Topic: Is this a good price on winter tires?

[whistler]

Hey all... I have been shopping around for winter tires... Narrowed it down to a couple tires I'm interested in... First on the list which seems to review well and be available for a good price is the Bridgestone Blizzak WS70.

Car is a 2011 Taurus SEL with 18 inch wheels 235 55r18... but for the winters I will be getting steel rims so probably downsizing to the Taurus SEs wheel size to save a bit of money, 17 inch 235 60r17.

For the Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 I've been looking at 3 different retailers... There is a local discount tire shop, which has some bad reviews from what I've been able to find online, sells the tires for 176 each, rims for around 70 a piece (not sure if they are hub fitted rims though), install and balance for 80 bucks, not sure how much they would charge for tire pressure monitoring sensors.

A well known Canadian online retailer has the tires for about $188 each, + 22.76 enviro fee, + $40 to ship to a local shop... the price to mount, balance, install, rims, and TPMS I'd have to work out with that shop I guess.

Now, strangely enough, the best deal seems to be from the Ford dealer I use. They quoted $171 per tire + the 22.76 govt enviro fee. Their price for rims is 80 each, slightly high, but those are Ford steel rims which are properly fitted to the hub (vs generic ones that put more stress on the studs).

I am leaning toward the dealer because I deal with them a lot and trust them relatively, no hassle dealing with shipping and getting rims separately, they have the best price on the actual tires, and they would probably be easier to deal with if there turns out to be a problem with the tires. My main question is if I am getting hosed on these charges from the dealer:

They want $110 to install the tires (mount, balance, put on car), and $192 for TPMS sensors ($48 per wheel), is that reasonable?

The entire cost factoring tires + rims + enviro + installation + TMPS = 1329.04.... after HST that works out to 1501.82  .

The last time I had winter tires was on a 2010 Civic and I skipped the TPMS... not sure if I want to do that this time because I don't want to cause any traction control or stability control issues.

[The Mighty Duck]

The price for tires is in the range I'd expect for Blizzaks. I had WS60s on my Fit and they were amazing, can't recommend Blizzaks enough. You might also be interested in Michelin Xice, since they tend to compare favourably with the Bridgestones. I believe CostCo carries both.

The TPMS price seems reasonable. I'd expect ~$60 a tire for the sensors, so $48 sounds like a good price.

$110 for mounting and balancing sounds high. I'd expect $15-20/tire for that. What kind of warranty is the dealer providing on the tires?

[whistler]

Other options at the dealer are Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT for $160/tire, or Michelin Latitude X-Ice 2 for $200/tire. I have been leaning toward the Blizzak because of some reviews I've read though.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=167

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=136

[sailor723]

Dealer price seems reasonable (other than the installation) being about $30 high. I think I'd just go with them. I too can recommend the Blizzaks. Bought a set last year for the Rogue and they worked great!

[johngenx]

$110 for mounting and balancing sounds high.

Depends on where he is.  I've noticed prices vary GREATLY across Canada, from $50-150 for a mount/balance of four tires.  In Alberta (on the top end) a lot of tire shops are now also charging $20-50 for nitrogen (some are charging $2-400 on new cars for it) on top of the install price, and many now make nitrogen mandatory.  Cripes.  It's becoming a scam.

[The Mighty Duck]

Other options at the dealer are Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT for $160/tire, or Michelin Latitude X-Ice 2 for $200/tire. I have been leaning toward the Blizzak because of some reviews I've read though.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=167

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=136

Take the Bridgestone over the Michelin for that price. I thought they'd be closer in price. Blizzaks are awesome, no sense paying more for the XIce.

Depends on where he is.  I've noticed prices vary GREATLY across Canada, from $50-150 for a mount/balance of four tires.  In Alberta (on the top end) a lot of tire shops are now also charging $20-50 for nitrogen (some are charging $2-400 on new cars for it) on top of the install price, and many now make nitrogen mandatory.  Cripes.  It's becoming a scam.

  Out here CostCo will mount and balance your tires and fill them with Nitrogen for $15/tire. That price even includes resetting your TPMS.

[whistler]

I am in Ottawa... the install cost is probably due to the higher labour cost at dealer... I already knew they were a bit more expensive than the average shop but I have a 5 year free oil/filter with them from when I bought the car so I get minor stuff done there sometimes and the prices are a bit higher.

I am sending out a few online quote requests to a other local places but if the labour is the only thing that is a little overpriced I can live with it. It seems like the savings of any online retailer (which seem to be the same price or more expensive anyway) would just get eaten away by the shipping costs.

[Brig]

If you're in Ottawa, I'd go with Bridgestones.  Chunkier tread is better for your type of winter season.  I'm in the GTA, lakeside (not a lot of snow, more slush), so the Michelins are perfect here. 

And, don't just rely on online pricing for what you want.  I thought I was going to have to shell out almost $200 a tire for the Michelins.  When I called my local Active Green & Ross, they looked them up, and there was a rebate on top of a mail-in rebate.  I ended up paying about $140 a tire, plus the cost of steelies with balancing.

[whistler]

Yeah one of the things I noticed with the online customer reviews for the Bridgestone is that a lot of the people that loved them are in Eastern Ontario... I commute 60km at 5:30 am before the traffic has helped clear a path and had a few close calls last year on all seasons. I've heard good things about the Toyo Observe as well which are $202 + tax + shipping on 1010 tires but I am pretty set on the cheaper Bridgestone.

[johngenx]

  Out here CostCo will mount and balance your tires and fill them with Nitrogen for $15/tire. That price even includes resetting your TPMS.

Same here.  Costco's "Canada pricing" policy means that they're super cheap in Alberta.

[blur911]

  Out here CostCo will mount and balance your tires and fill them with Nitrogen for $15/tire. That price even includes resetting your TPMS.

Same here.  Costco's "Canada pricing" policy means that they're super cheap in Alberta.

I left Costco when they changed their policy so that they would only  mount tires you bought there.  It was just $8 there a few years ago, then one day they wouldn't swap over my race tires any more so I cancelled my membership.