Getting used car tires can save you tons of money over buying new. There are many places that sell used tires for cars. You need to understand the risks and assess the safety of a tire. In this article I will discuss how I find places that sell used car tires near me, how to choose the right tire, scams to watch out for, and some general info to help you make good decisions.
Map of Used Car Tires Near Me
If you are searching for “Used Car Tires Near Me”, see the map below for locations…
Who Sells Used Car Tires Near Me
There are various business types that sell second hand tires for automobiles including cars, trucks, and motorcycles.. These include tire salvage yards, car junkyards, tire repair shops, re-treaders, wholesale discount used tire stores, and online used tire retailers. Each of these places has there pros and cons. For example a tire salvage yard will have the largest inventory, the cheapest price, but the lowest quality and huge stacks of tires to sort through. An online retailer will have the higher priced tires, but higher quality condition and easier to sort through inventory.
To find who sells used car tires near me, you can check Google and Yelp, to get a variety of places that sell them locally. A word of caution is that you should never buy second hand tires from someone you don’t trust.
Buying Used Car Tires Locally vs Buying Them Online
In my experience its better to buy used tires in person at a local place. I like the ability to assess the condition of the tires myself. Depends on where you go you may find a helpful sales person who can give some insight into the condition, speak a bit about the model of the tire, help you find a set, and negotiate a price with. This isn’t always the case with a local tire shop in your area and never the case at an auto salvage. The main benefit of buying used car tires locally is checking out the tire with your own eyes. To do this yu should have a basic understanding of tires first.
Buying them online is easy and I often feel that you find higher quality grade of tires. Some places though do shady business. When they tell you there is 60% of the tread left, there may be 40% left. If you decide to order used car tires online, make sure you read reviews and testimonials. There is only one place I tend to order from, here.
How Much Do They Cost
Used tires are cheap when compared to the original manufacturers price. You can generally find about 30 to 50% off the original price depending on the brand, the quality, the age, how many you are purchasing, and the amount of tread left.
Different places of course will have different prices. There are some places that cost a little more because they do a multiple point inspection on the tire both when they get it and when they sell it. Prices at the used car tire shops near me range from $25 to $150 for a single tire.
The shop that sells used car tire near me I can get a set of 4 Goodyear Eagle tires for $250 with about 60% tread left. Those tires go for $500 brand new.
Additional costs you may encounter are getting them installed and mounted.
How Much Mileage Will I Get
Mileage on any tire is always hard to predict because it matters how you drive and how much tread was left when you purchased it. If there is 40 to 70% of the tread left, thats alot of mileage still to be driven.
If you are serious about estimating the amount of mileage remaining you can get the original tread depth from the manufacturer and the estimated mileage. Then calculate the depth of tread depth remaining on the used tire as a percentage of the original depth and multiple the percentage against the mileage prediction from the manufacturer. This will give you an estimate of how many miles are left in the used car tires.
New vs Used
When considering new vs used, you need to weight the pros and cons.
There is nothing like a new set of sneakers for your car. They have all the benefits like a full tread and a manufacturers warranty. New tires offer premium traction and stick to the road which also give you piece of mind. The downside of course is that they are super expensive and even more so if you are buying a premium brand. It makes sense to buy used tires if you can afford them and you need the safest set of tires.
Used tires for your car on the the other hand are cheap. They however lack the warranty, the tread depth, and the government safety regulations. Used tires makes sense if you are on a budget, at the end of a lease, or only need to replace one tire. The key to getting all the benefits of saving money from used car tires though lies in your ability to choose tires in good condition.
The Dangers of Second Hand Tires
While you will find car tires with plenty of life left in them, understand that you will find many that are dangerous. Tires with low tread depth will increase your chances of sliding or hydroplaning on wet roads, spinning in the snow, and stopping quickly even on a dry road.
Even aside from tread wear there is a lot to consider when assessing a tire for safety. Used tires have defects, punctures, plugs, and patches all which weaken the tires ability to be stable. Many of these issues you can’t see with an untrained eye.
If you happen to find a good set of used run flats, you don’t want to put them on a vehicle without a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). These tires will run flat and could overheat if they have zero pressure in them, which you wouldn’t know without a TPMS.
