Tires are the only thing keeping an object going 70 miles an hour with you inside of it on the road. I wouldn't cheap out on them.

I have no clue but personally peace of mind is worth that $100

I think a good rule to live by is that anything that comes between you and the ground on a daily basis should be of high quality. Shoes, mattresses, and tires. Depending on your climate, you may not need the all-weather super fancy ones, but a good set of tires will last significantly longer than the cheap ones. Make sure you also look at safety reviews!

Are they cheaper or just less expensive? Big difference.

I like the old saying “never cheap out on things that separate you from the ground”. Covers shoes, mattresses, chairs, tires, etc.

Anecdotal : the times I've bought the cheapo tires I ended up suffering not long after. It's never financially paid off for me, not once. Spend the extra $120 or whatever today and save the stress down the road.

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This isn't something that I would personally skimp on. Knowing very little about tires, I would assume the more expensive option will probably be safer and cost less in the long run.

See Terry Pratchett's Boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

Maybe double check the area for cheaper installs, etc.

Places like Sam's Club have pretty good prices.

Most of the cheap tires are chinese made, which isn't necessarily bad, but do some research on them for sure. I personally do run Hankook (Korean) Dynapro All Terrains. They are great on my truck and originally I was getting them for about $600-650 mounted and balanced, now with all the inflation I expect to pay $800 next time.

I always try to look at how many miles or kilometers they are rated for. If it’s higher and proportionally more expensive I got for it. A little more money seems worth it. Especially based in on labor and disposal costs. The less I need to pay that the better.

I wouldn't go cheap on tires. They are one of the most important safety features of a car.

This time of year can have some really good deals. Discount Tire is having a Cyber Monday sale today. Every time I looked at getting new tires they are usually among the lowest price and I've always had good experience with them (free tire checks, free rotations, free nail repair even when I didn't buy the tire there). Costco also usually has decent prices on tires.

https://www.discounttire.com/

So what about cheap flights?

Not saying you are wrong but wondering whether that’s the best argument for paying more.

I usually looked at the rated miles that way. My last ones were 75,000 miles, and I've had them 5 years but the tread is thin enough to need replacement before winter. I read into warranty and it's only good for 3 years, so really the mileage ratings don't mean a lot to me since I apparently don't put enough miles on to surpass the ratings.

Things you don't skimp on

1. Tires
2. Shoes
3. Mattress

I would say in other countries this is truly something to consider, but not in the US or countries that fly directly to the US. The FAA has (generally) the highest compliance standards in the world, extending to airlines that just fly & land at US airports. Not to mention air travel is actually far safer than car travel.

There are minimum standards for Tire compliance here as well, but some off market brands are not very reliable.

The question then is, what price is reasonable vs luxury? I see tires for $50 - 300 a piece. I've generally bought the ~$100 tires, and never had an issue.

Do some research.

With tires the issue is that you pay a fixed rate for mount, balance, and disposal that is a pretty healthy portion of the cost of hte tire.

Buying a more expensive tire with a longer treadlife / durability to withstand road hazards might be a bigger bill on day 1 but if you get 2 extra years out of a set of michelins vs nokians was the extra $250 on a $800 worth it?

Personally I find the sweet spot is usually in the middle. Cooper touring tires have a great reputation and while michelins are lightyears better in terms of noise and snow performance the price tag is steep.

This advice seems like cutesy wisdom but isn’t necessarily true. If you’re not asking a lot of your shoes of course you can go cheap. Do you need a $200 pair of flip flops for a week of summer camp?

Sayings like this have no worth because like life, there’s a ton of gray area

> So what about cheap flights?

That's not exactly a reasonable comparison. What differentiates cheap flights on low cost carriers from full service ones is things like legroom, bag policies and charges and what, if any food and drink is served on board. Not safety. People flying Spirit Airlines are just as safe as people in Emirates first class.

What differentiates cheap tires from expensive tires is how well they grip the road and how well they maintain traction during less than ideal weather - stuff that directly impacts safety.

The only recognizable name when I look at tires is Goodyear, and those had the lowest rated mileage unfortunately. The rest of the names might as well be AliExpress brands. Sailun, Yokohama, Falken, Nexen, Kelly. I've never heard of any of those.

Not talking luxury but cheap vs inexpensive. Cheap to me is poor quality material or workmanship. Inexpensive is good value. Skimping is going cheap. Like I'll buy a cheap shirt but I'll pay a higher price for decent shoes.

Hell no. You can have the worst car in the world, but don't skip good tires.

>Not safety. People flying Spirit Airlines are just as safe as people in Emirates first class.

Veering off topic here, but our local small airport only flies Allegiant and supposedly they are consistently ranked at the bottom for plane service issues. Maybe those haven't manifested into crashes, but I'd say the cheapest flights are a bit worrisome. It's similar to "doctors who got Ds" - they still passed but would you opt to pay less if you knew they were just barely acceptable?

