The Best Way to Buy Tires

I never thought I would buy tires for my vehicles using the internet, but I did. And I'm very glad I did! Having lost the urge to sniff that new car smell years ago, my wife and I have older vehicles: a 1996 Chevrolet Silverado pickup and a 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue. Don't laugh. Our car payments are zero and as the commercial says, "I'm loving it!"

After searching online for replacement wheels for my truck, I came across a company called The Tire Rack. They sell tires, wheels, suspensions, brakes, etc., online. I started playing with their web site and was totally impressed. As an online consumer, you know how frustrating a lot of the web sites can be. The products can be fantastic but the online experience makes you want to blow your brains out. Not true with this company.

First, I'll describe their easy web site navigation for product searches:

- if this is your first time at the site, you start with the "shop by vehicle"
- select the make and model year, then the model
- then, you select which product you are looking for by choosing one of the following: tires, wheels, brakes, suspension, lighting, wipers
- there's also an option to select packages, such as Tire and Wheel Package, or Winter Tire and Wheel Package
- after making your selection, you are taken to a page that shows the original equipment for your vehicle
- from there, you have a lot of options to choose from. In this case, I selected tires and I can click on "view all tires this size" or "view all sellers".

When you find the item(s) you are looking for, you can also click on "save this vehicle". Then, the next time you return to the The Tire Rack site, you can simply click on your saved vehicle selection and you bypass all the initial steps you did earlier. It really speeds things up.

Another neat feature when buying wheels is their "view on vehicle" selection. After selecting a wheel, you click on "view on vehicle" and it shows a side view of your vehicle with the wheels you selected. It gives you a very good idea of how your new wheels will look on your vehicle.

Rather than going to a tire dealer that will sell you one brand (theirs). The Tire Rack stocks a wide range of manufacturer's products so you have a lot of flexibility for your purchase. One of the best features on their site is the wealth of information they provide to assist your decision making. They include important, detailed notes on the item and educational material on tires, wheels, etc. If you are unsure of anything, call them. They are very accommodating and their customer service is superb.

Because I live in a snow belt in upstate New York, I wanted to choose tires that would go through deep snow and also have good traction on ice. Every tire listed on the site has customer reviews. I zeroed in on the people from snow-prone areas to see how they fared with the particular brand I was considering. It was extremely helpful to me for making the right choice. The customer feedback seems real and unbiased, as I saw negative reviews on some of the other brands.

When I bought my winter tire and wheel package, they mounted and balanced them before shipping. I had the delivery by UPS on the second day, exactly as advertised. You then have the option of installing them yourself or taking them to your own mechanic. For guys, it's no problem removing and replacing the wheels/tires. For women, I would advise having it done by a dealer or male friend as the weight of the wheel and tire can be heavy.

I had to call them for information on my wife's car and it was a refreshingly enjoyable experience. The rep I spoke with was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. He also was not based overseas like much of the outsourcing done by other companies.

There's way too much information to list in this article. Their low prices, tons of choices and superb service make them your ideal tire dealer. Check out their web site at www.tirerack.com and play with the menu selections. You'll actually have fun doing it!

PS: if you have aluminum alloy wheels that you are replacing, save them and take them to a junk dealer. Thanks to China and India's demand for metals, I walked away with $40 in cash!