Tires of death: help me replace them

November 26, 2007 10:25 AM

I drive a 1999 Isuzu Vehicross. My tires are pretty bald; the two rear ones were patched recently, so I know it's time to replace them. The problem is, I'm poor. Scary poor.

It's Christmas, the weather is crap and I'm sliding all over the road. Unfortunately my funds need to go to such things as Christmas and birthday presents, and an end-of-the-year tax obligation of many thousands of dollars (plus the usual bills). How cheaply can I replace all four tires? Are retreads a bad idea? Are any megastores, like Sears, offering cheap discounts because of the holidays? Bonus if you can point me to a specific location in Dallas to get them for less than $250. (I have no idea if that is reasonable or not; I've replaced one tire ever on this car, and I bought it used, so I don't have any idea what the regular price may be for new/retreads). Thanks in advance!

posted by Unicorn on the cob to travel & transportation (16 comments total)

You can probably buy a set of tires and rims at a wrecking yard for well under your budget, that would be the approach I'd take. Mounting and balancing alone on new tires is going to cost you $40-80 and a set of used tires on rims will save you that expense.
posted by Mitheral at 10:35 AM on November 26, 2007

Google "used tires Dallas" -- several dealers come up. Give them a call. Also, check eBay and Craigslist for used tires. Also, bordertire.com.
posted by beagle at 10:38 AM on November 26, 2007

Check for discounts anywhere you can, usually you can better a deal when you buy a set of four anyway. Seriously, buy the tires, even if it means scaling back on the christmas gifts. You already indicate that you're sliding all over the road and I'm sure your family and friend would rather you be alive than have that XBox 360. I'm not being dramatic.
posted by Asherah at 10:39 AM on November 26, 2007

The last several sets of tires I have bought have been used tires from a reputable local tire company. They have 50% to 75% of their life left. The owner told me that some people trade in their tires for many other reasons than the tires being bald. Some people change rims, and need a different tire. Some people just want a new set for how they look.

Make a few phone calls and ask about used tires. That's what I will be doing this week as well.
posted by The Deej at 10:43 AM on November 26, 2007

I know Discount Tire sells used tires. I've gotten mine replaced there recently and they gave me credit on my old tires since there was still usable life in them.
posted by sanka at 10:49 AM on November 26, 2007

Second the junk yard recommendation. You can use this neat visual calculatorto find compatible tire sizes for your vehicle. Then go hunting at the nearest Pick-a-part, Pick-and-pull, or Craigslist.

For new tires, Costco can have good deals. Also check Tire Rack and Discount Tire.

Seconding what others have said - your tires are more important than Christmas presents, really. Scale back on Christmas if you need wheels. Alternately, park the car for the winter and bum rides. Risking your life in order to get people presents is not a good tradeoff.
posted by zippy at 10:58 AM on November 26, 2007

Okay, found a few discount places I'm going to call... wish I could park it and stow it, but it's the only car for two people sharing three jobs, so I can't do that. Looks like $67-$87 per tire is about the lowest I'm going to find considering my weird car type, but I might drive out to Seagoville to the junk yard this weekend. Thanks everyone!
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 11:24 AM on November 26, 2007

Are you young, not too long out of the house?

If so, call your parents and ask for an early Christmas present of "Cash towards new tires." Not exciting, but your parents will probably be very happy to give you the gift of not being killed, and you can give them the gift of Not-Your-Funeral.

Googling, you can get new tires for $100 per (Falken Ziexes too, which don't even suck), so you can probably get used ones within your $250 budget.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:26 AM on November 26, 2007

nth-ing that tires are far more important than presents. Maybe think of the tires as a present to your family, by keeping you safe for them?

I have also bought barely-used tires, for much less than new. Start calling around or visiting to all the tire shops in the area, plus junkyards, plus the dealership service department (where I once bought a used tire and rim for very cheap). Anyone who says "no, we don't have those," ask them, "hey, do you know who might be able to help me?" and follow up on those leads.

Also, take a look at the "auto parts/misc" section of your local paper's classified section (and maybe Craigslist, too?) -- people will sell off tires cheap for a vehicle they have already sold.
posted by Forktine at 11:42 AM on November 26, 2007

For what it's worth, Unicorn, it would make me very happy if you got yourself tires for my holiday present this year.
posted by Item at 12:55 PM on November 26, 2007

Duly noted, Item. ROU_Xenophobe: Sadly, no I'm not young and not too long out of the house... and my parents are about the same level of poor I am. As in, they have never paid for school books at college, much less anything above the $50 range (except my mother, who is occasionally prone to fits of buying me something ridiculous and expensive and unnecessary and then getting fired from her job shortly thereafter, which causes much wailing and gnashing of teeth).

I looked on Craigslist and didn't find anything less than $400 per set that wasn't at least an hour and a half away in some rural area I've never heard of.

Plan for Thursday: replace cracked radiator hose, call multiple tire dealers in 5-mile radius of shop while waiting!
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 1:26 PM on November 26, 2007

Are you sliding all over with Torque on Demand turned on?

I let my tires get pretty bald with my 2000 Trooper (which is a close cousin to the Vehicross) and had no problem at all so long as I left 4WD Auto on all the time (yes, it's designed for that). With TOD turned off, on the other hand, the truck was scary.

Is the wear completely even between front and back? If not, see if you can get a new pair of the same tires you currently have from Tire Rack -- it's unlikely two tires would cost more than $200. Put the better old tires on the front, and the new tires on the back. Keep TOD on.
posted by eschatfische at 1:40 PM on November 26, 2007

Having tried both, used tires are better than retreads. Both last shorter than new tires. I normally am the first in line to buy used things rather than new things, but after repeatedly taking advantage of Some Big Chain's x0,000 mile warranty, (and after having retreads go dead while I was on a bridge!), I heartily recommend shelling out the extra money (if not this time, next time).
posted by salvia at 3:45 PM on November 26, 2007

I forgot to add this before: when you call around, make sure to find out what the price is installed -- sometimes a place will discount the tires, but then more than make up the difference by inflating the installation costs. And always ask if there is a discount for cash -- particularly with used tires, a cash deal can sometimes end up off the books and be nicely discounted as a result.
posted by Forktine at 3:48 PM on November 26, 2007

Put the better old tires on the front, and the new tires on the back. Keep TOD on.

If "TOD" is a way of saying that you have full-time 4wd/all-wheel-drive with a center differential, do not follow this advice without first carefully reading your owner's manual. Having front and rear tires with different diameters (as will happen with different brands, or new and used tires, even if of the nominally same size) is no big deal on a regular two-wheel-drive car, but on a car like a modern Subaru, and perhaps yours, where there is a center differential, you can burn out the center differential because the front and rear tires will be rotating at different speeds, and the center diff is caught in the middle. Supposedly there can be handling problems as well, but that I have not experienced.

Here is a page on the topic from TireRack.com; here is a car advice column giving Volvo's AWD tire replacement advice. Check your owner's manual -- a few tires are a lot cheaper than a transmission or a differential!
posted by Forktine at 4:03 PM on November 26, 2007

Call around to independent (non-chain) tire shops, and see if they could sell you any used tires. I once got one for $5 installed, but you probably won't be quite that lucky.

It's not to hard to find free used tires (you would still need to pay to have them installed), ask around. The tire places have to pay to dispose of them. It will take some time to look for tires of the right size in good condition, but if you can find what you need it can save you a lot of money.

Discount Tire will usually knock something off the price. Ask about this when no other customers are in hearing range.
posted by yohko at 7:58 PM on November 26, 2007