After sleeping on it for a night, I called three places for tires. NTB, Merchants and Goodyear. Specifically I was looking for Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires, which were the top-ranked all-season tire for regular driving by Consumer Reports. They were ranked in the middle for performance tires.
I called all three shops and only the Goodyear store had them in stock. I decided not to go with patching the tire or replacing just two for several reasons.
1) I hated the old tires. I felt like I slipped a lot on curves.
2) There was a blister on the tire with the puncture.
3) “Plugging” a tire isn’t done by shops as often anymore because of liability reasons.
4) The tires were almost out of warranty.
5) Getting two would only confuse me later about rotating and which ones were the ones to replace, etc.
I still haven’t really had a chance to try them out. The new VA traffic fines are making everyone drive abnormally [or normally]. I did take one curve at a higher speed than I normally did in the old tires and was able to stay with the turn a lot better. I think once it rains, I will really feel the difference.
Currently there is a deal that if you buy four tires in a set you can get $20-$100 in a Visa gift card. You have to mail away for it, but that will bring my total down under $700.
I know Jim is a fan of buying tires at Costco, but I didn’t see the point of a membership and driving all the way out to the suburbs to find a Costco with a garage. (The Pentagon Costco is a crazy zoo. You pay for parking and spend 30 minutes just waiting for a spot to open.) Again, like the library, their hours weren’t what I needed, but Goodyear opens at 6:30am and I was in the door by 8am because I needed a little more sleep. (I did call them at 7am when the NTB opened and called the Merchant’s last because I was calling them before the store opened.)
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You have purchased some excellent tires, and IMO they’re well worth the price. I put a set on my Subaru last November and have been very, very pleased.
I was skeptical about buying Goodyear, as both my trucks came with Wrangler RT/S tires and they were horrible. Luckily, the TripleTreads don’t share any of the same engineering.
I was looking at the tripletreds. I’ll check back for an update on the handling on slippery roads.
Excellent choice on the tires! I researched at CR and a lot online too. Best choice that I have made in a while! I put them on my Mustang Convertible and they are just what I was looking for. The tires are quiet, ride good, last a long time, and are great in the snow/rain. Plus they have the coolest tread pattern ever!!! They are about 4 times better than the original tires that came on it.
Just an FYI, if you make a purchase at the Pentagon Row Costco, you can get your parking ticket stamped, and that gives you I believe two free hours. I shop there about once a month and have never had to pay for parking. I however do not dwaddle in the store.
Just an FYI, for about the last 15 years, I have been buying used tires from reputable used tire dealers. They usually charge me about $140 – $150 to replace ALL FOUR of my pick-up truck tires.
Most new pickup tires are $175 – $225 EACH! These tires are pulled off totalled cars or cars that have upgraded to luxury tires.
But, other than having a few hundred miles on them, they are usually perfect tires. The last guy I went to threw in a spare tire for free. I just carried it in the back of my truck for two years and then, luckily when I got a flat last week, I pulled had it installed on the rim for just $25 bucks!
In any case, I highly recommend you find a good used tire dealer and try them out. I usally call about a week ahead of time with my tire measurements to give them time to find exactly what I need.