Price of tires !!

[D+C4106]

I am considering getting 4 new tires  11R22.5 for our 4106.  Called for pricing on Michelin  XZA-1 and was told $450 plus $22 mounting plus $15 Equal.  Does this pricing seem out of line or have the prices jumped a lot in the last 4 years?  For two grand I am considering the very good looking but older tires to do a few more miles.  Thanks for any input,  Denis

[kyle4501]

I recently had an older tire (that looked great) disintegrate while riding down the road. It gave no warning before failure. (this was a load range E tire on a suburban)

This is why I don't trust old tires.

Is Michelin the only choice offered in your area? What price is offered on other brands?

~4 months ago I got 2 mounted & balanced for $500 at goodyear in Tampa, FL.

[jjrbus]

Geeze Kyle!!  I bought 2 tires in Tampa last year at GCR I paid 752.82 thats mounted, balanced and new stems, plus the tax!! That was after 50 phone calls all over FL over a 3 month period. The only tires I could find in FL for $500 was used. I'm going to need four more for the rear, will you buy them for me???

Not only that, but I am changeing over to 11R 24.5 cause they are a lot cheaper.. These are Dayton all position tires.

On the plus side I sold my 7 year old mounted, 12R 22.5 french junk to a trucker for $400, .

[kyle4501]

Hey Jim, It was my buddy,Vern, that got 'em for me. The tires were made by goodyear but branded something else. 22.5 rim. 
The 'name brand' tire will usually carry a higher price.

These tires rode GREAT (put on steers) for the trip from Okeechobee up to SC. I crossed my fingers concerning the rear 8 tires. They held air & had good tread, so we hit the road & kept it around 60 mph & had an uneventful trip - tire wise. 

[DSweet]

We put new wheels and tires on our 4104 this spring.  New Wheels were $107.00 ea.  Tires were 299.00.
Tires are Dunlop, it pays to look around and not settle for a price just because it is a name brand.  We
got our tires from a local tire company in Atwater, Ca.  Just beware of cheapie rubber and check the dates
on the tires, the more recent the date the better. BTW, the new tires are all position most for a quieter ride.
Blessings,
David

[NJT 5573]

Toyo is not my favotrite, but for the money and the milage they run, they are the best deal on the market. 127s are just under $300 in 11R:24.5

[jjrbus]

I need new friends  

[niles500]

Just before I left on my trip in May - looked at the Michelin's with almost 90% tread on them - small weather checks - dang - called up and they wanted almost $1000 per tire (xza1's) mounted and balanced taxes etc. (I didn't bother shopping that price as there was no way it was going to be that much lower elsewhere) - I ended up using the inside drives for tags as they had no checks - 6 new Kumho 315/80 22.5 model KRS-03 for $2600 total out the door - I saw his wholesale on them was right at $350 per tire and he went and got them - sold the 6 used tires for $600 -

My report on these tires with 8k miles so far is as follows:

1) the Mich's had 22 ply tread and these have 18 I believe

2) the Mich's were load rated at over 9000 lbs while these are about 8300 lbs

3) the side wall on the Kumhos is a little thicker but I believe if I had changed shocks (that need it) the ride would not be much rougher than the Mich's

4) I'd love to go with 11R or 12R tires but can't find anything with enough load rating

5) I did make the dealer get dates in 2008 - quite a lot in the news lately about stale dated tires - I'd recommend you demand to see the manufacture date before they install - If your gonna pay that kind of money you need to get every last day out of them - FWIW

If you haven't bought tires lately you may be in for a shock!

[HighTechRedneck]

If you haven't bought tires lately you may be in for a shock!

And I just have to wonder what the actual material/production cost is in one.  Part of the increase is no doubt related to the rising cost of crude oil.  They take a three fold hit:  ingredient, heat source during production, transportation cost.

But I suspect that possibly an even bigger chunk of the price increase is their liability insurance rates going sky high due to the industry's recent blunders and the resulting high dollar lawsuits.

[cody]

quick question, how do we read the date codes?

[HB of CJ]

Dunno about your tire price $quote$ being OK or sossss.  Haven't bought new tires in a long time.  Have your considered trying your local, friendly, heavy duty truck wrecking/recycling yard for good used "take offs" taken off retired/wrecked highway tractors that do not need them anymore?

Lots of times (nearly?) they have good used take offs complete with excellent condition Alcoa wheels as a package deal.  Usually the tires will have at least 50% tread remaining. (or more)  Something to do with liability or something.  Awhile back I turned down a "deal" for ten (10) Michliens on Alcoas mounted.

Anyway, just a consideration from outside the box thinking.  Since trucks run lots of miles quickly, the age question may not enter into things.  I for one have found your local, friendly heavy duty truck wrecking/recycling yard to be a neat place to visit---on a regular basis.  Good luck. 

[kyle4501]

From the WWW,

The date of manufacture is indicated by the last group of digits in the DOT manufacture code on the sidewall of the tire. The number is often stamped in a recessed rectangle. The DOT code tells who manufactured the tire, where it was made and when. The last group of digits in the code is the date code that tells when the tire was made.

Before 2000, the date code had three digits. The first two digits are the week of the year (01 = the first week of January). The third digit (for tires made before 2000) is the year (1 = 1991).

Since 2000, it has had four. The first two digits are the week of the year (01 = the first week of January). For most tires made after 2000, the third and fourth digits are the year (04 = 2004).

If the date code is 8PY0806. The 8PY is a manufacturing shift code, and the date the tire was actually made was 0806, which is the 8th week (08)in the year 2006 (06).


EDIT-
There was a typo - the 0 was omited.
Thanks redneck 

[JohnEd]

JJR,

I visited my friendly tire shop about 6 months ago.  While there I asked the owner if 24.5s were cheaper than 22.5s and he said that that used to be true.  He said that there was so much call for 22.5s that the price differential had disapeared.  Would a tire sales man lie to me about tires?  Figure the odds and perish the thought .  He also told me that 22.5s rolled easier and were lighter and that that added up to slightly better fuel efficiency.  I thought rolled easier was patently false on the surface of it.

How much did you save by going to 24.5's?

John

[luvrbus]

Fwiw the 22.5 is the standard of the world no where will you find a 24.5 except in the USA and most manufacturers here have gone back to the 22.5

[TomC]

Consider BFGoodrich-made by Michelin only cheaper.  Good Luck, TomC