You’re looking for the best places to save on tires so it’s as painless as possible — I get it. Tires aren’t cheap and nobody wakes up excited to drop a few hundred dollars on rubber shoes for a vehicle. But it is important to find the best deals and the best fit for your vehicle. There’s the checking of manufacturer’s recommendations for tire size and type, plus taking into consideration the climate and driving conditions in your area.
Don’t worry! You’re in luck, because between tire coupons, discounts, deals, and price-matching options, you can find the best places—and the best prices—to buy this necessary evil for your car. And to be fair, good tires will save you money in the long run. Because, if they last, you’ll replace them less often.
(Now, if only you knew where to find free air for your tires.)
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1. Know the best places to buy tires (and who has the best deals).
To save on tires, know that prices are generally the same across retailers, before discounts and coupons. The best places to buy tires do not rely on regular prices. For the most part, retailers will offer comparable full price tires. For example, the Michelin Defender LTX M/S tire is a popular model, and it’s within dollars across all the retailers I looked into. However, this is only the case before you apply retailer deals and coupons.
So, it’s less about the single best place to buy tires, and more about what tire coupons are available and where. (This includes price matching!)
Regular prices for Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires (set of four)
- Costco: $847.96
- Walmart: $875.88
- Discount Tire: $848
- Tire Rack: $847.96
- Sam’s Club: $847.96
2. Buy Costco tires based on current promotions, not based on brand.
Costco is one of the best places to save on tires thanks to all the discounts! Costco happens to currently be running a promotion on Michelin, so I’ll keep with that tire example. But when you’re shopping for tires at Costco, keep your options open and go with whatever brand has a deal.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires are $150 off if you include installation. This brings a set of four tires down from $847.96 to the new price: $797.88. And you get installation. You can see how compelling this is when compared with regular prices across the other retailers, right?
Unsurprisingly, you need to be a Costco member to buy tires there. If you’re a BJ’s member instead, BJ’s also offer great deals on tires, especially online.
TIP: Tires with an available offer sell out fast (looking at you, Michelin), so when there’s an offer available, be one of the first in line.
3. Sam’s Club runs Costco copycat deals, so choose the retailer offering the best price.
I’m not saying Sam’s Club does exactly what Costco does. But it’s probably not an accident that during Costco’s $150 off if you get installation promotion, Sam’s is offering $70 off tires.
So, instead of the $847.96 Sam’s Club regular price for Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires, you’d pay $777.96. Note that this is just for the tires, and does not include installation, like Costco’s tire deal. However, you’re saving almost $20 at Sam’s.
A Sam’s Club membership is required to buy tires.
4. Get a price match at Discount Tire — even on a sale price!
Discount Tire is so serious about being the lowest-price option that they’ll match any other price for tires or installation, and they’ll give you the tire savings Costco offers (minus the Costco member savings in warehouse, of course).
So if you miss out on Costco’s deal to save on tires because they ran out of stock, just show Discount Tire Costco’s offer (website is fine) and you’ll get that deal anyway.
If you’re shopping at DiscountTire.com, just tap the “Found it Lower?” button on the tire’s listing,. You can enter the information to get a price match online.
TIP: Sam’s Club members can get price matching on tires. But they won’t honor a promotion — they’ll only match another store’s lower, regular prices.
5. Save on tires at any given time with discounts galore at Discount Tire.
These savings come in the form of mail-in rebates or pre-paid cards for the most part. Some require you to pay with a Discount Tire credit card, so I didn’t include those here. You’ll find deals for brands like Goodyear, Firestone, Cooper, and more. Here are some examples:
- Instant Savings: $110 off Michelin tires
- Rebate: $100 off Goodyear tires
6. Get the best installation prices at Costco Tire.
I’ve been tracking tire and installation prices since 2020, and Walmart used to offer a flat $15 per tire installation fee. It included everything you’d get from the competitors. But, they’ve changed to a sort of a la carte service where you pick and choose what you want. You might be able to get Walmart tire installation for as low as $14, but that’s for only mounting and valves. Compare that with everything you’d get at Costco for a few bucks more and Walmart can’t hang anymore.
