Every day thousands of people across the country are buying tires for their vehicles. How do you know your finding the best deal on tires? How do you know your getting the best tire for your money? Are you getting a real tire discount? This tire buyers guide will provide you with some valuable guidelines on what you should look for and the procedure you should use to purchase your tires.
Finding the best place to buy tires.
So it’s time to put some tires on your vehicle. The first thing you want to do is conduct some in depth tire research. Contact your local tire dealers in the area and find out what deals and tire discounts they currently have available. Don’t forget to check your newspaper for tire discount coupons a dealer may be running as well. Most of the time the store personnel simply needs the make and model of your vehicle and they can find the appropriate tire size along with cost and available discounts and specials that may be available.. Take notes and document what each store has available.
Also be sure to find out if the store will match a competitors price. Some tire dealers will offer to match a competitors price in which you can leverage later on to your advantage to finding the best deal on tires.
If you plan to have your tires rotated, mark 2 of your tires with a marker so you can visibly see the mark and identify them. This will be very powerful later on by insuring that the shop did in fact rotate your tires. I have read stories where tire shops mistakenly forgotten to rotate the customers tires when they were supposed to, so this is a good way to prove the point if there is ever a dispute.
The next step in finding the best deal on tires is to check various websites for reviews and ratings. This tire buying tip is invaluable because it allows you to read first hand and see what other people are saying about the tires you plan on buying. Another tip is to use the consumer reports website to find out the rating and general opinion on the tires. Once you are confident and have made your investment decision, call your tire dealer and make a date. I personally recommend making an appointment to be the first on their list when they first open. It’s always best to have your car worked on when everyone is nice and fresh before lunch time. I would also recommend staying at the shop while they work. Even watching from the window or bay while the techs work on your vehicle. This shows that you are aware and concerned with the workmanship.
Finding the best deal on tires doesn’t always mean going for the cheapest tire product you can find. Have you heard of the “5 star safety rating”? That rating comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). They are the organization known for using crash dummies and testing vehicles in various crash test scenarios. Additionally this organization has a database where you can search manufacture tires and read about complaints submitted. The NHTSA has a spot on their site where you can research automotive tires to see if people have reported issues or problems with them as well. Share this tire buying tip with your friends! This information is invaluable and I invite you to check out their website. You can go to http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints/ to learn more.
Before Installation
So now you have arrived at the tire store, what should your game plan be?
Before signing any paperwork or agreeing to any terms, find out from the salesperson which tires are going to be put on the vehicle. A powerful tire buying tip because there are many benefits to this. The most important reason is to check the freshness of the tires. Did you know that every tire has a manufacture date? Would you rather buy tires that are 1 year or 12 years old? I think its pretty obvious. Some shops will have big clearance and tire discounts and specials on brand new tires making the customer think they are getting an incredible deal. In reality those discounted new tires may be 12 year old ticking time bombs! A cheap tire discount isn’t worth your life.
In this tire buying tip I’ll explain how to find the manufacture date. It’s actually very easy. And if you you read this tip and are still confused I have a website you can read all about the method. Additionally you can always ask the salesperson to show you where the tire manufacture date is located on the tire. Every tire has a DOT number located on the side wall of the tire. This number is usually on the outside of the tire but it may be on the inner sidewall. The DOT number manufacture date is the last 4 digits and is usually within an oval. The first 2 digits represent the week, while the last 2 digits represent the year. So for example a DOT serial number of 2507 would mean the tire was manufactured in the 25th week of 2007. As a general rule of thumb and tip you should try to get tires that are just a couple years old. You should never buy tires that are older than 6 years.
After installation
So the job is done and your brand new tires are installed, what is your exiting game plan?
Before you leave the store be sure to inspect every tire. Even though this information below isn’t part of the actual purchase, I have included these tire buying tips because its part of your safety.
You should check the pressure of each tire to ensure the proper air pressure is in each tire. If you don’t know what amount of air should be in the tires you can find a sticker in your door jam that provides you with this data. Proper tire pressure is extremely important for many reasons such as:
- Gas mileage
- Steering and handling
- Minimize tire blow outs
Additionally you want to make sure that all lug nuts are tight on each of your tires. I once went to have tires put on my car, when I drove off the property I heard a squeaking sound coming from one of the tires. I pulled over to inspect the tire and found the lug nuts were so loose I could turn them with my finger! This is extremely dangerous. Always check the lug nuts before you leave the property.