In May, I bought another set of Yokohama tires for the Fit. 205/50/16 from Discount Tire was about $500 out the door.

 

Glad I posted here. Yes, the $515 seems high. The tire shops here in town all seem high.
I called a shop in a smaller nearby town, a place I've been to before with good results. They've got some much better options, beginning at 301.10 OTD for Maxxis 202's, but I'll probably go with something better. I just didn't want to make the 1/2 hour drive. Looks like I'll be cancelling with Auto Tire.
Thanks again guys. I really appreciate your help. What did we ever do before we had the internet?

 

"Bad Ass" isn't too descriptive. How do these rate for road noise which is on the top of my 'tire resolution list'?

 

Did that included alignment?

Right now I have two pending appointments for next Thursday. I'm still shopping. I want good tires. My gut tells me the local, chain tire stores are expensive. The family owned place 1/2 hour away seems better. I've had good luck with them before and they're fast. I don't spend half a day there staring at a candy machine in the waiting room. I might still get the Yokohama's if they are a good deal, or I might go with the mom and pop place and go with what they have in stock. They also have a General Altimax for $97/tire.

 

Not quite to the point, but a recommendation thread. https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...mendation.html

 

I'd print out the online info and ask if the local chain can match it.

Last tires I bought were from TireBuyer and then you can select it be delivered to a local shop for install. I had it delivered to my local firestone which was free. fs called me when the tires arrived and I scheduled an appointment time.

Had 205/50/16 Altimax RT43 installed and including mounting and balancing it was $421 (of which $72 was the m&b)

 

It has now been a few years, so I can't recall for certain, these are ballpark estimates.

My Blizzaks were $550ish OTD, winter 2016.
My Yokohamas were $450ish OTD, fall 2014.
My Falkens were $700ish OTD, spring 2017 (in a totally different size for a different car :P )

 

So, $515 doesn't seem too outrageous for the Yokohama tires?

 

It is pricey, but I have no idea what pricing is like near you. I'd check with some of the chain stores, various mom & pop type places, etc.

 

Max: I have repeatedly gotten tires at Walmart. I got 4 Mastercraft tires put on my Fit. They were practically giving them away. I would not hesitate to recommend you go there to save money. Otherwise, as was stated earlier, General Altimax RT 43 is an excellent choice and found on many online websites as well as your local Discount Tire store which will match/beat any price as well.

 

I have to agree.
I don't go cheap on tires. It's a safety issue. The cheapest tires I run, are the OEM's that come with them.

If and when I replace them? I go with something reviewed, ranked and rated better than what I had.

Wal-Mart "Douglas Somethings" would not inspire me with confidence.

 

Well, Douglas isn't made by Walmart. They are made by Kelly Springfield, aka Goodyear. Wouldn't be my first choice either, but I'm not sure why a Walmart tire installer would be any better or worse than most of the tire shops in the USA. The Mastercraft tires I mentioned are made by Cooper Tire. I'd steer clear of any Chinese made tires when shopping on a budget.

 

Yes, the Douglas tires are made in the USA supposedly by Goodyear or a Goodyear subsidiary. That at least makes them somewhat acceptable in my book. I would never buy any Chinese made tires under any circumstances. The shoddy quality of just about anything made in China is warning enough. There does seem to be a lot of Chinese made tires flooding the low end part of the market recently under a bunch of different names.

 

i (actually my wife) got some yokohama all season tire today since the GK encounted a screw puncture too close to the shoulder. was 152 installed. i thought it was a rip-off but the tire went for like 119 or something so i guess thats wat it costs. this is just for one tire. they mounted it on the rear since the front tire went flat. i was happy with them doing that cause i thought id have to do it when i got home today.

 

Is anything "made" by Walmart? I didn't think Wal-Mart was making the tires themselves. If I buy Sam's Cola...I don't really think Sam is mixing it up.

Yeah, I looked it up AFTER I posted.
Nothing against Wal-Mart.
But I'm still skeptical. You often get what you pay for, and a tire that is basically about 1/2 the price of name brand tires?

Maybe they are great deals. I'd be curious as to long term reviews.

As I said, I've always replaced with Brand Name tires. And I've paid the premium.
But...if you can show me the $58 tire, is just as good as the $130 tire?

Given the rather pedestrian demands I put on my tires? I'm probably wasting money buying the upper end. But I still like the idea on rainy days, or with emergency stops that I have tires that I can have confidence in.

Right now, I have the Firestone FRZ OEM tires that came with the vehicle. And actually? They don't seem too bad. When they need replacement? I'm probably going with something different. Kind of human nature.

 

"somewhat acceptable" = "meets minimum tire standards"

I like buying name brand mid-range tires. Not bottom of the line and not top of the line/performance.

 

It all depends on what is your top priority. I wanted to keep the stock rims but put a wider tire on it for better ride and handling. 20 millimeters makes a HUGE difference - easily worth an extra $20 - $30 for the set of 4.

I've dealt with Discount Tire for over 20 years and 8 cars, and they have taken care of me very well. I have never waited longer than an hour - hour and a half for a set of 4 ties. I won't bother going anywhere else. They offer a road hazard policy at a nominal fee that covers you for the life of the tires. That's how I got to $515. Check out the link below:

https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tir...nvigor/p/43549

This tire offers bang for the $ and 60,000 miles. Keep in mind that price is not the only measure of value. Life is too short for cheap tires! L.O.L!

You mentioned that the family owned place is 1/2 hour away. If you get a flat covered under warranty, do you really want to hassle with that distance? Talk to your local Discount Tire and see how they treat you as a customer.

Let us know which tire you decide to put on your Fit. Good luck!

 

185 to 205 does not make a huge difference.

Your car is not going to handle noticeably better going from one cheap allseason in 185 width to another cheap allseason in 205 width.

Nor will it ride better, a 205/50/16 has the same sidewall a 185/55/16 would.

 

Going from one size to another in the same tire probably won't make too much difference in handling. Going to a better tire that happens to be a different size is another story. I had the envigor tires on the wife's old car for a while, they weren't bad, but they didn't have as much grip as I like.

If I didn't go with separate sets of summer tires and snow tires, I'd be looking at these-

https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tir...-2-a-s/p/29887

Start reading test/review sections on Tire Rack and see what looks good to you. I know I'm never going to drive enough miles to have personal experience with all the options.

 

The only 185/55-16s you'll find at Costco are the Michelins, and availability is spotty. I've been watching prices and they're always in the $130/tire range plus $60 for installation. You'll get the $70 discount and occasionally they offer free installation but that's about it.

I have a set of 205-50 Pirelli Cinturato Stradas (big fan of the asymmetrical tread) in my basement now -- got them for $450 out the door after Black Friday rebates from Discount Tire. Now I'm just waiting for the tread on the OEMs to wear a bit more before I install.

I'm also a big fan of brand-name tires ... I'll cheap out on a lot of things but not those four little squares of rubber hitting the road.