No one wants to be stuck driving a worn-out set of tires and putting anyone in danger.
If you need new wheels, you also don’t want to get fleeced on the price.
Can you plan on buying tires at a certain time of year in order to guarantee the best price?
That’s what a listener of the Clark Howard Podcast recently asked.
Best Time To Buy Tires
Tires are an occasional expense that can put a big damper on that month’s budget if you haven’t planned for it. So it’s natural to want to find the best price.
A listener put the idea to Clark on the Dec. 13 podcast episode.
Asked Karen in Missouri: “When is the best time of year to purchase tires for my SUV?”
Our research shows there is a best time to buy a mattress and a best time to buy a TV. But we haven’t been able to pinpoint the best time to buy tires.
“Tire manufacturers will have promotional cycles where they will offer $160 to $200 off a set of four tires by buying that brand,” Clark says. “And so I think looking for deals at a time you need tires is more important [than time of year].”
While there’s no best time to buy tires, there are best places to buy tires. Our research identified six stores as the best options (along with some pricing information):
Clark also recommends tirerack.com as a price index of sorts.
“Use it as a marker to comparison shop,” Clark says of Tire Rack. “It may even be the best price you’ll find on the tires you want to buy.”
Shopping for Tires Can Be Complicated
Clark remembers a time when, much like TV channels, there were only so many tire brands and sizes. That’s no longer the case.
You’ll need to make sure that you know what your vehicle needs before you make a purchase so you aren’t wasting money.
“Tire shopping is much more complicated than it used to be because of the tremendous variety of vehicles sold today in the United States. The brands and weights of vehicles vary so much,” Clark says.
“Then you have the added complexity. Some cars or SUVs will have a different tire size on the front than they have on the back. So it has become a more complicated, more difficult purchase as you look for tires.”
Final Thoughts
There may not be a best time to buy tires. We haven’t been able to find a pattern.
But you can look for cyclical deals from tire brands. Often you can get up to $200 off a full set of tires if you buy during a promotional period.
You may have to be brand agnostic to a degree, as these promotional periods seem to rotate between brands.
Buying from one of our six recommended tire shops can also help you achieve the best price.
Where do you buy tires? Let us know if the Clark.com community!
