Car Tire Newb - please help

[ryan_8099]

It is looking like I have to buy a couple of tires for my 2002 Ford Focus ZTS and I have been pretty naive when it comes to buying tires in the past and am looking to learn/save some money. Provided the flat can't be patched - Do you recommend tirerack.com to save some money on tires? If so, what are the brands to watch out for or to buy? This is a summer car only, so I'm not necessarily needing anything for the snow here in Wisconsin. It seems as though buying tires locally is a lot more expensive than some of the tire prices I've seen there.

Thanks for your help!

[slipperyrockTKE300]

I recently went thru this.

I ended up buying 4 Bridgestone Turanza with Serenity Plus.

Awesome tire. Made a world of difference in handling and especially with wet roads.

I like them better than the Michelin MXV4 they replaced.

[sandm]

if you were buying specialty tires for a sports car or some oversize off road tires, I would encourage you to shop online. for what I'll call basic entry level commuter tires on a car that requires nothing special, shop your local tire shop and possibly walmart and buy what you feel comfortable with. for tires that should last 50-60k miles on a basic car, the peace of mind having a local shop for warranty/free rotation/flat repairs should be worth a few $$ in pricing. I paid $325 for the last set of 4 for my '94 accord and with 2 years on them, they are still going strong, and that's from a local tire shop(when we lived in boise)..
good luck..

[ryan_8099]

Thanks, that helps!

[kaneboats]

I use tire rack about half the time. On the little front wheel drive cars I like to buy just two at a time and throw 2 away. Of the cheaper tires, I like the Kumho ones because they usually have excellent wet traction, which is important in FL, and good heat resistance. I'll get them mounted and balanced at WalMart or another local place. Usually if I buy a whole set I go to Discount Tire.

[uniwarking]

I believe Ford dealerships will either match or beat competitive shop prices. I've always been a Goodyear guy myself...


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[patrick232]

Ryan,

Tires are a crap shoot. The tire companies make the same tire name for many places, but the mileage warranty and other items change. Sam's, Walmart, Costco have special ones made for them, since the are so big.

Depending on the type of driver you are I would go cheap since it's a 10 year old car and you might not have a need for 60K tires.