I bought an IKEA mattress nearly 6 years ago that's going strong with no soft spots. Paid less than $250. I knew I needed pretty firm and bought an adjustable base as well. No ragrets.

Might splurge on a Purple whenever this one goes out some years down the road

Buy a quality brand and a model that matches your car and driving conditions. IMO, also buy the road hazard warranties and get them rotated at the correct intervals. Last week I had a punctured Michelin tire replaced for free because it wasn't repairable. I always buy the warranties on tires for mine and my wife's vehicles and 100% of the time they pay off.

And shoes really aren't priced based on their longevity. Lots of $100 shoes are wonderful, while probably most $1,000 shoes are just marketing junk.

Thanks. Unfortunately they aren't in my region.

‘Cheap, black and round’ should not be the only criteria when choosing tires.

Falken and Yokohama are reputable brands.

We have a Walmart, which is the place I'm seeing $50 tires. Otherwise the national chain brand has them starting around $100.

That's because when people die on their planes it's usually an improvement to their current Allegiant experience.

Douglas tires are cheap and good. Off brand tires that are cheap may not be good. There’s a lot to tires such as temperature and elasticity. Read reviews before you buy. Lots of 4.5 star reviews? Buy.

https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/where-are-my-tires-made

https://www.wfirm.com/complete-list-of-tire-dot-plant-codes/

​

Just find some tires at the local tire shop and check the codes on the sidewall. Reference the above charts to see where they are made, and try to pick something made in the Americas or the EU.

Also be sure the date code is reasonable; you do not want tires that have been sitting on the rack since 2005.

I find that honestly also this depends. For dress shoes for example, I do think it's better to go higher quality/higher price. While I've needed to replace the soles on my loafers twice over their lifetime, the construction of the actual shoe itself has remained fine. When I'd buy cheaper (e.g. Aldo) style shoes they would get worn out of shape so fast and I'd need to still replace the sole after a year but would have no choice but to buy a totally new shoe.

I think that’s probably your real issue. I was going to say to buy the cheapest real brand tires offered. I would feel fine on the cheapest Falkens over the highest priced Happy Golden Royal Sipe. But it means you have to know who the real players are. Maybe you should get specific tire models quoted and ask again.

Sorta depends on use case. For the record, you never need an alignment after swapping tires (an alignment alters the suspension geometry, not wheel geometry).

If you drive your Corolla around at 45MPH in the city and never get on the freeway - sure, get the cheap tires.

If you drive in very cold weather, very hot weather, very fast, or in rougher conditions, get the better tires. Every tire made in the US has a speed rating (which is set under ideal conditions); if you (for example) buy an 81MPH-rated-tire for your 4000-pound Echo and then pack the whole family and cargo into it and go zipping around Arizona or Nevada at 100MPH in the heat of summer, you're going to have a bad time.

Michelin? Continental? Edit: Pirelli?

For US Safety Standards yes, as they are very very high. There have been 2 fatalities on commercial flights by US airlines in the last 13 years.

Flying is an incredibly safe form a travel. The regulations in place by the FAA and the standards and procedures of aircraft design and manufacture mean even aircrafts with failing safety components are still safe to fly. There typically needs to be multiple cascading failures before lives are at risk.

If they are cheap tires from a long established US, European or Japanese brand? Sure. Firestone, Bridgestone, Cooper, Goodyear, Continental, Toyo, Pirelli, Nokian, Michelin, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal, Yokohama are all ones I would consider.

If they are from a company you've never heard of, in particular from Asia, then no. The issue isn't so much that it's automatically inferior. It's that if there's a massive problem it on the US distributor to fix it. Most of the lesser known brands have small distributors in the US that lack the financial reserves to stand behind the products. Or, if they did cause death or serious injury there may not be anyone for you to sue.

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OP are you in the US? If so, Costco usually has a deal every year for a set of tires $400 total with free installation. Also you get extended warranty and free rotations. Of course the Costco membership is 60 bucks a year but still a better deal than doing everything separately

I did it for my old vehicle a few years ago and the tires were solid. I think they were bridgestones

Besides the tire cost, why are you getting an alignment every time you buy tires? Are they actually identifying an alignment issue or are you just getting up sold? If the old tires don't have any weird or uneven wear and the car drives straight, it is very unlikely you need an alignment.

Technically good tires last less in most cases haha. Sticky tires use up quicker. That said, I do agree that people shouldn’t skimp. But I’ve run relatively cheap tires on my cars knowing what I’m getting as a person who drove competitively for a while.

If you’re getting the car ready to sell, sure. But tires are your only contact with the road - not where I’d recommend going cheap.

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The $50 tires will be just fine. Don't listen to these armatures. unless you've got a sports car you're driving around like a mad man in you're perfectly fine with the cheaper tires. Don't need an alignment each time you change tires. If you notice the car doesnt drive straight after or the tires are wearing unevenly then get one. $25 disposal fee?!?! They were charging you for your old tires too? Get the $50 tires and have a shop pop them on for 20-25 a tire. Tell them to balance the tires as needed they should do that for free. Some of the advice here has been busch league armature hour.

