Where do you guys get your rims or tires?

[aoisora]

Hello guys,

Could anyone tell me where do you guys get your rims and tires at reasonable price and good selection?

I know wheelsdirect at Scarborough is one of the top choice, but I want to compare to other places. How about those two inside Pacific Mall? Formula and Auto Sport Accessories? Any comments?

[IoannI]

Tires I either get at Crappy Tire or from a mechanic family friend, he usually gets them to me in less then 20 minutes from the second he hangs up the phone with his supplier.

Rims which I dont have, I would get online from DriverFX or Foose (which I want but are like 5k a wheel) or from a good independant shop that is a authorized dealer.

[kleptodathief]

bfore u head off to that local shop, check tirerack, ebay, or for used rims, check craiglist toronto, and kijiji, lots of good deals on rims/tire combo


local retail shops r a rippoff IMO, i wudda had to pay around 2500+ for my rims/tires but on ebay i got them for like 1800 shipped to my door

GL

[weales]

Billy from tires23 ftw.

/thread

[aoisora]

it looks like tire23 is another choice which I can consider but the thing is they are located at Mississauga.

I would check online such as tirerack.com too, but I'm worrying about the hidden custom tax for the shippping from US.

[McLaren]

Allen @ simplytires

email: allen@simplytire.com
Phone: (416) 916-9233

515 Champagne Drive
Toronto, Ontario
M3J-2C6
401/Allen Road Area

[VorteC]

it looks like tire23 is another choice which I can consider but the thing is they are located at Mississauga.

I would check online such as tirerack.com too, but I'm worrying about the hidden custom tax for the shippping from US.

Even with customs tax and shipping, it's still cheaper compared to local stores.

[ES_Revenge]

I would check online such as tirerack.com too, but I'm worrying about the hidden custom tax for the shippping from US.
The fees aren't hidden on TireRack IIRC, they are stated upfront when you select shipping to Canada.

I never ship to Canada from TireRack so I'm not 100% sure about that, but I think that's how it works.

[aoisora]

The fees aren't hidden on TireRack IIRC, they are stated upfront when you select shipping to Canada.

I never ship to Canada from TireRack so I'm not 100% sure about that, but I think that's how it works.

I know that TireRack states very clear about the shipping fees. I know how much it would cost if I order it from TireRack. My concern is the custom tax. You never know if the custom will charge you the tax or not. Once I get the shipment, I probably have to pay something that I wouldn't expect.

[bembol]

Billy from tires23 ftw.

/thread

+1

Already got the Lowest quote for my 18's, just don't have the Cash. >:(

[ES_Revenge]

I know that TireRack states very clear about the shipping fees. I know how much it would cost if I order it from TireRack. My concern is the custom tax. You never know if the custom will charge you the tax or not. Once I get the shipment, I probably have to pay something that I wouldn't expect.

The charges are stated up front, as I stated....

Here is a sample shipping cost review from TireRack, for shipping to Canada.

Additional Fees and Taxes
Excise Tax: $0.00
GST: $17.16
PST: $31.53
Duty: $21.14
Provincial Tire Fee: $0.00
Brokerage Fee: $20.00
Grand Total: $442.79

Pay attention to bolded items, above.

[mistake]

tire rack seems to charge duty on everything. maybe everything they sell is made outside of north america. Ill probably buy my tires from walmart. I dont see any great saving on america onnline sites like discounttiredirect.

or maybe canadian tire will bring back the 20 dollar coupon.

[ES_Revenge]

tire rack seems to charge duty on everything. maybe everything they sell is made outside of north america. Ill probably buy my tires from walmart. I dont see any great saving on america onnline sites like discounttiredirect.
I believe the website does do that yeah. But IIRC someone on the tirerack buying thread mentioned that they called an found if the tyres are actually made in US/Can/Mexico they don't charge it. I could be mistaken but I remember someone mentioning that.

As for buying tyres at Wal-Mart, that's a very bad idea. Most (but perhaps not all) Wal-Mart tyres, even the ones with good brand names, aren't the same models as the ones sold elsewhere (at tyre shops/garages). You'll notice they have different model names (ones that you don't find elsewhere)and for good reason--they are made much more poorly. There's various reports of this online speaking of "Goodyear" and "Dunlop", etc. branded tyres from Wal-Mart being of terrible quality.

[VorteC]

I believe the website does do that yeah. But IIRC someone on the tirerack buying thread mentioned that they called an found if the tyres are actually made in US/Can/Mexico they don't charge it. I could be mistaken but I remember someone mentioning that.

