[Edslittleworld]

In the past, I used to get new tires at Discount because they have great prices and would allow me to personally place my "pinch weld pucks" on their jacks to lift my aluminum bodied Miata. (I'm surprised they would for insurance purposes.) Nonetheless, Discount has damage several of my rims in the past and with perseverance...they eventually compensated me for new rims.

For now, I'm tempted to spend the extra money and buy tires at the BMW dealership and have them installed there since they're aware of the lift points and have the lift point adapters. Plus, I assume they'll be more careful with my OEM rims. Is this a safe assumption and will prices be reasonable?

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Edslittleworld

In the past, I used to get new tires at Discount because they have great prices and would allow me to personally place my "pinch weld pucks" on their jacks to lift my aluminum bodied Miata. (I'm surprised they would for insurance purposes.) Nonetheless, Discount has damage several of my rims in the past and with perseverance...they eventually compensated me for new rims.

For now, I'm tempted to spend the extra money and buy tires at the BMW dealership and have them installed there since they're aware of the lift points and have the lift point adapters. Plus, I assume they'll be more careful with my OEM rims. Is this a safe assumption and will prices be reasonable?

I recommend never buying tires at a dealership. Choices are limited and prices are high. For the past decades, I have relied almost exclusively on tirerack.com. The website is the richest in data to make a choice, and they will ship directly to local approved installers when you pick one based on your zip code from their list. You can compare installers for the one you prefer. They will often include some dedicated independent shops that handle foreigh/German makes. Three that I have used along the way have no trouble properly lifting the car. Some installers will even store off-season tires if you use dedicated winters.

[overcoil]

I always followed sportsticks recommendation above, but then I needed tires quickly and my dealership matched tirerack tires + shipping pricing and the dealership would sell me replacement tires at discount or even replace free of charge (if a nail couldn’t be plugged) if the tires were purchased at dealer.

Now a warning the last time at my dealer ( the wheel weights were a new kind of sticky from the previous balance ) they scratched the inner wheel barrel removing the old weights. My car was 5 or 6 years old at the time so I didn’t complain though I pointed it out to them for the future .

So maybe worth calling or stopping by dealer to hear what they can offer

[Rowie01]

I’ve bought from the dealership when I’ve had other work going on and I always ask them to match a quote from Discount Tire or Tire Rack. If the SA is a fair person they’ll either match (they did once) or they will say the best they can do. I’m my case it was a total of $40 more but the car was being worked on there anyway so I paid it for the convenience at the time.

[dradernh]

I use Tire Rack if they're selling the tires I want. For mounting, I use shops that have Hunter no-touch tire changers so the wheels come back to me the way they went in to the shop. The Hunter-equipped shops I've used have had Hunter Road Force wheel balancers, too, which I consider an added bonus. I'll use a race shop if a Hunter-equipped shop isn't available.

Even with no-touch tire changers, wheels can still get chipped, scraped, or scratched if the people doing the work are careless.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by dradernh

I use Tire Rack if they're selling the tires I want. For mounting, I use shops that have Hunter no-touch tire changers so the wheels come back to me the way they went in to the shop. The Hunter-equipped shops I've used have had Hunter Road Force wheel balancers, too, which I consider an added bonus. I'll use a race shop if a Hunter-equipped shop isn't available.

Even with no-touch tire changers, wheels can still get chipped, scraped, or scratched if the people doing the work are careless.

Good advice about the Hunter equipment. You can also do the process differently and ship from tirerack.com to a Hunter place near you. That pretty much tells you this shop knows what it's doing.

https://www.hunter.com/find-equipment/

[MarcoZandrini]

Just had 3 tires replaced on my F22. Why 3? The left rear was newish due to a cut in the tread. Bought the tires at Tire Rack, and took the car and the tires to a local shop (Skyline on route 7). They use the computerized Hunter tire mounting system. Absolutely no damage or issues.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

Good advice about the Hunter equipment. You can also do the process differently and ship from tirerack.com to a Hunter place near you. That pretty much tells you this shop knows what it's doing.

https://www.hunter.com/find-equipment/

It's worth noting that there continue to be shops on the Rack's Recommended Installer list that I believe would be a poor choice when looking for an issue-free installation.

As with other maintenance, owners would be wise to choose carefully when searching for shops to work on their cars. I start with recommendations from reliable people (whether fellow owners or shop owners from other areas able to recommend a shop in my area) and first stop by to talk to the owner(s) or shop manager(s) before bringing the car in after I've thought over what I've seen and heard.

Where I am now, I've used a general purpose/race shop for mounting and balancing tires, brake work, fluid changes, front sway bar install, piggyback install, etc. I used the dealer once for some minor maintenance when the car was in for one of its "free" oil changes; that was for my own convenience, knowing the cost would be greater. The local dealer's hourly rate is 50% higher than the independent I'm using; both use the flat rate book for the jobs listed there.

I've yet to use any of the local dealer-alternative shops listed on BIMRS.org (https://www.bimrs.org/find-a-shop.html). I expect I'll do so once I've got more miles on my car. I'm presently at 12K.

[Edslittleworld]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

Good advice about the Hunter equipment. You can also do the process differently and ship from tirerack.com to a Hunter place near you. That pretty much tells you this shop knows what it's doing.

https://www.hunter.com/find-equipment/

Thanks! I took a look on that website and some of the Discount Tire Shops in my area are listed. I've seen inside their shops and they look well equipped, but I think they're so volume driven that they can get sloppy cranking out tire installations. I've had two rim damages from the over the years. I may have to find a specialist or a dedicated hot-rod shop for my next installation. I can't imagine what my BMW rims would be to replace as my Miata one's were over $400.

I'm so fussy that I usually take the wheels in off my car, drop them off for the tire installation and pick them up later in the day. I have custom BMW lift blocks and 2 floor jacks. That way, I don't have to wait hours or so, nor worry about vehicle jacking damage (bent pinch welds, vehicle scratches, etc).

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Edslittleworld

I'm so fussy that I usually take the wheels in off my car, drop them off for the tire installation and pick them up later in the day. I have custom BMW lift blocks and 2 floor jacks.

Same here. I don't think of it as fussy so much as caring about how your car is handled.

I keep my wheel faces and barrels looking new, so taking them in to the shop while they're off the car is what makes sense, especially in terms of how the wheel bolts or stud nuts are put back on the car and torqued-down.

[raddoc]

I've used Tire Rack's installation service at home twice in the past year. Better pricing for the tires and the install than any local shops, including their recommended installers. Definitely the best tire purchase & install experiences I've ever had.

[Sportstick]

Here is something new I just learned about. The video shows they bring a Hunter balancer with them in the truck. This keeps it all within the same company. Definitely interested for my next time.


https://www.tirerack.com/asap

[DF]

i checked prices once adn lets say its what i expected. the mark up is insane. i just to go tire rack.

[overcoil]

Also as much as I've used and liked TireRack I also have had great service with Discount Tire online purchases and UPS delivery.

[leftoverture]

I have used Discount Tire for years, multiple locations, never once had a problem. Ever.