[Chief of the 60's]

What people do not realize is that there is nearly no money to be made on tires in retail business these days, so local tire shops and box stores will not adjust their price to some on-line numbers. Tire shops and box stores rely on any upcharge they can find. When you pull a wheel you can almost always get someone to buy a brake job, shocks, front end work, an alignment or an oil change Now some charge extra for "special" wheel weights, resetting TPMS and almost always get you for valve stem repair. This is why I do my own.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

What people do not realize is that there is nearly no money to be made on tires in retail business these days, so local tire shops and box stores will not adjust their price to some on-line numbers. Tire shops and box stores rely on any upcharge they can find. When you pull a wheel you can almost always get someone to buy a brake job, shocks, front end work, an alignment or an oil change Now some charge extra for "special" wheel weights, resetting TPMS and almost always get you for valve stem repair. This is why I do my own.

I agree with all the above. So I don't hold a grudge against the stores. I may be wrong, but a tire retailer who is buying hundreds of tires a week should be getting a better price on them than an individual like me on the internet. But possibly not. I try to give them a chance. Concerning the add-ons, I have to charge for them too. The coated stick-on wheel weights and some of the weird clip-on coated weights are fairly expensive and they add up. The biggest expense moving forward for tire buyers are the millions and millions of TPMS sensors that are now having battery failures by design. They are supposed to last 10 years and they do just that, typically 10-12 year life span. When I install a new set of tires on a 10 year or older vehicle and the customer wants to retain the system in working order, I insist that they buy a new set of transducers. If they refuse, I spell it out clearly on the invoice that there is no warranty concerning the function of the TPMS system because the transducers will never make it through another set of new tires if they are already 10-12 years old. 4 new sensors are about $125-150 a set now and last 10 years. That's about a buck a month for a working system. Of course I register and program no charge.

[71GP76TA]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

I agree with all the above. So I don't hold a grudge against the stores. I may be wrong, but a tire retailer who is buying hundreds of tires a week should be getting a better price on them than an individual like me on the internet. But possibly not. I try to give them a chance. Concerning the add-ons, I have to charge for them too. The coated stick-on wheel weights and some of the weird clip-on coated weights are fairly expensive and they add up. The biggest expense moving forward for tire buyers are the millions and millions of TPMS sensors that are now having battery failures by design. They are supposed to last 10 years and they do just that, typically 10-12 year life span. When I install a new set of tires on a 10 year or older vehicle and the customer wants to retain the system in working order, I insist that they buy a new set of transducers. If they refuse, I spell it out clearly on the invoice that there is no warranty concerning the function of the TPMS system because the transducers will never make it through another set of new tires if they are already 10-12 years old. 4 new sensors are about $125-150 a set now and last 10 years. That's about a buck a month for a working system. Of course I register and program no charge.

I own a used car lot and have a wholesale account with Tire Rack. I get a pretty good discount off their retail price...especially on wheels.

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by 71GP76TA

I own a used car lot and have a wholesale account with Tire Rack. I get a pretty good discount off their retail price...especially on wheels.

So do I. 20 years ago I used to buy all my tires there until their pricing could be beat locally. Although back then, they did not have a wholesale price. Perhaps I will look into them again.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

So do I. 20 years ago I used to buy all my tires there until their pricing could be beat locally. Although back then, they did not have a wholesale price. Perhaps I will look into them again.

Please get back to us on what you find out from Tire Rack. I used to have a Commercial, Wholesale account as well. I always dealt specifically with one individual on the phone. He left the company a couple years ago and when I called to order some tires, I was told my company had not bought enough tires the past year and the account was closed. Since at the time they were still charging high shipping for tires, I just let it go. However, I would reinstate the account if they didn't have a huge buy-in. I like Tire Rack and would reward them with my business if they want to play ball. I don't see my business buying over 200 tires a year and that may not be enough volume for them to care a less.