"Warehouse" Club Tires vs ..... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

tobybul · #1 08-11-2006, 07:53 PM

Has anyone bought tires from a "warehouse" Club? They seem to carry a lot of good brands and much cheaper than some of the regular tire places where I have been getting my tires. Anyone care to share their thoughts about this?

Matt L · #2 08-11-2006, 08:41 PM

Take them elsewhere to have them installed.

blueeagle289 · #3 08-12-2006, 08:43 AM

I bought tires from Sam's one time years ago and they were indeed a very good, wholesale level price. The only problem is that they just don't carry the variety that a regular tire company does and they can only special order certain other ones. I have been going to Discount Tire in Dallas for many years and am quite happy with their selection and quality of service. I can get them from Tire Rack at a lower price, but shipping and later installation charges eat up the difference normally, so it's a wash in cost.

ducatipaso · #4 08-12-2006, 04:46 PM

both replies are spot-on.

at costco or the likes you'll get a limited selection at what is usually a good price.
at costco you'll get installers that are fine working on basic cars, but if you have nice alloys, take them elsewhere. ask around at the local speed shops where to go.

tirerack.com is an excellent resource... do your homework

america's tires (tires.com) is also good, but beware the Yokohama YK420. They will push that tire hard (it's an exclusive yoko part number to them == higher profit) but it is a terrible tire if you care even remotely about performance

sixto · #5 08-12-2006, 06:38 PM

As a counterpoint - I've had tires installed at Costco. The installers are sufficiently cautious and use a torque wrench. I find that independent tire shops provide good service overall. It's only chain stores that have given me problems (Mark Morris, Firestone, Discount Tire).

The challenge at Costco is getting different size tires than their system specs for your car. They wouldn't fit Bridgestones on my 450SEL because their system said only Michelin for some reason. In retrospect maybe it was the load rating.

Sixto
... stay tuned

Jim B. · #6 08-12-2006, 10:18 PM

They are OK for a beater, but for a Mercedes I would use a good tire shop with the expertise and equipment to do a correct 4 wheel alignment.

Not to say that some tire shops, especially big franchises like Firestone and Good year, are all good all the time. Ther techs can get overworked or tired, and make mistakes.

I prefer to find a small independent shop and cultivate good relations with their staff, in the hope that loyalty and repeat business will be rewarded.

tobybul · #7 08-14-2006, 09:59 AM

Well, Ive been getting my tires from Discount Tire for many years now but like many places, theres a tendency to push what is in their stock.

I've never taken them up on their 30 day return policy until recently when I found tires at Sams that cost close to $100 less for a set of 4. I was going to return the tires at Dsicount after a few days of using it but realized their return policy is for in-store credit. If anything, they do have many locations.

With the advent of Sams and Costco popping up all over, and the significant savings that can be attained, its hard to ignore their prices. I was more curious about the quality of the tires they carry. I'm guessing that after all they are carrying name brand tires (not their own brand) and as long as I stick with the BFGs, Goodyears and Mich's that it should be ok.

TX76513 · #8 08-14-2006, 11:34 AM

The 4X4 and the Ford get their tires at Sams. I like the free rotation, road hazards, and flat fix. Sams has a policy if they don't get your tires mounted in < 1 hour they give you free hazard insurance on tires. Just go in about 2 PM on a Saturday, this has worked the last two purchases.

tobybul · #9 08-14-2006, 12:58 PM

Just learned something today (probably knew it all along but never bothered). Below is taken from the Goodyear site. Its a good way to compare tires regardless of who makes them. Per Goodyear, all tires made to be used in the US have this grading system on the tires. I'll be looking closely from now on.

Tire Grades: Uniform Tire Quality Grading System or UTQG

Except for snow tires, the DOT requires the manufacturers to grade passenger car tires based on three performance factors: tread wear, traction, and temperature resistance. The UTQG rating of each Goodyear passenger car and light truck tire is listed in the Car/Light Truck Tire Catalog.

Tread Wear

More Than 100 - Better
100 - Baseline
Less Than 100 - Poorer
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified government test track. A tire graded 200 would wear twice as long on the government test track as one graded 100. Your actual tire mileage depends upon the conditions of their use and may vary due to driving habits, service practices, differences in road characteristics and climate. Note: Tread wear grades are valid only for comparisons within a manufacturer's product line . They are not valid for comparisons between manufacturers.

Traction

A - Best
B - Intermediate
C - Acceptable
Traction grades represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on specified government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. The Traction grade is based upon "straight ahead" braking tests; it does not indicate cornering ability.

Temperature

A - Best.
B - Intermediate
C - Acceptable
The temperature grades represent the tire's resistance to the generation of heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory test wheel. Sustained high temperatures can cause the materials of the tire to degenerate and thus reduce tire life. Excessive temperatures can lead to tire failure. Federal law requires that all tires meet at least the minimal requirements of Grade C.

raybo · #10 08-17-2006, 03:42 AM

When buying a set of tires from a discount warehouse store, be sure to check the manufacture date code on each tire. Sometimes they can vary by over a year.

Ray