How do YOU choose your tires when you buy them online like I often do?

For the first tire replacement on a purchased-new vehicle, I usually install the same ones that the manufacturer supplied. Of course that assumes I liked how they handled and gave reasonable tread life.

So far, I like Nokian tires.

That makes sense. I look at Tirerack reviews for a reviewer driving the same car who talks about ride, handling and tread life and sounds like he knows what he's talking about. That only happened once, and it worked out fine.

i don't.

support your local community by not buying them online. i've been using Cooper tires purchased from the same locally owned family business for the last 30 years. that kind of loyalty, when you walk into a business and they treat you like part of the family, really pays off well when you need something in a pinch.

what happens when you purchase tires online and find out one is defective after the tires are mounted and driven on? defects happen, nothing is perfect. yeah, good luck getting that straightened out.

The local shop where I buy is usually within $5 per tire of online source prices.

Depends on the car. I own a lot of cars. If a decent vehicle, I'll try to not buy the cheapest brand. Most Walmart tires are not recommended. I'd prefer to go to a local shop to get tires and keep the money in my local economy.

If it's a cheap beater (or a truck with big/expensive tires), I buy used tires on steep discount. My Geo Metro has a rare size 12" rim, and those tires are very hard to find. I think I found them on eBay a couple of years ago, and I took the only brand that I found, because you take what you can get at that point.

What's the problem with Walmart tires?

They sell many of the same brands other tire retailers do-- and since they order them six or seven bazillion at a time, the tire manufacturers give them a good price- which is why they can give you the same.

...And don't tell me that Michelin and Goodyear, etc., send Wally their rejects and Walmart-only special models poorly made with cheap materials...

Don't people only go to Walmart for cheap stuff? I've never bought their tires, but I've owned a couple cars where people bought Walmart tires. They are usually not very good. I guess that depends on the brand.

That isn't what I was going to say, but you bring up an excellent point. Walmart cuts deals with name-brand manufacturers to get their products cheaper. This is well known.

There was a documentary made about Snapper mowers that stood up to Walmart, and said they wouldn't sell a cheaper version of their mower to make a ton of money retailing them at Walmart stores.

Unfortunately, someone later bought the Snapper brand, and they immediately caved into corporate pressure. You now find cheap Snapper mowers at Walmart, that are not quality -- they only retain the old name.

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From an example article online:

"*Walmart is well known for demanding lower prices from manufacturers each year. In order to meet low prices, manufacturers can use lower quality components, use marginally failing devices, or remove some features. In many cases, the SKUs at different stores are different."

As you noticed, it's rare to have the same car, the same weather conditions, the same driving style, the same driving use, etc., such that the boy racer reviews are almost always worthless to me (rarely are they even applicable).

All you really have to compare is what's molded on the tire sidewall. Take these three tires.

Tire Rack: $101.00 Kumho Solus TA11 Standard Touring All-Season P225/75R15 102T UTQG 700AB

Simple Tire: $88.28 Eldorado Custom 428 A/S P225/75R15 102S UTQG 440AB

Carid & TireEasy: $87.98 Nexen PRIZ AH5 P225/75R15 102S UTQG 460AA

All have the same load range (102 is 1874 pounds/tire) and all have the same traction (A) rating.

The main difference appears to be in the temperature (aka speed).

The temperature rating of the Nexen is slightly better (both are rated S but one tested at an A temperature while Eldorado is a lower temp at B) and yet the speed rating of the Kumho is T even as the temperature (aka speed) is rated at only a B. Such are the vagaries when the government specifies the test versus when the tire manufacturer specifies the test, given they're both a "speed" test (what kills tires, at speed, is flexing heat buildup).

That's all you have that is of any value in choosing between tires. Everything else is just a guess (and even that is a guess in some ways).

Yeah, some owners aren't concerned about the image slide that occurs from selling a cheap version of their brand. I'd think it would mostly be done by investment/financial firms that buy a brand, milk it dry, then flip it- not caring about the damage done to a household name that's been around for 50-100 years.

What you said about Walmart squeezing vendors (as many other companies do as well) is true. I used to regularly visit a client in Rogers, Arkansas- flying into Fayetteville, AR which is just down the road from Bentonville.

Half the guys on the plane were salesmen and account managers heading to Walmart headquarters. Seatmate conversation frequently centered around how they were getting beaten up and price-squeezed and thinking about whether it was time to pull the plug.

I'm a sentimental person to boot, and it's quite unfortunate, but what can you do? There aren't many brands that I buy for the name anymore. I regularly buy old appliances and tools that were built to last second hand. I no longer shop at Walmart either.

IMHO, they all sell about the same brand and make and model of tires.

1. Simple Tire 888-410-0604
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   Carid 800-505-3274
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   Tire Easy 855-978-6789
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   Tire Rack 888-541-1777
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   Walmart
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2. Costco Tire Center
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   It seems basic tires are priced as a commodity at about the same price each. $ 74.94 Nexen N Priz AH5 P225/75R15 102S WSW UTQG 460AA (walmart) $ 87.98 Nexen N Priz AH5 P225/75R15 102S WSW UTQG 460AA (tires-easy) $ 88.28 Eldorado Custom 428 A/S P225/75R15 102S BSW UTQG 440AB (simple) $ 94.65 Hankook Kinergy ST H735 P225/75R15 102T BSW UTQG 680AA (tireseasy) $ 97.99 Hankook Kinergy ST H735 P225/75R15 102T BSW UTQG 680AA (simple) $ 97.00 Kumho Solus TA11 P225/75R15 102T BSW UTQG 700AB (tirerack) $ 97.00 Kumho Solus TA11 P225/75R15 102T BSW UTQG 700AB (amazon) 1.57 TOYO EXTENSA A/S II P225/75R15 102T BSW UTQG 620AB (carid) 1.57 TOYO EXTENSA A/S II P225/75R15 102T BSW UTQG 620AB (tiresEasy) 1.57 TOYO EXTENSA A/S II P225/75R15 102T BSW UTQG 620AB (walmart)

Probably racing or specialty tires have different pricing though.