As for buying tyres at Wal-Mart, that's a very bad idea. Most (but perhaps not all) Wal-Mart tyres, even the ones with good brand names, aren't the same models as the ones sold elsewhere (at tyre shops/garages). You'll notice they have different model names (ones that you don't find elsewhere)and for good reason--they are made much more poorly. There's various reports of this online speaking of "Goodyear" and "Dunlop", etc. branded tyres from Wal-Mart being of terrible quality.

Kinda OT but I noticed that about Walmart's paper as well.. they are made by Hilroy, but they specifically say Walmart by Hilroy and on the paper itself, there's no Hilroy logo and the paper feels like crap... /rant

[mistake]

I believe the website does do that yeah. But IIRC someone on the tirerack buying thread mentioned that they called an found if the tyres are actually made in US/Can/Mexico they don't charge it. I could be mistaken but I remember someone mentioning that.

As for buying tyres at Wal-Mart, that's a very bad idea. Most (but perhaps not all) Wal-Mart tyres, even the ones with good brand names, aren't the same models as the ones sold elsewhere (at tyre shops/garages). You'll notice they have different model names (ones that you don't find elsewhere)and for good reason--they are made much more poorly. There's various reports of this online speaking of "Goodyear" and "Dunlop", etc. branded tyres from Wal-Mart being of terrible quality.

I trust the power of wal-mart. I dont see why they would sell something of low quality. I doubt if dunlop or goodyear would let them sell name brand tires at low prices so they compromise and change the name of the tire.
a lot of stuff of the same quality is sold at different prices to different segments of the market.

[CRXGSR]

If you're looking for tires, I've got a solution. I just started a company (official start is June 1), that, for the meantime, just resell tires. I have really low overhead, so I can pass the savings to the customers. If you can hold out that long, give me a shout.

[nornet]

I know that TireRack states very clear about the shipping fees. I know how much it would cost if I order it from TireRack. My concern is the custom tax. You never know if the custom will charge you the tax or not. Once I get the shipment, I probably have to pay something that I wouldn't expect.

You pay the tax because UPS (the shipper) also acts as the customs broker. They charge you for this service (quite a lot I might add). It would not be in their interest to not charge duty.

[kenbong]

Allen @ simplytires

email: allen@simplytire.com
Phone: (416) 916-9233

515 Champagne Drive
Toronto, Ontario
M3J-2C6
401/Allen Road Area

I second Allen at Simply Tire. I went right from the dealer with my new Rav to his place to get snows (a few months ago). Not only is his garage clean, but he's one of the few who actually use a torque wrench when mounting your wheels back on.

[Rekognize]

I only buy my rims/tires from the states..

discountiredirect, wheelsnext, or tirerack

I ship the package to Mike (http://www.tirerack.com/installer/Comments.jsp?ind=0&index=0&installermiles=0&zipCode=14174&x=0&y=0&place=0), I drive over and he installs them for me :D

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=519167
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=508308

[vickyvictoria]

Tires23 :)

[mistake]

You pay the tax because UPS (the shipper) also acts as the customs broker. They charge you for this service (quite a lot I might add). It would not be in their interest to not charge duty.

thats true. if there is no tax they dont get their brokerage. never thought of that.

[mistake]

I only buy my rims/tires from the states..

discountiredirect, wheelsnext, or tirerack

I ship the package to Mike (http://www.tirerack.com/installer/Comments.jsp?ind=0&index=0&installermiles=0&zipCode=14174&x=0&y=0&place=0), I drive over and he installs them for me :D

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=519167
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=508308

thats a good idea. is discount tiredirect rally that cheap compared to somewhere like walmart in canada?

[mistake]

If you're looking for tires, I've got a solution. I just started a company (official start is June 1), that, for the meantime, just resell tires. I have really low overhead, so I can pass the savings to the customers. If you can hold out that long, give me a shout.


the smaller you are the HIGHER your overhead. you think you have lower overhead than a online store like discount tire direct?????

[CRXGSR]

the smaller you are the HIGHER your overhead. you think you have lower overhead than a online store like discount tire direct?????

Let me think about that. I have no store, no website, no warehouse no employees to pay. I order any quantity large or small for the same price from my supplier. I have almost no bills to pay to run the company. Looks like pretty low overhead to me.

Yes, you can say I have no store etc, means no business, but I'm pro-active. I look for the customers instead of waiting for the customers to come to me.

[Rekognize]

thats a good idea. is discount tiredirect rally that cheap compared to somewhere like walmart in canada?

