All of us buy tires for our vehicles and most likely want the best buys. Tire Rack has some decent prices but I have found that you can do better on eBay. My favorite tire is Goodyear as they wear the best, provide the best traction and are made in the USA. Cooper is also based here in the USA and they are now part of Goodyear. The difference between buying new from a dealer and buying on eBay is simple. On eBay good savings is there but you are buying NOS or New Old Stock. The date code on the tire after the DOT number gives the date of manufacture. if it is 1624 it means that the tire was made in the 16th week of 2024. Most of the tires sold on ebay were manufactured within the last 5 years, many hold date codes only 2 yrs ago. . The tires that I just purchased were manufactured in 2022. Many will interpret NOS tires as being well into their useful life but upon checking with the tire manufacturers that is not the case. If you buy a new old stock tire the life actually starts from the they have purchased, installed and used not from the date of manufacturer, (provided that the date code is no more than 5 years old) To safeguard this eBay will not allow any tires manufactured more than five years ago to be sold on their platform. The bottom line here is that you can save hundreds buying New Old Stock tires.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua: Most of the tires sold on ebay were manufactured within the last 5 years, many hold date codes only 2 yrs ago. . The tires that I just purchased were manufactured in 2022. Many will interpret NOS tires as being well into their useful life but upon checking with the tire manufacturers that is not the case. If you buy a new old stock tire the life actually starts from the they have purchased, installed and used not from the date of manufacturer, (provided that the date code is no more than 5 years old) To safeguard this eBay will not allow any tires manufactured more than five years ago to be sold on their platform. The bottom line here is that you can save hundreds buying New Old Stock tires.
Nice! Thank you, I hadn't even thought to consider this!
I got the best deal on the Coopers I put on my Formula last spring from the local Mom & Pop - full line repair and tires.
They beat Tire Rack, Beldin, eBay and other online places.
Mounted, balanced, out the door and they were careful to the extreme of my custom wheels.
And they had the tire pressure correct for the car, not overinflated!
That's the cheapest place for me to get tires to, I get a really healthy discount at my local tire/repair shop... because I work there hahaha, their prices otherwise are very standard, some online retailers would beat them.
The advantage of shopping local is that it's possible to do some negotiation on price, if you know how to. Tell them you've checked around, but would prefer to keep the money local, rather than giving it to an out of town chain. And be sure to factor in how much it's going to cost for removal, disposal, remounting, balancing and installation on the car if you don't buy from the installing shop.
And when I say small town, I'm talking a community of only a couple thousand people....
[This message has been edited by olejoedad (edited 04-11-2025).]
*This* is a great idea IF you have a 'buddy' who works at a tire shop....
quote
And be sure to factor in how much it's going to cost for removal, disposal, remounting, balancing and installation on the car if you don't buy from the installing shop.
In my area, some tire shops will not install tires from another source, and the ones will do, their fees are more than when buying their tires....
------------------ Original Owner of a Silver '88 GT Under 'Production Refurbishment' @ 136k Miles
Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:... you are buying NOS or New Old Stock. ... a new old stock tire the life actually starts from the they have purchased, installed and used not from the date of manufacturer, (provided that the date code is no more than 5 years old) ...
I disagree with this premise.
While there is a considerable range of opinions regarding longevity of tires, the clock starts with the date code not when the tires are mounted for use. A tire sitting on a shelf and a tire mounted on a car are drying and hardening at essentially the same rate.
I got the religion when I had to panic stop a car with 12-year-old tires. All I got was smoke and squealing but no traction. For me, I change tires at 8 years, but, again, there is a huge range of opinion about how old tires can be before they become unsafe.
While there is a considerable range of opinions regarding longevity of tires, the clock starts with the date code not when the tires are mounted for use. A tire sitting on a shelf and a tire mounted on a car are drying and hardening at essentially the same rate.
I got the religion when I had to panic stop a car with 12-year-old tires. All I got was smoke and squealing but no traction. For me, I change tires at 8 years, but, again, there is a huge range of opinion about how old tires can be before they become unsafe.