Anecdotal, I never buy the insurance, and I've never needed to replace a tire that couldn't be repaired. The only way I'd consider the insurance possibly is if it would really be a financial burden to replace the tires if necessary, but then I probably wouldn't have the money for the insurance anyway.
Remember, they wouldn't sell it if it wasn't profitable, so you may have been unlucky, but for every one of you there's a few people paying for it that will never use it.

Tires are the only thing (or at least should be) touching the ground. They are a main component in stopping and staying on the road. They are a vital point in avoiding an accident which can harm your vehicle, you and your wallet.

Besides traction as factor, there's wear. You won't get the same number of miles out of two different tires with different wear ratings.

If you're saying you spend $400 every 4 years, would you spend $50 or even $100 a year to be safer? It's not something that I would try to save on.

Find a tire that fits your criteria first then look at price.

Apparently just getting upsold. The couple of times I got new tires they try to add in alignment and the upgraded warranty.

Having bought a cheaper set of tires before I can say there are reasons (besides safety) to not do so. The ones I bought were significantly louder than the previous tires. The car was a convertible so it was extra noticeable and extremely annoying.

The warehouse clubs (Sam's, Costco) are good places to look for tire deals, probably worth the cost of a membership if you cannot find someone with a membership.

Cheaper tires will generally cost you more…they wear a lot quicker (not to mention that the inferior materials will also likely mean degraded performance under hard braking and cornering). They are only cheaper on the first day you buy them.

Here’s the real deal. Tires have very specific specifications and regulations. The differences come in with tread patterns and material compositions. Softer tires general grip better, but they also wear faster.

You are safe if you look at the warranties mileage. You can spend $600/tire or $100/tire and they’re still only warranted for 40,000 miles.

I just bought 4 new tires for $120 each. My last set was $65 each and were supposed to be 45,000 miles. I got 50,000 out of them.

And any shop that requires an alignment to change tires is taking your money. You don’t need an alignment to swap tires. Find a place that will mount/balance and call it a day.

Cheap tires vs quality ones could be the difference of hitting an object or not hitting it.

Quality doesn't have to be expensive. You got a good deal.

Why would anyone pay 200 for flip flops? Skimping would be buying the 1.99 pair instead of the 10 pair. The 1.99 pair would likely blow out first day. The 10 pair would likely last the week, this of course is thinking the higher price is better materials. The point is to not just buy the cheapest available but to compare price/materials and workmanship.

Exactly. I have shies that were originally 250 + a pair but are still comfortable, look great and have only needed minor repair. Shoes that I've bought for less fall apart within months.

Around this time of year there are often deep discounts in the form of manufacturer rebates that can put good tires at low pricepoints. Cheap tires aren't always bad, but bad tires are not something you want on your car. If you can find tire comparisons from tirerack or something like that, that will be a better guide than price.

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Those fees seem very high. When I purchase tires installation is normally only a few dollars per tire, and disposal is about $3 per tire. I would do more research on what tires match your vehicle, climate, individual particulars, and driving style. Try Tirerack online, they have a lot of information on every tire so you can determine what's best for you. Cost doesn't always determine if a tire is good for you.

I generally buy $180 tires. $100 tires are pretty darn cheap. Wouldn’t trust $50 tires at all.

There is a significant traction difference between cheap tires and good tires especially in the wet.

Go lay on a Purple first. They are pretty weird.

Have mechanic experience. Bought a LOT of tires. Cheapest no name tires not good. Bad wear. Bad road noise. Bad grip. Poor wet weather performance. Flimsy sidewall.

However if you get the lower end of an actual brand they are usually "fine". Meaning there is nothing really wrong with them.

I've bought $50 tires at Walmart before. Were some of the best tires I had ever bought. I've bought used tires before too. Just have to look them over real good.

Last week I bought about the cheapest set of tires my Walmart had for my truck. They had good ratings, they ride smooth and have great grip. For me it depends on the vehicle. My truck is 17 years old and has 215k miles. It's slow and I don't drive fast or stupid so it works. These tires will probably outlast the truck.

Any tire your tire shop carries will be fine. When i was hurting for funds at one time in life i used to buy used tires. Had 4 different brands on the car at one time.

>good set of tires will last significantly longer than the cheap ones

I once paid $750 for a set of Michelin HydroEdge all season tires with a 90K mile warranty. They lasted 120,000 miles, making them the cheapest tires I had ever purchased - on a per-mile basis.

FYI discount tire will match discount tire direct prices. Sometimes you can save even a little more.

Higher mileage is not always best. The high mileage tires often have less grip. Anything 50-65k miles is fine. Check out the Michelin Crossclimate 2 tires. Great reviews, long life, and not too expensive.

Decline both unless you live somewhere with a lot of potholes.

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