It's really cheap to buy online from the states.

Last summer, I bought a set of rim and tire combo from DTD for around $800 taxes in, I saw the exact same set at Pacific Mall and the guy behind the counter tells me the rims alone are $200 a piece, tires start at $150 and mounting/balancing is extra; I lol'ed.

[at1212b]

I also noticed that tires seem alot cheaper in the US.

Is there some kind of tax or levy that gets charged for buying/selling in Canada? Or is the US market that much greater, there is a oversupply or their productivity level/purchasing power that much greater, prices are significantly lower?

[huangpu]

if you are in Kitchener or Waterloo, try

Dave's tire discounter
40 Frobisher Dr. Waterloo,
519 746 7716

or
Tire Team
http://tireteam.ca/

[gheart008]

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/home.do

[Rekognize]

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/home.do

I'm still waiting for their $200 off promo like last year, I hope they do it again..

Right now it's 10% off, and the usual free delivery within usa and free mounting/balancing if you buy a tire/rim combo

[ES_Revenge]

Is there some kind of tax or levy that gets charged for buying/selling in Canada? Or is the US market that much greater, there is a oversupply or their productivity level/purchasing power that much greater, prices are significantly lower?
Most things are cheaper in the US just as a given. Not everything, but most things. It's always been that way, and probably always will be. They have about 10x our market size and lower taxes directly and inbetween as well.

It's only now that people are really noticing it because the dollar is close and they don't have to think too much to convert, lol. And in fact now that the dollar is close to even, prices are actually higher in the US than they were before.

I was buying stuff in the US (including tyres) when it was $1.60 for a US dollar and still saving hundreds on purchases in the $500-$1000 range. As an example back then when the exchange was that "bad" I bought a receiver for $500 in the US that was about $2000 here. It cost me $800 with the exchange but still was over $1000 cheaper than here, lol.

There's actually less savings now, but it's more noticeable to the common person I guess.

[Mayoo]

Check out the below link
http://blog.quay.net/stuff/ogdensburg/

So. My friend picked up the tires and rims at UPS outlet, installed them over there and drove back with those. Saved alot of tax and customs !!!

[Rekognize]

Check out the below link
http://blog.quay.net/stuff/ogdensburg/

So. My friend picked up the tires and rims at UPS outlet, installed them over there and drove back with those. Saved alot of tax and customs !!!

Yes you can have it installed there and drive back with the new tires, but make sure you don't forget to declare them at the border.

They're not that stupid, I've heard you can tell if the tires were meant to be sold in the US market by the serial number/etc.. don't get caught, it's not worth the hassle..

[gheart008]

I'm still waiting for their $200 off promo like last year, I hope they do it again..

Right now it's 10% off, and the usual free delivery within usa and free mounting/balancing if you buy a tire/rim combo

word. That's when I got my current set.

Also get a winter set a month ago when they have the $100 off. Not as good as the $200 off, but hey still way cheaper than anything up here.

[Mayoo]

Yes you can have it installed there and drive back with the new tires, but make sure you don't forget to declare them at the border.

They're not that stupid, I've heard you can tell if the tires were meant to be sold in the US market by the serial number/etc.. don't get caught, it's not worth the hassle..

hmm .. he throw the old tires and rims as they are useless and drive with those news one .. In the border no questions asked

[Rekognize]

hmm .. he throw the old tires and rims as they are useless and drive with those news one .. In the border no questions asked

Yeah sure you can get away sometimes... but once you get caught, you're scarred for life http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/9627/boohoozc6.gif

[aoisora]

You guys gave me helpful information. I would not go to Pacific Malls and get the overpriced rims and tires there.

[ES_Revenge]

Yes you can have it installed there and drive back with the new tires, but make sure you don't forget to declare them at the border.
LOL yeah I'll "remember" that alright :lol:

They're not that stupid, I've heard you can tell if the tires were meant to be sold in the US market by the serial number/etc.. don't get caught, it's not worth the hassle..
As if. And even if they can tell it was "meant to be sold in the US" they can't prove you got them installed that day, unless you're stupid enough to keep any receipts on you. (Or of course if you have your old tyres/wheels with you.) Doesn't matter where they were meant to be sold, they aren't going to waste thousands of dollars in forensic tests (which take weeks or months to come back from the lab unlike what you see on TV) to determine the exact age of your tyres, to get you to pay a relative few bucks in taxes.

They may not be stupid but as long as you aren't, you aren't "getting caught" either.

[3weddings]

We just bought tires for dh's car.