Then again, you could always just ask Discount Tire to price match Costco. They’ll give you Costco’s installation pricing if you buy tires from them (Discount Tires). If you happen to have a set of tires you bought online from a random retailer, Discount Tire won’t give you an installation price match.
7. All Sam’s Club members get free flat tire service, no matter where you buy tires.
It’s true — you don’t even have to buy tires at Sam’s Club to get free flat tire service! It’s included in your Sam’s Club membership. Say you were trying to save on tires at a time when Sam’s didn’t have a great deal, you’l justl need to bring your car (with the flat tire) into the warehouse shop. Roadside assistance is not included in this member benefit.
However, roadside assistance is included in the Road Hazard Warranty, which comes with your tire purchase and installation at Sam’s Club.
8. Use Discount Tire’s military discount to get 5% off.
Active duty military, veterans, and their families can get 5% off tires at DiscountTire.com. This discount comes off at the register, no rebate required! If you’re buying online, just verify through ID.me.
Related: You Need These 16 Car Cleaning Hacks in Your Life
9. Just want tires and no installation? Check out all the coupons and deals at TireRack.com.
TireRack.com offers coupons and promotions from multiple manufacturers. You’ll have to buy through TireRack to get the deals, but if you can’t find a deal anywhere else, check it out before you pay full price. Remember, the goal here is to save on tires, and we’ll take those savings wherever we can get ’em. Here are some offers I’ve seen:
- Save $80 instantly when you buy four Falken Azenis tires.
- Get up to $100 back on a set of four Bridgestone tires. The rebate will come in the form of a prepaid Visa card.
- Get up to $100 back on a set of four Goodyear tires — rebate is in the form of a prepaid Mastercard.
- Buy four Continental tires and get a $70 rebate.
10. Or look for rebates and tire coupons on manufacturer websites.
Manufacturers like Goodyear.com, Michelin.com, BFGoodrichTires.com, and others offer promotions directly on their websites. You’ll need to buy tires from one of their approved dealers or tire shops and then submit for the rebate online.
This is another great option for times when you can’t find a store offering a deal.
Here are a few examples I’ve seen:
- Goodyear: $200 back on a set of four tires
- Michelin: $70 off a set of four tires
- BF Goodrich: Up to $70 off a set of four tires
11. Determine what size of tires you need to purchase. Bigger tires are more expensive.
Any time you try and shop for tires online, you’ll be prompted to enter the details about your car, and you’ll probably need a rough idea of your tire size, since many cars have only a few options you can choose from.
Open your driver’s side car door and you’ll see a sticker that looks like the one above. Upon closer inspection, you’ll see “Front” and “Rear” tire sizes. My car is a Subaru Outback and my tire size is P225/60R17.
TIP: If for some reason you have a choice between two sizes, check for tires in both sizes and go with what’s cheaper!
12. Next, pick a type of tire based on what your climate is like.
In order to decide what type of tire you need, you’ll need to look mostly at your local weather.
Three main categories of tires exist: all-season tires, winter tires, or summer tires. Most people go with an all-season tire — that’s the simplest option. And if you don’t live in an area with harsh winters, it’s definitely the way to go!
13. Buy in the fall when you see Black Friday tire deals.
Black Friday is a great time to buy tires, as many retailers offer a better deal than anything you’d see the rest of the year. If you can wait to buy during this time, do it.
Here’s what I saw during Black Friday 2022:
- Sam’s Club: Get up to $140 off a set of four tires from brands like BF Goodrich, Goodyear, and Michelin
- Walmart: Get up to $300 off a set of four Goodyear tires. This was just one deal. Walmart offered a lot of tire discounts across many brands in 2022.
- Costco: Save $150 instantly on a set of four Michelin tires.
- Discount Tire: Get up to $210 instant savings on a set of four tires.
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