Cheaper Tires

[lilcane88]

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=11218411

what do you guys think? are these decent tires for the money? are their any cheaper tires that are of a decent quility? pardon me if there is already a thread of this nature.

 

[Ron]

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=11218411

what do you guys think? are these decent tires for the money? are their any cheaper tires that are of a decent quility? pardon me if there is already a thread of this nature.

First I would worry more about quality than how cheap tires are, after all tires have a direct affect on one's safety.  The tires in in the provided link are Michelins which is regarded by many to be a high quality tire.  I think the next move would be to determine what the final cost will be including mounting and balancing then compare the price at other outlets that handle the same tires.  While I don't expect you will find better pricing it is better to compare.

 

[Mike and Sherrie in VA]

What I'm curious about is the phrase on the website.

Begin quote:

Due to the high torque requirement for RV and large truck tires, tires 19.5" and larger can not be installed by Costco tire centers. A refund for the installation charge and disposal will be refunded at the time the tires are picked up.

End quote.

So how does one get a "refund" for installation and disposal if they were never installed by or old tires disposed of by the seller.  Does this mean they are actually cheaper????  I can't really bring in the receipt for installation or disposal from another vendor at the time I purchase the tires, can I?

I'd have no worries about putting Michelin's on my rig.  I WOULD check date codes when I bought the tires though prior to purchase.

 

[BruceinFL]

Suppose you were going to take up sky diving. Would you buy the best quality parachute available regardless of the cost or the cheapest regardless of the quality?

When operating a vehicle, your tires are your parachute!!

 

[wpflum]

While I understand the 'analogy' I will say this.  If I blow a tire at 55 mph I stand a good chance of bringing the camper to a halt with minimum damage and little chance of loss of life. I did not say 'no chance' as anything can happen and usually does but if I jump out of a perfectly good airplane and pull the cord and see the chute rip across the middle not much in the way of training and preparedness will stop me from making a person shaped crater when I hit the ground and I'd make a BIG one at that. 

 

[BruceinFL]

Maybe you know how to bring a vehicle safely to a stop after a blowout, but the majority of drivers do not. That's why there are so many accidents when one occurs.

 

[Ron]

I think Bruce is 100% correct.  Too many drivers haven't a clue as to handle a blowout.  Probably just as many now days haven't a clue how to use a manual transmission.  Just look at how many were killed in Explorers when they had a blowout.  If one is not sure what actions to take when a blowout occurs take a look at the Micheilin video HERE.  It could save your life.

 

[wpflum]

I wasn't trying to be contentious I was just trying to point out that the analogy was a bit, well, off. 

 

[papahog]

I have experienced many blow outs as a kid with no money and junk yard tires. $1 each.    A blow out is not something I would want pulling my trailer.  Twice as a kid I found myself upside down and another time left the road without my help at high speed and went right between two utility poles that took off both mirrors.  I only tell you this to illustrate the fact that God takes care of fools.

The fool grew up and now I buy the best available tires, way before I hit the wear bars.  Money is no object when life and death situations can be avoided.

 

[wpflum]

I have experienced many blow outs as a kid with no money and junk yard tires. $1 each.     A blow out is not something I would want pulling my trailer.  Twice as a kid I found myself upside down and another time left the road without my help at high speed and went right between two utility poles that took off both mirrors.  I only tell you this to illustrate the fact that God takes care of fools.

The fool grew up and now I buy the best available tires, way before I hit the wear bars.  Money is no object when life and death situations can be avoided.

If the money is not there you do what you can with what you have.  I'm in a better position now, money wise, then I was when I was a kid so I can afford better now. 

I do remember at 18 running the tires on the old 50 dollar AMC Hornet, until the 'air' showed. 

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Come on guys, lilcane88 asked a legitimate question. Those are Michelins he pointed to, not some Chinese no-name brand. And who among us is not looking for the best value for the dollar?

I would not at all be concerned about those tires, assuming he buys the proper size and load range for his RV.

 

[FEman]

The good part of RV tires is there are 4 or 6 of them under you.  I have almost no concern in regard to the price of tires for my motorcycle,  I want the best quality from a known manufacturer, not the cheapest.  This philosophy spills over to the RV.  I just cannot sacrifice quality to save a few bucks.  I do understand that for many, price is an issue and some compromise must be made.  Just try to compromise less on the side of safety.

 

[Mexray]

Mike,


In reference to your question above about Costco's refunding of the installation fee, etc., from my experience with them, they don't have the specialized heavy tire mounting equipment necessary to dismount and mount these larger rim sizes used on some RV's and many heavy trucks...their tire centers are geared to the automotive trade, not heavy vehicles. 

Also, since most of their tires are priced with the installation cost included, they will credit that amount back to you when you purchase these 19.5 inch and above sizes.

 

[enjoylife]

we bought a 94 allegro bay motor home in California and replace 4 of the 19.5 in. tires on the way back to B.C. Safety comes first in our books. As a matter of intrest has any one experienced  a blow out with a class a motor home on any axle. What sort of problems keeping the rig on the road?Stu.

 

[Ron]

There is an excellent video HERE as I mentioned earlier that can help you understand what to do should such an event occur.

 

[RLSharp]

As a matter of intrest has any one experienced  a blow out with a class a motor home on any axle. What sort of problems keeping the rig on the road?Stu.

If you do a search on Blowout, you will find a long thread on the subject. Some of the postings may or may not be relevant to your question. Specifically, I have a couple of postings where I described a blowout we had last December, see Blowout.

Richard
Rochester, NY (summer)
Tucson, AZ (winter)

 

[Lou Schneider]

First problem, Costco will not install the tires.   You have to arrange to have them installed somewhere else.

That other place probably sells either the same or a closely equivalent tire.  Assuming they agree to mount tires purchased elsewhere, guess who has priority when it's time to do the work - someone who buys a set of tires from them (and let them make a profit on the sale) or you with your Costco tires?

Second problem, Costco will only ship the tires to one of their stores.  So you have to go to Costco, pay for the tires, load them into your motorhome (or, if you can arrange it, into someone's pickup truck) and take them to the other place.  Then pay the second place to install them.

I assume Costco will only refund their standard installation fee, not what you will actually pay to get the tires installed elsewhere.  Truck tires usually cost more to install than car tires.

I'm all for saving a buck, but this sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

We've had a blowout on a rear tire and of course the other dual supported the rear end and it was no problem to drive safely to a turn-out and stop.  It was a valve failure, so there was no flapping rubber to damage the body or wiring. The tire was ruined, however, from driving it "flat" for  about two miles to reach a rest area. When we had a new valve installed and re-inflated it, it promptly blew out, this time at the shoulder between tread and sidewall.