Markets and marketing needs to be understood.
Some recognize the lowest price, some recognize quality and service ...
Like I said if I had a shop I would not do it .
The overhead is too high to to have a guy that knows what he is doing to mount a tire bought from somewhere else.
Is says i am stupid for helping them sell it to the costumer and i make nothing!
At some point you will see everyone smarten up I am pretty sure.
SO- the next thing is groups of people buy a tire machine ...

If that is how they feel about it, they should not have themselves listed as an installer for an online retailer.

What make/model/year?

I bought a tire balancer for $900 and a tire machine for $50. Three of us share it.

No more waiting at the tire shop, no one telling my Volvo wagon needs Z rated tires...

If the shop can't get the tires then they at least make something from the mount and balance. Of course, most do the race tires for a lot of the guys around here as we have 3 dirt tracks in the area.

On the East coast this store has this slogan,don't know if these stores are Nation wide.

Mr. Tire > Home

I've been wanting to get my own equipment for a long time, space is the biggest issue. Tire machine for $50, was it second hand?

I bought two used tire machines from a shop that was closing up, both were rough but worked fine.

I paid $300 for the pair, and flipped one on Craigslist for $250.

Look on ebay

Tire machines are cheap, unless they do 22" tires.

Balancers are not cheap. And if you are doing your own tires you need a balancer.

That is why it would insult me if you brought me tires you bought else where.
Cant do something for nothing...

I've bought two sets of tires in the last month, one set on tirerack and one from local dealer that beat TR's price. The shop is listed as an installer on TR site. All of the listed installers have their mounting and balancing prices plainly listed so that you can see them before choosing one.

This particular shop, a Firestone dealer in DT Minneapolis, had great prices for mount/balancing. Some of the others were a lot more. They don't seem to mind mounting TR tires, they signed up for it and the tires can be shipped directly to them instead of your home or office. I always check with my local shop before hitting the order button on TR to see if they can match or come close to the total price after shipping, etc. I did this with them and they flat-out beat TR on the Continentals but could not come close on the Michelins for my truck, which were on special online.

TR does not always have the best price on a set of tires but it's always the place to start in order to get a reference point. Not all shops are interested in mounting tires only but it's a business decision and some do so the whole "bringing your own eggs to a restaurant" argument is invalid here.

They're not doing "something for nothing" there, skippy. They are charging for the service. :cool:

Ok skippy do da..
Try NOT turn everything into a teenybopper soap opera here.
My point and on topic is - people are complaining about prices.
So for you- to draw a picture, to have a roof , heat, cool, insurance etc, no one can do it for nothing... for very long...
It takes a newer style machine to do low pro wheels (not cheap)
Like i said, the best thing to do is put together a team and go in on the balancer and tire changer
Mean while back at the grown up ranch life continues...

My buddy does it, while I wait, wheels off the car, it takes less than an hour and that's with us chit-chatting and looking at the various projects he has around his shop. For that I give him a bill, and I know he is going to do a great job, because he's REALLY good at doing this. I've asked him time and time again if he is satisfied with the arrangement.

I guess I could buy tires locally and have some 19 year old Jaspar that I've never met with an unknown level of experience install overpriced tires on expensive vintage16 inch Fuchs wheels, while I wait in the lobby hoping and praying that those wheels are unharmed when I get 'em back.

Or, I could go in on expensive equipment with a bunch of fellas who are going to have to relearn how to use it every time.

Nah. I guess I'll keep doing it my way.

Bubble balancer.

As for tires for my MV, I go with a duck bill sledge, and plastic bb for balance.

I know many small tire shops that will gladly balance a tire for 5 bucks. Seriously. Two minutes worth the work if not less....

bubble balance is not equal to dynamic .

The combination of price, install and road hazard, free rotation / balance for life of tires make Costco the best place to buy tires for my daily drivers. They have certain models they push but as long as it is Michelin or BFG, they can order you anything you'd like.

G

I am NOT begrudging a guy making a buck at a local store. I DO get bent when they advertise a $39 grocery getter tire and then charge 40 bucks to mount and balance, tax, disposal fee and epa fee.

THAT is where I get bent. 1//2 of the posters didn't even read my opening statement. I also NEVER said anything about bringing in someone else's tires.

$40 to mount and balance one tire is highway robbery. For 4 tires, it's a good deal.