Snapper was bought by Simplicity and Briggs and Stratton bought Simplicity not long after that. I'm pretty sure it was Briggs and Stratton that caved and put Snapper mowers on Walmart shelves.

i refuse to even purchase power equipment at big box stores such as Home Depot and Lowes. That equipment suffers from the same thing as equipment at Walmart, it's made cheaper.

riding mowers for example. they're all powered by the same engines, Kohler, Briggs, Kawasaki, etc, and all have the same transmissions, Tuff Torq, but none are of commercial quality. The sheet metal frames and decks are made from is thinner, and the moving hardware is the same. When you see Cub Cadet's, Deere's, Husqvarna's, etc at a box store, those are cheaply made knock offs compared to the models sold at actual dealers.

you buy a riding mower at a box store, you're buying a 5-10 year throw away machine. a few years ago i purchased a Simplicity riding mower from a local farm supply. Briggs and Stratton commercial v-twin engine, heavy duty Tuff Torq trans, cast aluminum deck, serviceable spindles with grease fittings, steering components have grease fitting, heavy gage sheet metal, minimal plastic. with proper maintenance i'll easily get 30 years out of it. on the other hand, my next door neighbor buys box store riding mowers and is on his third one in 25 years. his mowers are priced half of what i paid sure, but i'm further ahead by buying a quality product that will last 3 times or more as long up front.

back to tires, or anything auto related, at walmart. the tire shop i use and the collision shop down the street from them both say they see vehicles with loose wheels or damaged vehicles from improperly tightened lug nuts on vehicles serviced by walmart several times a year. i can't vouch for whether walmart has lower gradetires as i've never compared specs, but if i did ever buy tires from there, i sure as hell would not have them mounted and balanced there based on their crappy reputation alone. if you ever do, check the lug nuts for proper torque.

that's about what i came up with the one and only time i compared prices.

Agreed, my father has been through a few cheap big box riding mowers in past years. I have a 1975 Wheelhouse that keeps chugging along.

I tried to take an '83 F150 to Walmart to have a new valve stem put on. Truck has a 3 on the tree. Not one of the guys working there knew how to drive it up on the rack. They asked me to do it. Whatever, I'd prefer that over them breaking the linkage or whatever.

i have a 1985 Ford snow blower. and just picked up a late 70's Sears chipper shredder off craigslist that needed a carb rebuild and now runs great. both still have many years left in them.

the only way i'd ever have service done at a Walmart would be if i was on the road far from home, and on a sunday when in many places it'd be the only place open for business.

i do buy my motor oil, and dispose of the used oil there. last time i took my 5 gallon container, which i want back, of used oil there it took three techs to dump it in the storage tank. i wonder if it takes those three guys to change a tire? on second thought, i don't want to know. no. just no. run away. fast. lol.

Yes, the old stuff just goes on and on. I have a 70's JcPenney brand (Penncraft?) 1100 watt generator that I paid $40 for from Craigslist, and it works well to keep the fridge, DSL modem, and a light on if the power goes out.

I picked up a Gilson late 60's front tine tiller from the original owner (with original manual) last spring for a similar price to turn over a small plot of soil. I had to pick the soil first, but that's a really nice little machine.

Haha, it *was* on a Sunday... I'm certain that influenced my decision at the time (the tire held air for maybe 30 minutes as the valve stem was).

Ha. We can do this all week it seems. I forgot the 1980 Ariens front tine tiller I picked up a couple years ago from a retired guy who bought it new. Came with the manuals and original sales receipt. I've worked the hell out it tearing up several hundred square feet of sod and dug down at least a foot, in rocky soil, for garden beds and it doesn't skip a beat. Local power equipment dealer told me Ariens is great at keeping track of parts for old equipment like that and getting any common wear components for it are available.

Everything else is much newer. Generator, Briggs, bought new in 2006. Rarely use it but don't want to be without it. Change the oil, and drain & replace the fuel annually, and it always starts on the first or second pull. Push mower, Exmark commercial mower, Kawasaki engine, 2010. Weed eater, sidewalk edger, leaf blower, and chainsaw, Stihl, all the lower end models of the pro series, not the homeowner series, 1 per year for the last 4 years.

When I'm done with it all in 10 or so years after I retire to a hut on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean, I'll give it to my son who will easily get several more decades out of it.

People, don't piss away good money on department or big box store power equipment. That deal you think you're getting is 5 year recycle bin scrap, if even that long. Invest in quality products from knowledgeable and reputable dealers, maintain them well, and they'll last you nearly a lifetime.

Haunt the estate sales. I bought a new Craftsman 10mm socket maybe 10 years ago and I peeled some of the chrome off with my thumbnail.