car tire help - Indianapolis

[Biohazard]

I could use some suggestions on where to go for tires.

My car needs new tires. Does anyone have a suggestion on a shop to go to to get some help on a brand and model of tire? Not all shops are equal and I'd like one where the people do good work and are knowledgeable.

I'd prefer somewhere close to 86th and Michigan but anywhere in the city is fine.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Buckhunter]

Tire Barn on east washington st is where I buy all my tires. They have a good rep with me. If you ever get a nail or anything they will patch/plug for free.

 

[kludge]

Sam's.
Costco.

Everything else is a rip off @ 86th and Michigan. Sam's has lifetime rotating and balancing.

Oh, and charging to fill you tires with nitrogen is a ripoff too. Air is 80% nitrogen.

The difference between and oxygen molecule and a nitrogen molecule is 2 Angstroms.

 

[BE Mike]

The last few times, I've bought tires I shopped around and Sam's Club had the tires that I wanted for a lot cheaper price than other places, like Big O's.

 

[public servant]

Tire Barn on east washington st is where I buy all my tires. They have a good rep with me. If you ever get a nail or anything they will patch/plug for free.

for Tire Barn from me. I got a nail in a tire that had only around 3000 miles on it. They said it was in a place it couldn't be patched or plugged....they gave me a free tire (these were around $80 tires). No questions asked. All you do is buy the same warranty on the new tire...around $10 each I believe. That guarantee is good for the rated life of the tire...not pro-rated. Plus free rotation and balancing for the life of the tire.

 

[mrjarrell]

Ditto on Sam's Club. I bought my last set there. They balanced them and put them on free. Caught a flat a few months later and they patched it up at no cost to me. No buying a warranty either, it comes with the tires as part of the service.

 

[Fishersjohn48]

I have had very good luck with Discount Tire on 82nd in Castleton. Just bought new rims and will be buying new tires soon. The tires were $20.00 each cheaper than any other place I could find.

 

[22rssix]

I would find the best quote and then go to Discount Tire. They will match the quote and they are everywhere, so if you have a blowout etc. you can take it to them and get it replaced. if not save your reciept and they will pay you back for the replacement tire or fix.

I use the discount on lafayette and georgetown(by walmart). The guys at that place seem to be on the ball.

 

[danielocean03]

Indy Tire on W 86th Street, just east of Zionsville Rd, across the road from Squealer's BBQ is a great tire store. They've always been good to deal with in my experience, and it is close to where you are. Discount Tire is good too, and Tire Rack.com is just about unbeatable as a resource for researching everything about different tires. Their user ratings and reviews are just about perfect. I'd recommend looking on Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels, figuring out what suits your needs/budget best and then look locally and see what you can get. Best of luck, I've spent months researching tires.

Feel free to PM me if you need any further help/advice, I'll do what I can for a fellow INGOer in need.

 

[danielocean03]

Oh yeah, nitrogen is an F'ing scam, stay away from anyone peddling that. I've seen dealerships charging upwards of $40 to fill tires with nitrogen with the most ridiculous claims. Pisses me off, dealership/"stiffylube" scams absolutely give us good technicians a bad name.

 

[Denny347]

Oh yeah, nitrogen is an F'ing scam, stay away from anyone peddling that. I've seen dealerships charging upwards of $40 to fill tires with nitrogen with the most ridiculous claims. Pisses me off, dealership/"stiffylube" scams absolutely give us good technicians a bad name.

Especially those high-end dealerships. They're the worst about that stuff.

 

[danielocean03]

Especially those high-end dealerships. They're the worst about that stuff.

Jason, it's like you already know....we don't sell it at mine, but my boss offers it to people at no charge, he feels that it does something, I still maintain that it is BS. We have no way of drawing 100% of the air out of the tire before re inflating with 100% nitrogen either.

It's really a stupid marketing ploy gone horribly wrong and too many people believe in it, just like Obama.

 

[Doug]

Tell them you want to see the D.O.T. number on each of the tires. The last 4 digits tell when the tire was made. For example, 0806 means the tire was made in August of 2006. Don't let them put four or five year old tires on your car. Old tires will crack and may blow out.

Doug

 

[Bigum1969]

Jason, it's like you already know....we don't sell it at mine, but my boss offers it to people at no charge, he feels that it does something, I still maintain that it is BS. We have no way of drawing 100% of the air out of the tire before re inflating with 100% nitrogen either.

It's really a stupid marketing ploy gone horribly wrong and too many people believe in it, just like Obama.

Obama=100% nitrogen.

That explains a lot!

 

[Rookie]

Ebay.

Most larger tire shops will price match. Discount tire sells tires online for a lot less than they will sell them in the store. I bought tires a couple weeks ago, and I took their ebay listing in and told them to price match. They tried to charge sales tax on top of the price match, and I started walking out the door. They said they had to charge sales tax (which I understood), and I told them that they either match the price while including sales tax or I would order them online. Online has free shipping and no sales tax - go figure. Long story short - they match the price while still including sales tax (saved over $200)...

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

I'm a BIG fan of Indy Tire. As far as I know, they have several locations in the city.

What I've done in the past (the last 3x I've tire shopped) is to begin searching at Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels

And once I find the tire that I like, I begin to make phone calls to various places and get price quotes.

Indy Tire has been the best price two out of my 3 shopping trips.

But I do suggest visiting Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels and finding the best tire (can see, via diagram, how each tire performs in the wet, snow, ice, dry, road noise, wear life, etc etc.)

-J-

 

[Biohazard]

Guys, I really appreciate the suggestions for stores.

The web site is exactly what I was looking for.
Danielocean03, I may take you up via PM on some more suggestions on what specific type of tire to get.

My problems is selecting which make/model of tire to get, the place to buy seems easy by comparison. A lot like a new gun buyer trying to decide on brand X or brand Y, then the specific model of that brand. Suddenly I have a lot more empathy for people trying to choose a first pistol or rifle.

 

[Scout]

Support your state economy and buy some BF Goodrich tires, made in Fort Wayne/Woodburn. (Look for a DOT code starting with "BFG")



About nitrogen... Race teams use nitrogen, it doesn't expand as much as ambient air does, therefore it is more stable. They may see a benefit, but most people won't.