Recommendation for new tires
 

My car is 6 years old but only has 30,000 miles on it. However, I was told I need new tires, I assume this is due to "dry rot" even though my car spends most of the time in the garage.

Anyway, I need new tires, but Honda dealership wanted over $700 for tires on a Honda Fit, very small car/tires.

Can you recommend a reputable place? I know NOT to go to Tire Choice, but is another tire shop like Tire Kingdom or something like that best or a local garage like Wildwood tire or even just go to Walmart or Sam's Club

Thank you for your advice

We always use Costco or Sam's to get tires, but having said that have not purchased locally yet. Their tire septs are normally very efficient and good

Get a second opinion at a tire store. Doubt you need them if the tread is good. Double doubt if Jenkins said that. Recently the Goodyear store price matched Sams club for me. Wildwood Tire and Sumter Tire are highly rated .

Walmart on 466 has a good tire department and priced right.

I bought 4 new Michelin tires for my SUV several months ago. I got prices from Wildwood Tire, Sumter Tire, Goodyear near Home Depot, and Firestone on Rt 466. Sam's Club did not have any tires for my vehicle. The prices ranged from $925 to $1,160, for the exact same tires. I bought them from Firestone for $925.

I have had great service and very good prices from Wildwood Tire (very close to 301 on 44).

Also, go to www.tirerack.com, there you can look at prices and rating for various tires, and pick what you feel is best. The last time I did this, Wildwood Tire was actually able to beat the price, or get tires with higher ratings at the same price as what i was looking at.

GOODYEAR. Most of my life. No problem yet.

It may be tentative, but tires do have an expiration date. There is a general consensus that most tires should be inspected, if not replaced, at about six years and should be absolutely be swapped out after 10 years, regardless of how much tread they have left.

I had similar issue tire dealer would rotate tires refused to spin balance due to age and signs of cracking on sidewall.

Please tell me what you "double doubt Jenkins said" Why in the world would I lie about that?

Barnett tire in Leesburg. Family owned for generations. Knowledgeable, with competitive pricing. Used them for our 15 years here.

So if your car sits mainly in the garage, and you don't drive long distances, and you don't put lots of miles on the car at 5K per year, then don't buy expensive tires. by the cheapest set of tires you can, as you are neither wearing them out nor demanding high performance.

You should target no more than $100 per tire

There's a few areas I try not to skimp maintenance wise on a vehicle, tires are one of them. You don't have to pay a fortune to get highly rated tires and one area living in Florida I'm very focused on is their wet weather rating. The difference in the rain could end up 'saving' you in the long run. Favorite tire? Michelin, but specific tires not their entire range. Bang for the buck? Cooper, most made in the U.S.A. not China and do well in most rating categories.

Michelin tires, hands down.
Great tires

BTW. Sam's club will order any tire for you. Free mounting, tire rotation for life, and free puncher repair for free,
all this at any Sam's club nation wide.

Watch for a sale from time to time.

Walmart.

IMO that’s good if don’t plan on no long road trips and just putting around villages and check tire pressure monthly. That’s when most likely old tires (1 out 4) fail on long road trips.

Poster is not doubting that Jenkins told you that you need tires. Poster is doubting that you actually do need tires, implying that Jenkins is lying to you to make a hefty sale.

FWIW: I also have a Honda Fit (2017 w/43,000 miles) and Jenkins told me two service appointments ago that I should probably get new tires next time. When "next time" came around (and I hadn't driven very much) they told me I didn't need them yet. I was glad to hear that because at that point I was not sure how long I would keep the car.

I'm thinking of taking some road trips soon and I might buy new tires one of these days just to be on the safe side. We have more or less decided to keep the car for a couple more years so why not bite the bullet ...

Good luck with your car.

kathy

If the tires are still within their wear life, they probably don't need replaced. I had a set of TOYO LT tires on my 04 Dodge Ram 2500. They were made in 2006. I sold the truck a few months back, with the same set of tires on it. Yes, they were dry rotting, but they held the road just fine. I used the truck for trips to the dump and to plow snow. Neither of which involved getting more than 20 miles away from home so I kept them on there. They had probably 40k miles in 15ish years and still almost an 1/2 inch of tread left.

Go to Wildwood tire and ask them to look at your tires to see if you need to replace them. They have always been great to work with and honest. They aren’t just a tire store they are a full service automotive shop and open Saturdays til noon

Tires
 

In order of preference
Wildwood tire
Barnett tire
Pep boys
Walmart


Tires definitely do dry rot and the plies can separate depending on the brand of tire you have. If your eyes are bad dry rot and show itself by having the air pressure at lower and lower over the course of several days or weeks. If you use your car sparsely and the only things you should be concerned about are the ratings for a wet traction and you can get yourself a car with a lower guarantee for mileage. I once made a mistake of getting a 90,000 mile tire but only putting on about 30,000 miles over the course of 6 years and I overpaid by 50%. Most good tire brands even on their low end tires will guarantee for 40 or 50,000 miles. However most guarantees are really worthless as they will prorate everything. PS make sure the tires you buy are not made in China but are either made in the US France or Korea as there are many brands especially if you go to Walmart from China. Good tires can be had between $400 and $800 for a set of four

Pep Boys do a good fair priced job, we have used them.

