage; the height of the sidewall from rim to tread divided by the section width. The higher the number the higher the sidewall. Another term for this is the profile.

Tire Construction (R) – In this case R stands for radial tire which is by far the most common type.

Wheel Diameter (16) – The last two numbers are the wheel diameter but in inches

Tire Sidewall - Load Index & Speed Rating

Load Index (92) – This represents the maximum weight that the tire can carry safely. Typically passenger cars are in the range of 75 to 105. There is a standard load index chart that translates these numbers to pounds. In this case 92 converts to 1389 pounds.

Speed Rating (H) – The U.S. Government assigns speed ratings based on standardized tests for reaching and maintaining a certain speed. Basically this represents how well a tire should handle. An H rating is up to 130mph. Something important to keep in mind is that all four tires should have the same speed ratings. Serious handling problems can result from mixing and matching different speed ratings.

Different Types of Tires

All Season Tires – By far the most common type of tire especially in the United States. As the name suggests these tires attempt to deal with all driving conditions regardless of the season. As a result they are not the best tires for warm dry conditions and they certainly are not the best for winter driving.

Mud and Snow Tires – These tires can be identified by the M&S or M+S found on the tire. The chemical composition of these tires allows the treads to remain relatively soft in cold temperatures which helps ensure a good grip on snow and ice. The tread pattern itself also helps wit traction in icy conditions. Tires which are especially suited to harsh cold temperatures may also bear a mountain/snowflake marking. Tires designed especially for muddy conditions have larger tread patterns which are designed so mud falls away more easily as the tires rotate plus a wider footprint which helps to disperse the vehicles weight and prevent it from sinking into the mud.

High Performance Tires – The main goal of these tires is essentially to provide better control of the vehicle at higher speeds. This is accomplished in two main ways. First the rubber compound used is softer than traditional all season tires which allows for better traction especially when taking corners and second the treads are shallow with limited channels for siphoning away water which means more surface area is in contact with the road. Their design plus the wear and tear from their owners usually results in a markedly shorter lifespan.

The two tire manufacturers that rank the highest both in dealer satisfaction and market share are Goodyear and Michelin so if you want to take some of the guesswork out of your next purchase you usually can’t go wrong buying these brands. Anyway, these are some of the basics you should be aware of before buying tires online or in person. The next post will help tie this all together by walking through the thought process on exactly how to select the right tires.

Why Should You Buy Tires Online?

Most people are surprised how easy it is when they first attempt to buy tires online, so don’t worry about that being a problem when you first sit down at the computer. You can easily check out all of the different websites for tires on the Internet and do all kinds of comparison shopping to help give yourself the best deal possible.

Some of the many things you can compare are the warranty being offered, what brands each website sells, which website has the best price for each set of tires that you are considering and where you can buy tires online with free shipping!

The most important option you want available to you is that when you buy tires online you need to be able to choose from a variety of sizes and also styles so you have many options to fit both your preference and budget.

One important thing when you buy tires online is you really need to know the exact size of the tires you need before you make any purchase because it has to be able to fit the rims that you own.

Once you are armed with this particular knowledge, then you can easily jump on the Internet and choose the perfect brand and size for the car or truck that you own. They have all different sizes and brands available and you can easily get tires for cars, small trucks and SUVs whenever you need them.

Plus, if you are looking to buy tires online of the highest quality then you can choose to pick ones that are a little more expensive but they are known as high-performance tires which are of a better quality and will last longer as well. These high-performance tires are capable of handling all sorts of rugged terrain.

The thing I appreciate the most when I buy tires online is the fact that I don’t have to run around from tire store to tire store in order to do the best comparison shopping and get the most value for the money that I spend. Not having to run around like this, and being able to view so many different online tire shops from the comfort of my own home on the Internet, makes my life so much easier and allows me to get the best deal possible.

I get to do all of my shopping from one location which will save me a lot of time and money and make my life ultimately so much easier.

Another great option available to you when you buy tires online is that you can get the best tires for your budget no matter how much money you have available to spend. There are plenty of online websites that sell brand-new, discount tires, at an affordable price.

So you want to look around for these online retailers and buy your brand-new tires from them so you can save yourself a whole lot of money and still get a high quality product at the same time. And don’t worry at all, because when you buy from these discount websites you’re still going to have a lot of options even though you are going to save yourself a whole bunch of money at the same time.

3 Important Factors When You Buy Tires Online

It’s highly probable that you will save a lot of money when you buy tires online. There are so many more options available to you when you do your tire shopping on the Internet and it’s so much easier to comparison shop from the comfort of your own home that the chances of you saving money online as opposed to getting the best deal out in the real world are very much in your favor when you purchase on the Internet.

Let’s now take a look at three factors that you should live by when you buy tires online.

Don’t forget about shipping costs…

The first thing you must consider when you buy tires online is the shipping costs that you will spend. But don’t worry, because this is really easy to look up since all of your shipping expenses will be made available to you on the website you are looking at prior to you ever purchasing any tires at all.

So this might be something important that you want to compare when you look at other websites available to you and ultimately make your purchase. So please remember about the shipping costs you will required to pay when you buy tires online.

==>  Click here to visit Discount Tire and get Free Shipping <==

Tire installation…

The second major factor you need to consider when you buy tires online is that tire installers are looking to do just that, install tires. See, one thing you might not realize is that online tire stores all work with local tire installers in your area. So not only do you get the tires that you need, but you also get them installed for you at a local business in your area.

Most people think that the tire installer is losing out in this proposition, but I completely disagree with this line of thinking. Even though the tire installer doesn’t make any money for the tires themselves, they definitely make money for the installation fee.

But on the plus side, they get you into their sales funnel so they might eventually end up picking up a lot of new clients for life just by offering this service and helping out the online tire selling website.

Shop and Compare…

The third factor you must consider when you buy tires online is that you need to seriously do comparison shopping on the Internet first because it is so it easy and readily available to you.

Having access to so many websites allows you to learn all different types of things that you can use to your advantage. This way you have the ability to learn about all of the different models you are considering, all of the various features that are available to you when you purchase certain tires, what they will cost you in dollars spent and you’ll even know just how long it’s going to take for you to get them in your possession.

This is excellent knowledge to have and once you possess it you will be able to make some high quality, fully informed decisions that will allow you to buy tires online and feel safe and confident that you absolutely made the best decision for you and your budget.

Welcome to Buy Tires Online

Coming soon - recommendations on the best places to buy tires online as well as some practical advice to help you understand exactly what options you have when buying tires.