Where to buy tires
 

I need four Hankook RS-3 tires, 255/40/17. I want to buy from a vender that supports this site.

Suggestions, Veders welcome to pm me.

Part of the problem is that many smaller shops will simply buy tires from Tire Rack due to cost.

-alex

^ was just about to suggest tirerack.

Discount tire give me amazing service locally. Though tire racks website is much better.

I have the same problem...

I prefer to buy my tires and have them mounted at Costco. They are very careful with alloys (never scratched one after buying 6 sets of tires) and every set I've bought from them were mounted perfectly (no imbalance and only 1PSI drop per month or two).

But Costco will only sell/mount the tire size that originally came on the car.

I want to go to 16 inch wheels. Ironically, 225/50-16 tires have a higher load rating than the stock size and so should be safer. But Costco won't do it and I don't know where would be a good place to go.

I've been to Discount Tires once; only once because they knackered up one of my rims which I didn't notice until I got home. So I want to avoid going there if possible...

Have you actually tired talking to your local tire shop?
Depending on which tire manufacturer they carry they cloud have a better deal or the same as tire rack. Or at lest save on shipping.

But yeah most likely they will have to order it regardless.

Any reputable local smaller shop around your area should be good. Ask around your local subforum sections for some shoutouts.

Look for deals on Ebay from larger vendors like Discounttiredirect and even Tire Rack themselves . This is one of the only ways I've seen to match or beat Tire Rack standard internet pricing while paying less shipping and/or no tax

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw...+RS-3&_sacat=0

I have a local tire dealer that will mount and balance for me, I use him because he has Nitrogen, BUT, he can't get me the RS-3s I want.

If you show up with wheels with tires already on them I believe Costco will mount up same size tires to those wheels, not ideal but if you can find a local shop you trust you can bring the wheels to Costco from then on.

You can buy from Tirerack and have them shipped directly to his shop or your house and he will likely be happy to do the install per the usual fee. That's how I did my Direzza ZII SS.

I use http://www.tirebuyer.com/, which my local shop suggested, had them shipped to them, and they installed.

TireRack usually has deals with the manufacturers to directly supply these extreme performance summer tires. I believe this includes the Hankook RS3s. In my case, I went to a Goodyear store to buy the Dunlop Direzza Z2s (Goodyear owns Dunlop). Shop said they source exclusively to TireRack for sale.

I also think TireRack is a good vendor to support. They of course support grassroots motorsports events like SCCA and others.

Small shops are usually quite willing to villify an 'evil empire' corporation that's screwing them out of business.

All the shops I've spoken with seem quite happy to let Tire Rack carry the large inventory and ship out the tires they only sell a few times a year. Yeah they may loose a couple bucks on each tire vs. when they were supplying their own but all the money is in labor rates these days anyway, they probably get more business by being able to get their hands on >90% of potential options, unlike OP's local guy who can't get RS3's.

Hmmm... I didn't think to ask them this. I will ask the next time I go. I am also planning to go -1 with my IS300 which just happens to have practically the exact same size wheel and tire. Too bad FRS-BRZ is 5X100 vs. IS300's 5X114...

Ahh! Good idea!