WalMart. Got Goodyear tires with 60k warrantee, mounted, lifetime balance & rotate, out the door for $500 for a Subaru Forester, a much larger car than a Honda Fit. Also, Sumter Tire, either location in Wildwood, was very good with my previous car, a Chevy Malibu.

Wildwood Tire always seems to be in the ballpark. They are family-owned and always fair. Had dealership tell I needed a new tire due to a nail. Wildwood was able to repair and saved be a bundle. The tires on my last new car only lasted about 18,000 miles. I am told the issue is the roundabouts. They wear out your tires faster. And it wasn't Wildwood that said I needed them, it was me going to them saying the tread was already worn out.

Second opinion is definitely in order. 30k on the tires is prolly 1/2 their useful life. The car being in the garage has protected the tires from harmful UV rays which enhance rubber deterioration. If your peace of mind is an issue, look for a sale. There's always a sale.

40K in 15yr = 3K per year on a truck tire is different than a passenger vehicle with safety factors. Totally apples and oranges. You don't go to Orlando or Georgia, and the Honda might venture out at 60 mph

The OP has a lower safety factor tire being on a passenger car, drives more miles than your sample size 1 at 20 mile radius, and is looking to replace tires for safety reasons. Safety is a hidden cost, because it avoid something that might happen, but one can't prove a future event happening or not.

Having worked in dangerous industries where I knew people who died at work and innocents perished due to poor safety decisions, his decision to buy tires has less risk for his use, but he shouldn't overpay for the level of safety

I just put 4 Bridgestone tires on my Honda Civic at Costco. You should never skip on brakes or tires

We did some price comparisons and went with Pep Boys on 42 (next to the Circle K and in front of the Publix) and were quite pleased.

My wife's tires have always dry rotted. Many years ago steal belt slipped due to tire rot. We replace tires about every 5 to 6 years based on appearance of rubber. Dangerous to drive on interstate in August with old tires.

Well I can't make much of a place recommendation, I go over to the coast for mine. You should be fine with a Honda dealer, really the pricing isn't all that much different any more.

More important is the tire. Brands do matter in Florida, as the brands that last better meaning less wear and rot are (in no particular order) Pirelli, Bridgestone, Toyo. Overall road comfort is important as you don't require nitrogen fill either - these 3 are the best of the breed,

Not dry rot
 

6 year old tires should not have dry rot. Use the Lincoln penny test to check the thread, and question the motive of whoever said you need new tires. Were they trying to sell you something? Still in doubt? Go over to Sumter Tire in Wildwood.

Tire Rack
 

Tires do age out. I bought a used thunderbird. The car felt unstable and slipped out going around corners. I didn't need a tire store to tell me I needed new tires.

If you are serious about buying the correct tire for your Honda, google Tire Rack and use their "find the right tire" tool. II doubt you will be doing, high-speed driving, auto crossing, or driving on a lot of snow and ice. But there are still other factors to consider in your choice. Tire Rack has more choices at more prices than you will find anywhere. You don't have to buy from them, but llocal stores are more than happy to install the drop-shipped tires and recycle your used tires. BTW I have no financial interest in Tire Rack, or this post.

First of all if you do need tires? I would only replace the two front tires for now because the front tires do the steering and a flat in the front is more dangerous then in the rear

The Truth About Tire Treadwear - Consumer Reports

Check out the sidewall picture for codes of your tire. I've had original tires wear out before 30K.

I trust Sumter Tire and Auto in Wildwood to be honest with you. I buy most tires at Costco or Sams.

You can also go to TireRack.com to see what tires they recommend for your car. A tire is not a tire.

tires-easy dot com

Good luck in trying to get anyone to answer the phone in the garage!! I guess, if you are serious about getting new tires at Sams Club, better to go there in person.

Wildwood Tire
 

We have used Wildwood tire for years and always find their prices to be competitive. Service is great and they are a family owned, family run business. We get tires for my BMW, my husband’s Dodge Ram truck and our 38 foot 5th wheel. Their advice on changing the type of tires we were using on our RV saved us from the blowouts that used to plague us on the road.

Wildwood tire or Sams.

I could have written this same comment with the exception of the BMW.

Tires
 

Go to Tire Round-UP across from the 5 Min. Oil Change on 441 in Lady Lake. Jeff Grover (owner) will give you a fair price and he is an excellent, honest, mechanic.