They don't balance them.
I wonder how much it would take to balance this tire size.
Also we don't use a machine, just tire bars, lube and a tire hammer.
5/8 wrench for the valve stem and 33mm on an impact for the lug nuts.

I agree 100%. My current daily is a 2004 GT 'Vert with stupid low miles. I bought it 5 years ago with only ~35K miles on it. It's at 70 now. The used market will eventually correct...it'll just be a couple of years.

I tried to convince co-workers (I was a fleet guy,not a dealer tech) to purchase a cheap, reliable car with a great warranty. Some did. Others bought used Range Rovers and then cried about the costs, after I told them to run the fuck away. Some people you just an't help....

You should see the rent-a-tire places.

No shit huh?

4 vehicles and none of them would be cheaper than 800 to replace, more like 1k or 1200

Yet it is true. If a person cannot afford tires they have no business owning a smart phone period.

Weird, I'm at discount tire right now, and someone just brought their lambo in.

Last summer I got a call from a good friends Dad. Would I be interested in helping his co-worker out ??? The nice young lady had done 6 years in the Navy and was now a senior in college doing an unpaid internship at a large defense contractor. I did a bunch of brake work on her Toyota, cut her a good deal, still made some money for a days work and saved her a small fortune. I've been that broke, or worse, before.

Fast forward to a year later and I get a text asking when I'll be back up north because she'd like to buy me dinner and a few of her friends need work done on their vehicles....

My friend's 2011 Jeep's CVT transmission decided to eat itself alive this winter, cost $5k and 5 weeks to get the dealer to fix it. None of the small-shops would even touch it due to the CVT repair procedure apparently being top-secret technology withheld from the general public...

The dealership then dropped another bomb on her, the bushings were out of the control arms, and her fairly new tires were trashed despite her taking the truck in for regular service. The shop she had used has completely missed the cords showing on the tire-inspection for at least several inspection intervals. She was simply beyond being capable of replacing them until she could catch her breath from the transmission repair. Having a 45 minute commute working as a contract-employee of the State, she was simply at the end of her financial rope. She's a wonderful person, a shy but proud woman, too proud to ask for help when she truly needed it.

I made her Christmas for her by kidnapping her vehicle when she was at work one day, and slapping a new set of reasonably-priced tires with a good warranty on it to get her by until tax-return time, when she could afford the rest of the suspension repairs. I had originally asked her if she would like a set of tires as a Christmas gift from a good friend, and she had politely declined. I found out from a family member that she wasn't being entirely upfront about how bad the situation was, so I decided it was time to play Santa and not even give her a choice in the matter. I laid out the plan to her family member, and we made it happen. Even tied a big red bow to the rear window wiper arm so she would know immediately on sight that fuckery had been afoot. It was almost painful to see when she found out what I did, how badly she felt that someone had to step in to help her. She was in tears, feeling like a complete failure at life for circumstances that weren't her fault at all, but also so very grateful that someone was watching out for her. She immediately swore to repay me when she recovers, which she will try to do, but she doesn't yet realize that I won't be letting her. That's just what real friends do for those that they know deserve better out of life...

She's not the only person I know that lives very frugally, yet has some of the worst possible luck imaginable. It's all too easy for good, hard-working people who actually save money to get caught in bad circumstances these days. I can only imagine how the people live who are leveraged up to their ass in homes they couldn't actually afford, carrying around $1K+ cell-phones, while driving vehicles that have to be hidden from the repo-men and their flat-beds prowling the neighborhoods at night...

Right there is the problem. No one is saying it's a $1,000 phone is a $42/month phone.

I got 4 last black Fri at Walmart for my rav4 $368 otd. $600 yea no

I just trade in the car come time for new tires...

_{OK not really... anymore.}

I have entirely to many wealthy neighbors that can't get out of the mode of being a cheap fucker. It's sad. I made myself a promise. Now that I'm retired and my income has stabilized over the last year, I'm spending every dime I make each month. It's kinda fun after being a cheapskate in certain areas all my adult life.

Not all of their tires. They have tire models made just for them that no one else sells.

IIRC the last time I put rubber on the pickup I went with the OEM because they lasted for about 60K miles. Dunlop Grand Trek.

About $500 for 4 out the door.

Not too awful bad.

You can do the payment plan for sub $100 purchases these days.

I'm pissed about inflation and how much more expensive my tires are getting. I can afford it fine, but that's less truck money I get to put towards mods.

I got lucky on the 35's I currently have on it and they were discounted for some reason on Amazon. Paid $195ea for what was at the time regularly over a $300 tire plus free shipping.

The next set I'm stepping up to 37's and trying the MT from falken instead of the AT3W. In August they were up to $410ea. Now they're just shy of $470.

Depending on the make, that could be a lot.

Two of my cars, that would be typical.  But my Kia with it’s tiny boringly common tired has been about $75/tire (mounted & balanced) since I’ve owned it... about $300-350 out the door.

Far be it from me to defend any democrat, but the inflation you are seeing, is the direct result of over 30 years of deficit spending.   Gasoline is still less than a Quarter a gallon.  


And this.  You seriously need to read it. Every American should.
https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/terence-p-jeffrey/debt-2-trillion-1-year-biden

We had an older Coats 5040 at work. Luckily I didn't have any semis at my location, so 19.5 was the biggest I worked on. I tried mounting some low profile 18's for my Mustang and damn near took a tooth out. I paid a shop up the street to do them. You really need a machine with a power down arm to change low profile tires without a major fight.

