tire rack and tire mounting question
 

I am thinking about buying some tires from Tire Rack. The question I have is what is the going rate for a tire dealer to mount/balance tires that weren't purchased at their shop ? I'm tired ( pun intended :D ) of local dealers pushing road hazard fee's I just want them mounted and balanced. So what are you guys paying ?

I mount my own... Dad bought a rim clamp... But I think I paid like a 10 a piece for a balance...

Local small garage quoted $16 each without valve stem. I needed a valve stem so 1 came to $19.78 with uncle sam's share

$100 a set is common.

I paid $80 at Discount Tire to mount and balance tires from Tire Rack.

I asked Discount if they could get the tires and they said they weren't available. The Discount manager was less than pleased with one of his salesmen when I walked in the next day with the un-available tires from Tire Rack, but they were more than willing to mount them.

I've paid between $40 to $100 to mount a set from TireRack.

I usually get the pricing for tires from TireRack, calculate shipping & what it would cost to have them mounted, then ask local tire shops to come close. They usually can if you give them a chance. I don't mind spending an extra $50 or so if it means the money stays local, plus they usually will give you free rotations, flat fixes, etc. if you are a customer.

I went on tire racks website and punched in my zip code to find a local installer. Based on $15.00 per tire to mount and balance ( average ) and then add tire disposal fee it looks like the savings buying from tire rack are about $20.00 for a set of four Dunlop Direzza Star Specs. For $20.00 I'll just buy them from the local Discount Tire dealer.

FWIW, some places will match Tire Rack's prices. You pay local sales tax, but avoiding shipping charges, so it's typically a wash. You can usually negotiate the total incoice down as well. It's even that much more appealing if they have what you are looking for in stock, ready to go.


EDIT: Ah, I see Richard beat me to it! :D

My local place matches Tire Rack almost exactly, sometimes it's a few bucks more.

It's a local speed shop that sells lots of wheels and also does tech for racecars/etc. so they never scratch the wheels, I don't have air loss problems, they put the weights on the inside of the barrel and tape them, done right, and without having to ask them to be careful, etc..

It's about $80-100 a set give or take for the mounting/balance/etc. if I bring them tires instead of having them order them. That just means I have to haul them around myself though, so what's the point?

Call around, someone will probably do a price match or be close enough that it's worth the saved hassle.

You can have the tires shipped directly to the shop where you are going to get them installed.

The local shops around here are about $20/tire. As long as the shops can get the tires I am looking for, they nearly always end up costing about the same all said and done. I ALWAYS pull my wheels at home on the lift and take the loose wheels in as ALL the local shops employ douchebag kids who over 50% of the time will scrape a low car pulling onto the lifts or will jack in the wrong spot under the car. It infuriates me that the majority of kids today are such mechanical dumb@sses.

In the past year I have had 2 sets of tires (summer & winter tires) for my DD shipped from Tire Rack to a local tire dealer for installation. I was wary at first that they would give me a hard time for not buying the tires from them, but I read customer comments about the installer on the Tire Rack Website & they were all positive.

My experience was positive too. And the mounting rates for the installer were posted on the Tire Rack Website, so I knew what to expect. Overall, a very good experience.

"It infuriates me that the majority of kids today are such mechanical dumb@sses."

I've been saying that for 30 years.
I've got a buddy with a tire store, he won't mount twanky-dueces for any price. If you have a good tire guy you might want to give him something for Christmas.
Jim

I also pull my wheels off the car and take them in seperately to get new tires mounted. Since the turbo needs new rears every 7000 miles or so, I've done it pretty often.

As a plus, it gives you a chance to really clean the wheels. I've found it easier to clean them off the car, and you can get to the inside of the wheels.

Bill