I won't argue the point as that is not my opinion but what I was told about tire life. Last year on the trip to Carlisle my 12 year old Goodyears held up fine on the highway at 80-90 mph. Just changed them yesterday and they still look new. I do believe that there is a difference in tire life for tires mounted, inflated used and those that stayed on the shelf for a time before being used. This is not to say that tires will not deteriorate in storage but how much they might age becomes the question. I have a Fiero in storage that I purchased a while ago and it has Chinese tires on it. They are old and low mileage but the side walls have delaminated. Never saw this on a USA made Cooper or Goodyear tire. Even some of the "name brand tires" are now made in China and Thailand. I view these as low quality tires
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Unpopular opinion but Walmart almost always has the best prices on tires. Especially if they are getting rid of stock from one season to the next or a new model of tire is coming and they are just clearancing the old part #s. Now as for them putting the tires on the rim its hit or miss. Half the time they can't balance a tire for **** and waiting in the god awful line in the automotive section takes an eon(seriously, how does it take 10 straight minutes of typing on that dumb ipad for a single tire?).
[This message has been edited by Filben (edited 04-12-2025).]
For years now I buy my tires online. They ship it to my door and then I pay a local installer to put them on. I used to buy my tires from Discountiredirect.com but they got rid of the rep I was getting great deals from so I now buy my tires on (believe it or not) Amazon! And as usual…free shipping. 😀 Kit
Good info on tires but I forgot to mention aftermarket wheels. The wheels that I have are 17" x 8" wide and use the 5 x 100 bolt pattern with hub centric rings.. Just forgot what the hub bore size is before ordering the next set of wheels. Can get in there with a caliper to measure but it seems like 55 MM.
If you're looking for a specific tire, I have found it's worth a search on Walmart.com. They will ship store to store for free and I have had some success finding tires sitting in stock at a location for decent prices.
just one thing that nobody has mentioned that if you use nitrogen to inflate your tires they won't oxidize from the inside out. Also nitrogen is more stable from heat expansion so if you set your pressure at 28 psi cold they will still be very close to 28 psi hot. we would sometimes use nitrogen in heavy equipment applications just for that reason. On my lexus they recommended using nitrogen so you don't get false warnings from the tire pressure monitoring system.
Speaking of nitrogen, I was putting in a new battery for my stepdaughter’s Corolla. She said, could you also put some air in my tires, they’re kinda low? So, I bring out my tire pump, start pumping air into one of them and she says, “Oh, you’re not going to use nitrogen? Costco does that when I bring my car to them”. I told her I’ve been using the old school version for the past 50 years and never had a problem. It’s called “air”. 😌
[This message has been edited by Kitskaboodle (edited 04-13-2025).]
I have purchased tires on eBay in the past with good luck. Discount tire and other chains will gladly install them as long as they’re new. You can save a little bit of money by finding a smaller tire repair shop. will do just as good of job is mounting and bouncing.
I have purchased tires on eBay in the past with good luck. Discount tire and other chains will gladly install them as long as they’re new. You can save a little bit of money by finding a smaller tire repair shop. will do just as good of job is mounting and bouncing.
Speaking of nitrogen, I was putting in a new battery for my stepdaughter’s Corolla. She said, could you also put some air in my tires, they’re kinda low? So, I bring out my tire pump, start pumping air into one of them and she says, “Oh, you’re not going to use nitrogen? Costco does that when I bring my car to them”. I told her I’ve been using the old school version for the past 50 years and never had a problem. It’s called “air”. 😌
Inflating tires with Nitrogen is an excellent idea as it will prolong tire life, but most tire shops do not have a Nitrogen concentrater. . TireRack does and so does Costo but you need to check around to see who has that machine.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
My understanding is that the advantages of dry nitrogen over air are that tires oxidize on the inside more slowly, and that nitrogen results in more consistent inflation pressure over variations in temperature and maybe altitude. But that's the theory. Has this been tested in the real world under controlled conditions? Given that air is about 78% nitrogen anyway, and the [i]outside[i] is exposed to air, does this make a lot of difference in the life of the tire? I admit I have seen evidence of corrosion on the inside of aluminum wheels before, but I wonder if most of the advantage is in the fact that the nitrogen is dry, rather than that the oxygen is removed. Maybe dry air would have most of the advantages of dry nitrogen?