Lack of government regulation is what makes buying used tires so prevalent and dangerous. There is NO legal standard of collection, inspection, and returns. Many used tire shops or salvages will sell you unsafe products. Hell, they may even try and dupe you into buying worn out tires, you must watch out for scams.. It is up to you to understand how to evaluate it for safety. Even affordable used tires need to be safe
What to Consider When Buying Used Car Tires
There are many factors to consider when choosing used car tires. First and foremost you should make sure you actually need replacements. If you do, most people gravitate towards price as the first consideration, but you should think about safety first and price of the tire second. This is much more true when buying used tires for your vehicle then new tires.
How to Choose the Right Size for Your Car
The most common tire buying mistake is getting the wrong size or load rating for your automobile. To find out what size you need you can look at the sticker on the inside panel of your driver side door or check the vehicles owners manual. Then you need to look for used tires that meet these minimum requirements. To determine if the tire meets the specs for your car you have to look at the alphanumeric code on the sidewall of the tire.
It will look something like this:
P1205/65R15 94H M+S
- P – Type of tire (in this case “P” for passenger vehicle)
- 205 – Width of the tire measured across the tread in millimeters (mm)
- 65 – Aspect ratio of the sidewall as compared against the tire width
- R – Radial construction (aka radial-ply)
- 15 – Diameter of the rim in inches (in)
- 94 – Tire’s load rating
- H – Tire’s speed rating
- M+S – Tire is suitable for all-season driving
Since you need car tires the first letter should be “P” which stands for passenger vehicles. All of the other factors are important, nothing is more important than the load rating. Never put a tire on your car that is below the required load rating for your vehicle.
Once you have the correct size tire for your vehicle, the next aspect to inspect is the quality condition. This will be to assess how well the tire will grip the road and provide a safe ride.
How to Assess a Tires Quality
Having a little education in quality assessment goes a long way. While tread depth is critically important, you shouldn’t buy a tire more than 6 years old no matter the tread depth. Additionally I would encourage you to trust your own judgment, most shops and salvages would be happy to sell you anything.
Remember as we mentioned earlier, there are no government safety regulations in most states. There are hundreds of thousands of unsafe tires being sold on the market today.
Here are the main things to consider:
- Tread Depth – 2/32 of an inch and below is legally bald
- Exposed Chords – There shouldn’t be any metal wires coming through the rubber
- Chunking Beads – Look for chunks of missing around the bead
- Separated Belts – Feel for waviness in the sidewalls surface by running your hands over it
- Aging – Check the Tire Identification Number, never buy tires over six years old
- Improper Repairs – Look for punctures, plugs, patches and issues that haven’t been repaired
- Linear Damage – Look inside the inner tire liner for metal wires poking through the rubber
For more details on each of these and more inspection points, read this article here.
After You Buy Second Hand Car Tires…
When you buy second hand tires for your car you should perform a monthly inspection for 4 to 6 months. This is to make sure the tire is holding up structurally and it is safe. I do a visual inspection of the tire to check out the tread and the sidewall. I will also use a few tools to check air pressure, tread depth, and perform any repairs needed. If the tire needs air, I will add it and then closely monitor its ability to hold the PSI.
Additionally you should be prepared to align, balance, and rotate them as part of your regular routine.
Who Buys Used Car Tires Near Me
Where there is an opportunity to buy, there is also an opportunity to sell my tires. Where I get used car tires near me, they negotiate a price for the tires I’m getting rid of. How much you can get paid for used car tires will vary based on tread depth, age, brand, and tire condition. I have gotten between $25 and $65 dollars per tire. If you getting used car tires at the same place you are selling, you can get a bit more per tire if you are doing it like a trade in.
Places that will buy your used car tires include local tire repair shops, re-treaders, wholesale used tire dealers, private owners, and junkyards. In my experience salvages pay the least and my local repair shop pays the most. However my local tire repair near me is very picky about the tires they take in second hand.
Used Car Tires Near Me – Conclusion
There main benefit to getting used tires for a car is saving hundreds of dollars. There are additional benefits such as recycling and reusing as well as using used tires when you are at the end of your lease. While saving money is great, the safety factor can not be ignored. You must be an educated consumer as the used car tire market is buyer beware. There are folks out there that will sell you an unsafe and flat out dangerous tire. That’s what I have learned from buying used car tires near me.