Hey Guys,
This is my first car (Mazda 3 2008 sp23) and have to get around to buying new tires.
I see that Costco do tires. Are they any cheaper than others or a similar quality?
Any other tire buying advice is also appreciated.
Cheers
Anyone tried Costco tires?
aimon on 28/11/2013 - 10:43
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generally yes cheaper
take into account alignment/balancing though
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1852976note the post is old so the said savings may or may not be as big as in post
best to find the model you want yourself and comparei had my celica tyres done in Japan by Costco (Chiba). they were the cheapest I could find.
Think of your tyres as a component of insurance…how well do you want them to perform on wet roads, under emergency braking etc. A mate of mine used to drive around in a bomb but fitted with Yokohama racing tyres and they could pull up his XB Beast in a ridiculously short space…problem was that not many other cars on "standard" tyres could match his braking performance and would end up with their plastic-fantastic mashed into his solid steel bumper.
OK…enough stories.
Personally I look for a tyre based on rating systems and then go find the cheapest available source for that tyre rather than shopping on price alone. You should ideally be looking for something with a traction rating of AA (the best) or A (pretty good) and a Temperature rating of A (the best) - these are pretty easy to find…most tyres seem to be A/A or AA/A…then you look for Tread Wear…the higher the number, the longer it lasts…as a guide, I run Kumho Ecstas with a Tread Wear of 600 (and Traction/Temp of A/A) which were to replace some Michelin Pilot Primacy's of the same rating which lasted me over 80,000km and still had serviceable tread on them and handled awesome.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/tire2.htm
Now…if you were shopping for Kumhos in australia…you might find that your Bob Jane's and Tyrepowers will try hit you up for between $300-$500 per tyre for this particular beast…but if you look at www.tirerack.com you will find them for US$98. I first bought a set of 4 tyres from tirerack and the freight was US$150 for 4 tyres…but freight from USA has gone through the roof in recent years so use tirerack for your research as they have the best tyre data out there…then go find your tyres on eBay with local shipping in Australia and I can find these Kumhos for around $100 each + postage + fitting + balancing…
If I went to just a cheap local place and bought the cheapest tyres I could find…my experience is that I would be paying about $240 per tyre for something with a treadwear rating of about 200 or 300…so double the price for something that lasts 1/3 to 1/2 as long, so in the long run you are paying 4 to 6 times more to keep your car shod!
That is an excellent response…..very knowledgeable and good info.
Why not just Google (Chrome?) "mazda 323 1998 tyres" where you'll find your tyres start at $57 each locally and for under $250 you're done with it. All you have to do then is remember you are not a racing driver, drive to the speed limit (slower when it rains - not at all after drinking!) and you should be right for safety and economy.
Make sure you type in "tyre" and not "tire" or you could end up on an American site, as that's the way they spell tyre.
Oh, an observation… I dont think Costco make tyres but sell "BRANDS" of tyres. Also, They haven't been in Oz long enough to wear out or fully test whatever they sell into our local market under normal conditions, unless that brand and model is sold here already and reported on.
Just get a set of Ku31's from Tempe Tyres/St George tyres etc…I get my 245/45/18's for $145 each + post/fitting. Can't beat that.
Check the manufacturing dates when you go to Tempe. They import their own tyres, that's why they're so cheap.
Agree with k above. I have heard a rumour they parallel import tyres as well, which are not covered by manufacturer's warranty. It's a case of buyer beware…
That's who I bought my Kumho's via eBay on. They're basically providing a bulk freight option. Sure it may impact warranty, but you can double-check on the tirerack.com site and find user reviews of the tyres…I'm pretty sure they buy from this mob and ship in a container at a time which is a heck of a lot cheaper per tyre. My Kumho's are performing well and are wearing at the expected rate - now if I could just get my wife to stop scrubbing the front left tyre against the kerbs
aaaaaand I get an sms from my daughter telling me that my wife drove up to the school and did the old "find-the-gutter" technique with the front left tyre and it exploded…so off to buy yet another tyre way before it's needed :(
Anyone tried Costco tires?
chewy
I found them rubbery
Costco seem to stock high branded tyres only to my knowledge (Michelin, Dunlop, Bridgestone). The prices seem reasonable, but if you're in the area, just ask them at their office how much for a complete replacement. You can't call up ahead of time, they won't tell you, but you can ask whilst there.
Would be good to know the quality of work at Costco - whether they remove tyres inside rim out, I've had bad experience at Kmart Tyre where they scratched the outside face on ALL my rims. Did they care? No.
Had my tires changed a few weeks back when they were running the $50 cashback for Michelin tyres.
(I was looking specifically at either the Michelin Pilot Sports 3 or the Bridgestone Adrenalin RE002.)- No complains. I got there early one morning and it was all done and fitted within 45 mins.
- No scratches on rims.
- Tyres filled with nitrogen. You can still top them up with regular air at the service station.
The regular size they had on floor stock was 195/50 for a 15-inch rim. I wanted 195/55. I spoke to them over the phone, confirmed the order, gave them my Costco membership card #. And then called again to confirm when it was coming in.
It was quite an easy transaction too. They are pretty transparent about the prices (all listed in the workshop). No hidden charges.
NO wheel alignment though. You have to do that else where.
You need 205/50R17?
You could do worse than the Kumho KU31 @ $115/corner fitted and balanced @ Tempe Tyres. Just get them to diclose the tyres age as they parallel import old stock to get prices cheaper than official channels.
www.ebay.com.au/itm/205-50-17-2055017-93W-KUMHO-ECSTA-SPT-KU…
anybody know if costco sell 185/60/r15s?
Im sure they do, the best option is to call them and check with them..
Do they also sell tyres?