Tires23 $1270 USD
Cheap Thrills (Milton) $1145 all in
Tire Depot $990 all in :cheesygri same tire and he was actually able to get them!

[Ten Count]

Does anybody know places that have unsold "New Old Stock" of discontinued tires for liquidation?

Or how about places that can get models which are not marketed in north america, such ahs Kumho KH15?

[juice321]

I decided to replace my existing balding tires (Hydroedges) with new tires a week ago.

As for the Hydroedge - they work in all four seasons that we get here in Toronto - Spring, Fall, Summer, and Slush.
I plowed through that big snow dumping we had last year one Sunday morning before the plows came out - and no problem going up and down the hills, even with the low tread depth. Downshift, and go slowly - my car has no ABS, no 4WD, no AST, and no problems at all.
Snow tires are for people who drive in the snow ALL winter - but even in my native Montreal, we didn't use snow tires after the "all-season" tire was introduced/mass-marketed.

For wet straight line driving they work well, and for the February to May slush they really work well. Tread life is awesome, and I don't care if they're harder and noisier than other tires - that's the trade off with better treadwear and rolling resistance. I do care about stopping distance, grip, and the fact that Michelin, unlike most other major manufacturers, does not have the history of recalls, lawsuits, and congressional inquiries that others are plagued by. They claim to be the safest, and they do what it takes to keep making that claim.

I researched a few short-listed tires in addition to the Michelins - Goodyears, Continentals, Hankook, and Pirellis. (Using tiredefects/tirerack/1010tires/consumer reports/The Toronto Star/various forums and sites)

For where I live and drive (GTA and surrounding communities), the Michelins come out on top, though they are the most expensive. Fortunately, price was not an issue for me.
As for the "look" of the tire, that is by far the most assinine criteria I've seen mentioned in forums - if you need to like the look of a tire, then either your car is a show car, or you're the kind of person that gets frozen/sick because you go out in -30 C weather dressed in super fashionable-but-utterly-innapropriate clothes.


One danger with any tire is thinking that you can swerve, panic brake, and/or take turns at higher speeds under adverse conditions because you have a specialty tire (snow, wet, ice, performance) - I've been there, done that, and seen other people wreck their cars taking turns too fast in all conditions.

No tire is going to save you from yourself.

Okay, now on with calling the tire shops and getting prices....

[juice321]

Pricing out four Michelin Hydroedges (185/70/14) - called the following places, based on recommendations from RedFlagDeals, Tirerack, 1010Tires, and other sites.


Simply Tire 416-916-9233
Originally quoted at $490 installed, when called again to confirm, the price was checked by the book and quoted at $550 ($137.50/tire)

Bramalea Tire 905-793-1881
$134/tire ($540 for four) installed

Canadian Tire (Yonge & Bloor)
$139/tire without installation

Dufferin Motors 416-789-3238
$130/tire ($520 for four)
$587 all inclusive (all installation and taxes)

Tires23 905-602-8881
$560 ($140/tire) installed

Wheels Direct 416-754-0997
$600 ($150/tire) installed

Greenbay 905-881-0548
No answer of phone

Steelcase 905-479-8884
As they looked up the price, they started talking up the Toyo Spectrum tires.
Quoted $140/tire ($560 for four) installed, and urged me to get the Toyos, since they're in stock and cheaper (and probably have a better markup/dealer incentives since they carry stock and push a lot more of them)

Superior Tire (NuTech, Thornhill) 905-764-1440
$140/tire

Superior Tire (Dufferin&Finch) 416-635-9967
$134/tire, $575 for four installed.
$575 doesn't include tire tax or regular tax - so they seem to charge $35 for installation.
But wait, after the quote, I mention that there's a 10% off coupon on the Superior Tire website!! I get told that that 10% has already been applied to removing the charges for balancing/alignment/etc...Wow, add back the 10%, and the cost is $638.39, by far the most expensive place, and this without tax. In fact, since they must by law charge tax on the non-coupon price, this place is a sure-fire *pass*.
And why bother with printing a 10% coupon if it's not going to be honoured? Not good business practice there.


