Comparing Wheels and Tires Online

These days, you can shop for just about anything online including wheels and tires. But like any other online purchase, you need to be sure just what that online price includes. Online-only as well as traditional tire stores have websites that make it fairly easy to choose the type of tires and wheels you want (all you really need to know is the make and model of your vehicle), but they vary wildly in what they include with the price you see listed.

Online-Only Stores
Online-only stores have some of the lowest list prices you are liable to come across. But keep in mind that with online-only stores, you get the wheels and tires you ordered and that’s about it. Once you receive them, you still need to find a place to install them on your car or truck – which will result in another charge. Most online tire retailers also charge for shipping and handling on top of the listed price. In addition, if you have warranty issues, you will have to pay for shipping to get the tires or wheels back to the company or to the manufacturer.

Online-only tire and wheel stores are often the best option for repair garages that occasionally need to install them for a client, or for companies that operate a fleet of vehicles and have the facilities to maintain them in-house.

Traditional Tire Store Sites
Often a better bet for the average driver, is to shop the online sites of traditional tire stores that have a physical location in their area. That way the shopper can be assured that along with getting the wheels and tires they want, they’re also getting professionals to install them -- often already included in the price. Traditional tire and wheel stores also will handle warranty issues for their customers, saving the cost and hassle of shipping them back to a manufacturer.

The “Extras”
When comparing traditional tire store prices online beware --just because a store includes installation doesn’t mean that will be the price you’ll end up paying. Many stores have an extra charge for essentials like balancing and valve stems, even though you wouldn’t install new tires without them.

One store makes the process a little easier by offering what they call an “out the door with more” price. It includes not only everything you need to motor out in confidence with your new wheels and tires, but also many items that will give you peace of mind and save you money down the road. The list of items included in their advertised price:

* Nitrogen Inflation
* Mounting
* Lifetime Spin Balancing
* Hand Torque of Wheels
* Rubber Valve Stems
* Tire Disposal
* Lifetime Tire Rotation
* Lifetime Flat Repairs
* Lifetime Alignment Checks
* Pro-Rated Road Hazard Warranty

The first item on the list, “Nitrogen Inflation” not only makes it much easier to maintain proper tire pressure (even with fluctuations in temperature), it results in much longer tire life. A nice feature that many tire stores don’t offer at any price.

The Bottom Line
Regardless of which tire and wheel store you choose to shop online or offline, the bottom line is to be sure you know exactly what their listed price does and does not include. The lowest price may not necessarily be the best deal.

About Belle Tire
Allen Park, Mich.-based Belle Tire was founded in 1922 when it opened the first Belle Tire location in Detroit, Mich. Today, the company has expanded to 80 locations across Michigan and Ohio. Belle Tire offers discount tires and variety of car care needs, ranging from auto glass repair, auto glass replacement, brakes, alignments, batteries, shocks and struts, exhaust system repair, batteries, and oil changes. For more information about Belle Tire, visit http://www.belletire.com/. Join the Belle Tire Advantage today, http://belletireadvantage.com/.