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Buying tires can seem like a daunting task, but with the right approach, you can easily navigate the process and find the best tires for your vehicle. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you through it.
Start by assessing your driving habits and the conditions you frequently encounter. Do you drive mostly on highways, in the city, or off-road? Are you dealing with snow, rain, or extreme heat? The answers will help you decide whether you need all-season tires, summer tires, winter tires, or a specialized type like off-road or performance tires.
Saturday, November 2nd
Tire Rack is our favorite place to shop for new tires - if anyone can make the process enjoyable, they do. From showing you their extensive testing on their very own test track to including big perks like two years of road hazard protection and roadside assistance at no extra cost, Tire Rack puts in the work to earn your trust and loyalty. They had a great selection of tires for both of the vehicles in our test case, and installation options in our area were abundant. Car owners come back to Tire Rack year after year because of the tire store's customer-centric approach to service, awarding the company more than 10,000 5-star reviews. We're glad to give Tire Rack a 5-star rating as well, as our #1 pick among tire stores.
Discount Tire has a fantastic selection of tires, knocking it out of the park on the Toyota and Tesla vehicles we used as a test case across tire stores. You'll get tons of benefits when you get your tires here, including free maintenance for the life of your tire and lower-than-average installation costs. Discount Tire also is the proud owner of the #1 site on our list as of 2021. Plus, customers really appreciate the approach to service here, never feeling pressured or upsold, especially when they might not know a lot about buying tires. Discount Tire earns a high spot on our list of tire stores.
SimpleTire takes the guesswork (and the stress) out of buying tires online. You'll have no trouble finding the right tires for your vehicle and setting up an installation appointment with a local shop or mobile installation service - and you'll have plenty of information on any of those providers to help you choose. Tire prices here are very competitive, and every purchase comes with 12 months of 24/7 roadside assistance. This is one of our favorite tire stores, and we give SimpleTire an almost perfect score.
Tire Agent is our favorite tire store for people who need "no money down” financing - in fact, that's the most frequent compliment we've seen in customer feedback. Even if you don't need financing, you'll still find plenty of tire options for your vehicle in the 70 brands on offer here. You won't necessarily get all of the perks offered by the top 3 tire stores on our list, but Tire Agent is one that we can recommend (especially if money is tight and you need a bit of help to get your tires sooner rather than later).
From NASCAR to the blimp, Goodyear is a tire brand that everyone recognizes. In business since 1898, you'll have a hard time finding a company that knows more about tires. There are over 120 styles to choose from, and Goodyear had no problem finding options for both a run-of-the-mill Corolla and a cutting-edge Cybertruck. And, one amazing perk here is that you can opt for either in-store or mobile installation. Goodyear doesn't offer some of the other perks you'll see with rival tire stores, but the overall reliability and longevity of this tire brand earn it a solid rating from us.
Tires Easy has a great selection of tires, spanning hundreds of brands and available for installation at partner shops near you. They've sold over 7 million tires since opening in 2004, and you can save extra by signing up for their free membership. A few downsides keep Tires Easy from ranking among our favorite tire stores, but we give this retailer a better-than-average score.
If you want the internet's biggest brand selection of tires, you won't want to miss Priority Tire. You'll find all of the classic brands and so many more in their list of 1,000+ tire manufacturers. You'll be out of luck if you happen to drive a Tesla - they don't even offer that make in their dropdown - but just about everyone else should find plenty to choose from. There are some compelling perks here, like a 90-day money-back guarantee, a 5% discount for teachers/military/first responders/healthcare workers, and customer service reachable 6 days a week. But, installation options where you live might be a little light, and you don't get as much information as you might want before you order. Priority Tire is a great tire store, but there are some rivals we'd shop first.
Walmart delivers about what you'd expect when it comes to tires: vast selection of budget-friendly options, benefits that are kind of average (or below), and installation at your local store. We were impressed that Walmart even had options for the Tesla Cybertruck (even if Tesla owners wouldn't ever get their tires here). While Walmart is definitely a good low-cost option, you may want to consider what rivals include in their perks (like free rotations and balancing) that Walmart charges extra for, then decide if the tires you need from Walmart are going to be your best overall value. Still, we give Walmart's tire department an average rating for convenience and selection.
Wheel Hero has over two decades of experience in selling tires. You'll find 40 brands to choose from, and it should be easy to find several dozen options that will work for your vehicle. However, this online tire store is missing some of the bells-and-whistles offered by rivals, and there's definitely a vibe of "you already know what you're doing, right?” as you shop here - it's not well-suited for the average car owner. Plus, despite an "A+” rating from the BBB, this company has gotten some pretty negative feedback from customers - including the fact that the tires they received weren't always brand-new. We give Wheel Hero a below-average rating for all of those reasons.
In the tire business since 1949, Mavis Tire has 1,400 locations across 26 states. Despite such a long history, this tire store isn't keeping up with the competition. The selection for the two vehicles in our comparison was almost nonexistent, there are few perks included with your purchase, and customers have a love-hate relationship with the company. Mavis comes in last place among the tire stores in our evaluation.
Look at your current tires to gather important information. You'll find the tire size on the sidewall, which includes a series of numbers and letters (such as 225/65R17). This tells you the tire width, aspect ratio, construction type, and rim diameter. Make sure the new tires match these specifications unless you're making a deliberate change for a specific reason.
Use online resources to research tire brands, types, and models. Many websites offer tools where you can input your vehicle's make, model, and year to get tire recommendations. Read customer reviews and professional ratings to get a sense of how different tires perform in areas like traction, handling, comfort, and durability.
Feeling overwhelmed? We've got a shortcut for you: just shop for your tires online. Most of today's popular tire stores can walk you through all of those things we just mentioned. Enter your make, model, and year (or, for some online stores, just your license plate or VIN), and you're good to go. You'll usually be able to see the research those retailers have done and benefit from their expertise, along with reviews from other car owners, in order to make your choice.
Once you've chosen your tires, the next step is to arrange for installation. If you're an automotive pro and you want to install the tires yourself, you do you (just make sure the store allows for that; some tire shops require professional installation in order to make a purchase). But, if you'd rather let an actual pro do the dirty work, check the options on offer. Usually, the tires will be shipped directly to the installer you indicate, and you can schedule an appointment to have them mounted and balanced on your vehicle. Some online stores even offer mobile installation services where a technician comes to your location to install them.
Still not sure which tire store to use? No worries. Here are a few criteria that can narrow down the options:
Ready to get rid of those worn-down treads? The experts at Top Consumer Reviews have researched and ranked some of today's most popular tire stores. Use our information to find the perfect set of tires for your ride. Let the good times roll!
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