any pitfalls to online tire installation?

It may be a good idea to buy 5 or 6 just in case one or more is bad or the curb eats one soon after install.

I have only bought online tires once, but everything went perfectly. These were from Tire Rack.

Nothing at all out of line with the installation.

There was a card explaining what to do if there was a problem with the tires.

I would do it again in an instant.

I bought a set of tires from tirediscountdirect.com or something like that. I was able to mount and balance them myself (only one needed balancing). Read up on proper mounting, there are spots marked on the tire and supposed to be marks on the rim and they go together for limited runout and balancing etc. It's not rocket science but things have changed. There should also be a way to reset your passive tire pressure monitoring system. When you rotate the tires it has to be reset also. Maybe tire changing is getting to be more like rocket science. There is also a proper way to break in new tires most aren't aware. And new valve stems if you need them. I really liked the place I bought my tires from, free shipping made it the best price for the tires I bought. I didn't bother with the road hazard. I'll spend that money on getting an alignment where I consider it better spent, except knowing me I'll get a tape measure first and just set the toe in. Good Luck with it.

FWIW, here's how I ended up. I was all set to order Coopers from treadepot. They have a $25 discount off a min $250 order, plus Cooper itself has a rebate going.

But at the last minute, I tried another local dealer. After some wrangling, they offered Yokohamas at a really good price. The online price (from the other two big online sellers) was only about $2 cheaper, after delivery charges. Plus, I'd next pay minimum $15 each for mounting/balancing at a used tire place. So online was actually more expensive in this case.

Besides that, the local Yoko dealer had free stems ($8 or more to buy)- plus the regular rotations. So I went with the Yokos, locally.

They also used the nitrogen, though I'm not sure that does any real good. I think it was Consumer Reports that did a study, filling a tire with either air or nitrogen, and after a year of just sitting, the nitrogen tire lost a percent or two less pressure than the one filled with regular atmosphere. They didn't test rubber degradation, IIRC.

Moe, thanks for the tip on breaking in. I've just read a couple of pages in which they say to take it easy (no hard braking or acceleration) for the 1st

50 miles or more. Also, keep it under 50 mph. What other steps, if any, can I take?

(Oh yeah, I did ask about the little yellow > I bought a set of tires from tirediscountdirect.com or something like

Understandable....but one small thing... Not all tires of a known brand have the same quality. I am an avid fan of Michelin, but when I looked up the reviews and treadwear information on the Michelins that our local WalMart carries, I couldnt believe how poorly this particular Michelin did. Not worth putting on my car....

A helpful manager at Discount Tire explained that some large chains have "house brands". Yes, they may be Michelin, or Yokos, or Bridgestone but they just might not be the big guns that you think you are paying for.

Caveat emptor! Always, research, research, research...Price isnt everything,

Break in tires? Might as well break in a baseball bat. Just enjoy the new ride.

--Vic

thanks, but these were the very same Yoko Avid TRZs as sold anywhere. I did get an $18 per tire price reduction, else the online sellers would have been a little cheaper.

and it was just at a small statewide chain, not remotely big enough to get their own house brand from any manufacturer.

I've also seen reviews where people talk of price, and local prices seem to vary a lot. E.g., I remember one from an AZ city where the reviewer said he paid maybe $10-15 more than the usual advertised price here. I do happen to be in a place with a low cost of living and not much by way of an economy.

And btw, I avoid Walmart as a rule... plus their prices aren't that great as compared to local dealers anyway. Even their mounting/balancing costs are high.

Absolutely agree with everything you have said.