Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Hey guys, what's your take on cheap tires? Are there any cheap tires that are good? I am looking for inexpensive tires like Uniroyal tires because money is tight right now. Anyone running these tires? Any input is much appreciated.

What is your definition of good? What are your requirements for a tire? Long life? Low noise? Puncture resistant? Good cornering force? Fuel efficient? Stopping distance? All weather? Summer-only? Winter? Offroad or gravel roads? Looking for a gearing change?

As I recall, when bottom-fishing for cheap tires in a hurry, Walmart had the cheapest. But, they were Walmart tires from China. If you want reasonable reviews of many different tires, visit tirerack.com

I need all-season tires that offer good traction. I'm not expecting the best tread life, especially on cheap tires.

I got the cheapest tires from Walmart for our Honda Civic a few years ago (don't own it anymore). They were from Korea and were just fine.

When I was starting out, and money was more important than traction, I bought tires from the self serve junkyard Pick a Part, Pick your Part, or Pick and Pull. They have all these tricky core deposits now on the rims to get an extra $20 out of you (you have to return the same wheel which you never do) but it still comes out really cheap. You pull them off a car so mounting is included.

I used to go on half price day. Just know which cars have interchangeable bolt patterns and acceptable offsets and you’ll have many to pick from. You can get some pretty good brands with moderate wear often.

There are also takeoffs on Craigslist. Idiot people remove really good tires when they upgrade wheels and or tires then they sell off their tires on CL. I just got a matching set of front and rear motorcycle tires that a guy took off right after coming home from the dealer on his new bike. They still have the little hairs. $60 for the set. Again, profit from other’s waste.

I don’t do the used tire thing on my cars anymore. You don’t know the history of the tire and that is a big question mark. Today Costco tire is affordable for me. But it wasn’t back in the day. Funny how that happens.

I was going to make the go used suggestion, but then I remembered a couple of experiences that changed my mind.

The most noteworthy was the set of four like new tires that I scored at a farm auction for very little money to fit my pickup. They were great for a few hundred miles, then one of the fronts grew a tumor. I was only thirty miles from home and had unloaded the paydirt, but the shimmy was enough to wear my pitman arm and put a lot of slop in the front end that was never there.

I found out later that run of tires was defective and later recalled. What I saved on those tires was eaten up with repair costs. That was the last chance on used tires for me.

Now I spend time researching and comparison shopping new tires when they get thin. I make the extra effort to maintain correct psi weekly and timely rotations. After figuring out what the optimum psi is, I paint the number on the rim with a finger nail polish paint. I check every tire every time that I haul a significant load. I think good tire guages and a good air compressor are good investments. Air is cheaper than rubber...

Because you mentioned them, Uniroyals are good tires. Michelin owns the brand now. If you can get them for cheap, I wouldn't hesitate.

Save everywhere else, but don't skimp on safety. I got brand new Nokian studded winter tires last year. They cost me five hundred but I haven't regretted the purchase even for a second. Now I'm even more irked by my crappy summer tires. They were bought by the previous owner of my 2008 Volvo. They don't steer well and there's a very slight vibration going on all the time, no matter how well the pressure's been adjusted.

I agree, tire failure is scary. You wanna see the people with cheap tires? Go road tripping in this hot weather. It really separates the people with good tread and bad tread...and the tread itself too!

Like everything on this forum there isn’t a one size fits all.

I’ve asked myself a lot of questions about risks vs. savings lately. I’m past FI and I buy expensive tires at Costco. But there was a time I’d drive on Junkyard tires. I’d go for the spares because they had the most tread. But they also had he most hardened rubber because they were often the tire that shipped with the car (in the days of full size spares).

Very dangerous game. I don’t play that now. I don’t even go to the junkyard because of the kind of people you sometimes encounter in there. It just isn’t worth the savings.

But there was a time $600 was 10% of my net worth. So I took on the risk. I invested the difference and became the risk off guy I am now.

I have gone to hole in the wall used tire places, and had good results. This was preinternet, but I still see them about.

They work deals with junkyards and dealerships and other tire shops. In the 90's, I bought new tires all around for my firebird, and spent $125, including mounting. They were stock tires off a new mustang that got new rims and rubber.

The steel belts in radials don't stand up to corrosion well, leading to bulges where the belts break. So look inside, where water collects. If there has been standing water in there, keep looking. BTW, this applies to condensation inside an inflated tire that sits in one position, as well. Air holds lots of water. Nitrogen is good stuff.

I wouldn't put cheap tyres on a car. I've seen what happened when they blew out...

I ask for midrange all season tires, with midrange meaning not cheap and not expensive. I generally replace tires at 30 to 40k miles because I don't like the way older tires ride. It snows a lot here so tread is very important.

cheapest tires from Walmart have worked out well for me for the last 10 or 15 years

It also depends on the car, if its a piece of crap car put crappy tires on it, if its nice put on nice ones.