It's been three years and I still don't miss it.  

Saw a truck for one of those RTO places like Showplace today. They are basically a rolling Billboard for themselves. In bold black letters on said truck was - WE HAVE TIRES. I shit you not.

too used to uncle sugar paying fro everything...

I've always had small used cars.
For some reason, the price of car tires I have locked in my mind is around $60 each.
I think it goes back to the late 80's when I bought them for the first time.

Now I think can still find some that don't totally suck for around $120 each.
That doesn't seem too bad an increase over 40 years.

I do like replacing all 4 tires at once though.
It's fun realizing that yes, my power steering does actually work.

Sometimes when money had been tight I've only replaced the two front tires.
Front-wheel drive should get the new tires right?
But I was always told to replace the rear wheels first.
I never did but saw online that you're supposed to.
Does anyone know the reason?
Seems backward to me.

Yes. Meat, eggs bread and veggies for a 3 person family runs 200 a week now. Basic food staples.

super rich elite ARFCOM  member bubble strikes again

if only those peons would come here, they would learn to be super rich,  zero debt, super model-nympho wife having geniuses  like everyone else in GD

damn 600, what is this 2000

for the QX80 cheapest chinese shit is 180 a tyre, cheapest real tyre is 193 a tyre

for the GMC cheapest are like 256 on ture rack

I get rid of my Lambos when the ash trays get full.

This is why the used tire businesses have prospered in my area.  Financially, we are a cluster of different islands.  

Don't trust stealerships anymore.

AutoNation Ford, Monument Chevrolet, Landmark Chevrolet, and Enos Cabel Chevrolet have try to screw me in service over the past. Going to independent mechanics now.

Normally I will get tires from Costco but I will have to wait 5 days. Discount Tire had a tired of stock and ready to go.

Discount Tire savings:

Michelins are often $110 off a set of four.

10% 5% off if you were in the military.   Details here.  May help to have relevant info handy.

5% off if you use their credit card.

There are frequent savings on many brands there.

I can afford tires don’t mean I want to. I always plan for them to easy the pain.

I get by- and quite nicely-- with a Samsung A-12 I bought at Walmart for $126.

This "I need a $1200 iPhone is a complete and total load of horse shit.

For me...
new truck tires $500 a pop
new race car tires $450 a pop.

I dont want to hear anyone crying about a set of four costing $600.

About 45 minutes. I ain't waiting outside in that part of town. It was at Almeda Mall.

I’m sitting here looking at a 3rd and 4th set of wheels for one of my vehicles and trying to decide what tires I want on them

I paid about $150 for my Android phone at Cricket.  Next time I will check Walmart.

Yep. The financial divide is growing big time. I really do believe we'll be a mix of Brazil and South Africa by 2050. A super rich mansion surrounded by slums with broken glass concreted to the top of walls. Active self protection videos of driveway raids hourly. Heavy inflation will wipe out anybody between food stamps and upper-middle class.

I actually saw a guy's tires get repoed from his Ghettolade at Marksman Indoor range in South Houston.

Auto shops are one of those places where every customer I ever see in there shakes my faith in humanity just a little more. Everyone seems clueless and panicked over any and every expense, nobody took any time ever to see what things are or how they work or what they cost.

That said - there are always people who save and plan, and people who spend and don't plan, and there's always some cutoff for type and amount of expense for which that second group will start panicking. I think the bar is just lowered in times when everyone's getting their ass kicked by inflation. I try to plan for expenses like that but I'm thankfully able to cover it if something does come up, but the increase in everything makes it harder to do either of those. I can see how that would escalate to a panic situation for some witless idiot who doesn't pay attention to current events or think about any kind of planning or savings.

In fairness though, I'd definitely try to scrounge up any discount ir coupon I could - no sense in paying more than you need to. I might also do a payment plan if it's a no interest deal - even if the single expense is manageable, less out of pocket means more available in case, say, you pull out of the tire shop and get T-boned and now you have a deductible to pay.

How about $1600 a tire?


My tire budget is around $500k this year. And I’ll go over budget.

It is already like that in Houston.

Last time we were in the tire shop, some ugly ass lesbo/Karen was bitching because she thought the advertised $240 price was for all 4 tires.

Maybe in 1992?

I saved money at discount tire. Instead of getting new runflats i got goflats. Four Michelin pilot sport all season 4 tires ran me $1039. Much cheaper than the runflats that didn’t make it to 20k miles.

Right now?
There’s been reports for the better part of a decade that better than 50% of Americans don’t have $500 to spare in case of an emergency. And for many, new tires aren’t thought of as a consumable maintenance item that’s been budgeted for,new tires are an emergency

I spend 3k+ to replace the tires on my truck and that’s just rubber, no mount, balance, or disposal fee.

This.

Where they all lying shitbag realtors?

@Cobradriver

Have a word with her beforehand explaining that the deal you gave her was between you and her and was done as a favor for someone else and her friends will pay your normal rate.

She's likely told her girlfriends you rebuilt her entire brake system for $50 and a case of beer and has them all keyed up you'll do the same for them.

When you charge her friends your usual rate they'll get wide-eyed and think you're a real shit ass.

Ask me how I know this.

Well they wouldn't be asking for a payment plan if their credit cards weren't all maxed out.  Cut them some slack mr rich guy!