Tire Depot 905-882-8473
First off, let me say that if you need a plug in your tire, this place does a fine job.
Of course, so does Canadian Tire, and my own mechanic.
The bonus for me is that this place is within minutes of my home.
I knew from pricing things in the summer that they would try to push their own stuff - they wanted me to consider Goodyear cheapies back then, and when I insisted on Michelin, talked up the Harmony ( a fine touring tire, but not what I asked for).
Person I spoke to stated right off the bat that the tires I wanted weren't the "right ones" for the car, that they're a "T" rating, and that for my suspension I need an "H" rating tire. Then he stated Michelin doesn't make them in the size I want, but said he would check anyway.
While checking, he does start promoting the tires he has in stock, which he claims is a much better tire for my car, the Yokohama Avid Touring tires. I eventually get the quote for the Michelins at $139/tire installed ($556 for four).
But the Yokos are $50 cheaper he makes sure to mention (no kidding, a middle of the road touring tire cheaper than a specialty tire).


Now if you want to sell a different tire, the Steelcase guys did it in a fine way.
They didn't provide any real information, they just claimed they had a better cheaper tire in stock, standard sales nonsense - if I want to believe that, that's my mistake, but they didn't invent stuff to convince me.
Even Superior Tire, while pricey, gave me a quote without pushing other product.

But the Tire Depot guy seems to be selling more bull manure than tires.
First off, other than tire size, he didn't have the year/spec of car, other than Accord - but apparently he knew all about my suspension! Amazing!
Secondly, he knows that the letter ratings on tires are really "Suspension" ratings, and that higher letters must only be used if you have some super special suspension. Someone call the US and European Tire&Rim Organizations and let them know they've been negligent in misrepresenting these letters as "Speed" ratings - you would think they would understand their own ratings. Sheesh.
I'm amazed he didn't tell me that "H" is for Honda, and "T" is for Toyota.
I'm betting he sells DOT 0904 tires as being made in the 4th week of 2009 (heck, once you start reinterpreting the tire code, anything is possible).

Third, to tell me that they don't make them in the size I want, when I already have that size on my car, is pretty damn stupid. Or a lie. Or both. Either way, I try to avoid giving money to stupid liars.

As for the Yokohamas, I'm not sure what crap he's pushing - the Yokohama Avid Touring tires are "S" rated, not "H" (and the TRZ/T4s are "T" rated), so he's either shovelling manure again (read: LYING) or selling a Yokohama tire even Yokohama doesn't know about.

===============

To sum up, if you have to ask a tire place which tire you should buy, you may as well just give them a credit card and say "put on the tire that you want me to have".

Do your own research, check the forums, and then call around. Negotiate the price if you can, make sure to get a price that includes EVERY charge (Balancing, alignment, valve/stem replacement, disposal, installation) and EVERY tax.
And if a shop doesn't respect the fact that you already know what you want, go elsewhere.
===========

Now I was surprised that Dufferin Motors was the cheapest of the shops.
I had the original Michelin Hydroedges put on there many years ago, when the shop was near Yorkdale (It's down near Keele/St Clair now).
They've always put in plugs or honoured the warranty to replace sidewall punctures, as well as doing the free rotation/balance (I only did it once, I go to my mechanic for that).
Like all shops, they have to order the tires from Michelin, and they assured me that Michelin DOTs are usually 2 years or less.
No idea why they're the cheapest: I imagine that other shops will price match, but if others can't/won't offer a similar price at first call, then why should others get the business?

[juice321]

Okay, my last two posts were composed a few days ago - kept them on the computer in case I had a bad experience at Dufferin Motors.
Other than fighting the traffic snarl getting there, I had none.

This place seems unchanged from 5 years ago.
The garage is clean, large, with multiple hoists and neat piles of tires along the sides. The staff take your car in for you, while you wait in the clean comfortable waiting room - which is glassed off from the shop, allowing you to watch everything. The neatly stacked magazines in the waiting area are recent issues of "Bicycling", "Toronto Life", and "National Geographic" - which struck me as completely unusual for an auto shop. Water and Coffee are provided free, and the washrooms are clean.
Best of all are the staff - very friendly, humble, and attentive - no pushy salespeople, no opinionated mechanics. I would hazard that it's a family business, since I recognized two of the older personnel from 5 years earlier.
Most surprising, the guy who took the car in looked like he worked in the office - dressed in a casual shirt and slacks - so it surprised the heck out of me when he started changing the tires!
He even recalled our phone conversation regarding DOT numbers, and pointed out the 2009 manufacture date.

We were in and out in about 35 minutes, at the quoted price, and not a penny more.
I wish all auto shops ran this way.

[Jucius Maximus]

Allen @ simplytires

email: allen@simplytire.com
Phone: (416) 916-9233

515 Champagne Drive
Toronto, Ontario
M3J-2C6
401/Allen Road Area

+1, this is where I got mine.

Only downside is that they're often VERY busy so it's hard to get a hold of them.