I bought a set of Kumho's, and instructed them to "drop ship" at local Firestone, so I don't have to mess with transporting the new tires:

On Tirerack website, all Firestone stores quote the following for balance/mounting charges:

$19.99 Each for all sizes
Rubber valve stems included
tire disposal fee included
(fair enough, so I expect to pay around $86, which includes 8% tax in TX)

OK, I call the Firestone place, tell them that my tires are gonna be drop shipped to them, and ask how much it's gonna cost, just as confirmation....

$111.00 for the total job!!! ????

I tell the guy the website says $19.99 per tire, and he tells me,"well, it costs a little more 'cuz your Corvette has "Mag" wheels" !!!

I have the standard saw-blade Al wheels. Can somebody please let me know if this guy is blowin' smoke up my ****, or is there really extra effort involved in installing rubber on a "Mag" wheel to justify price increase....What the heck is a "Mag" anyway....

Phew....Rant complete

 

He's blowning smoke...tire places are as bad as dealerships when it comes to getting a straight honest answer

Find a buddy with a truck and take your tires some place else
Shop around you'll find a good shop that will deal straight with you and protect your tire/wheel/Corvette investment

 

paid 120 for my Kuhmo's mounted balanced with crome valve stems. You can go where you like but Firestone has deeper pockets than the little guy in case they screw up. If Tirerack recommends them there is a reason.

 

I just bought tires. Looked at Tire Rack and found the local places really jacked up mount and balance prices for tires not bought from them.

I ended up buying local and paying only a few $ more, plus I have a local place to stand behind the tires.

 

I wouldn't trust a Firestone store for anything, but that's another story. Nearly all tire stores, including Firestone. have tire machines that will mount tires on alloy wheels with no worries about scratching or otherwise hurting the wheel. Most all Firestone stores sell alloy wheels so this guy is just full of And almost half the cars on the road today have some sort of factory alloy wheel.

"Mag" wheels were a term used by everyone when aftermarket wheels first came out. Most of them were part magnesuim and part aluminum and all of them were cast, not forged or billet machined. Some wheels today are still magnesium (C5's had an optional magnesium wheel for about $3000 ) IIRC, alloy wheels used in Europe are magnesium/aluminum material.

I would call the Tire Rack (talk to Luke; you can find his phone # over on the Tires and Wheels section) and ask him if the prices you saw on the website are supposed to be honored by all Firestore stores. He may want to know about what you were told.

Some tire stores will charge extra if you bring your wheels and tires to them and may even refuse to take any responsibility for anything they may screw up. some tire stores will meet the Tire Rack prices (Discount Tires does this) and usually those places will throw in mountig, balancing as part of theprice and will usually include free tire rotation and flat reapir over the life of the tire.

 

Tire rack shipped mine to a Goodyear dealer, and they honored the $20. each mount and balance price. They used stick on weights per my request, even though the rims had previously been balanced with clamp-ons. They even re-balanced the tires for free when I said they didn't feel right.

I'd call Tire Rack and complain if I were you.

Oh yeah, "mags" is an old term for magnesium wheels. Lots of people still call alloy rims by that name.

 

Most Firestones are independant, so their pockets are only as deep as the owner... It ain't like a Ford/GM dealer where you can go after the "corporation" if something ain't right (in most cases).

If you want my honest advice, go to Discount Tire in Austin. I already looked on their website (www.tires.com), and there are at least two locations in Austin. Now, I normally don't give plugs for this store or that, but I honestly had fantastic experiences with the customer service at the Discount Tire in AZ (where I used to live). I purchased a new set of tires for the Vette as well as for my wife's Jetta there, and their service and honesty was really top-notch. I've done the Firestone's before, the Goodyear stores, and local "mom & pop" places as well. When it comes to tires, I just don't know of any place that's better than Discount. First of all, they'll meet or beat *anybody's* price on a tire - even if they don't carry it, they'll get it, and then beat the price. They offer a lifetime "road hazard" warranty (for a few extra $$$) on tires they sell that's a nice deal, but the best part is that they only do Tires/Wheels.

Too many times did I take previous cars into a Firestone-ish place for new pads or an oil change, only to be told I need new bearings or U-joints, that I could use a new PCV valve, a new head-gasket, or that my "Johnson rods" needed greasing... I'm no fool, so I never took 'em up on any of that b.s., but I also don't take my cars to those type places anymore.

The Jetta goes to a VW dealer (just 'cuz), the Vette only goes to a local Vette-only shop, and for tires, I *only* do business with Discount.

That's my 2 cents...

 

Heh, the nearest 'recommended' dealer where mine were drop shipped from Tire Rack was a little one horse stall filling station that did mostly towing, looked like a night in jail, they really didn't have a machine to mount the 275's on my Vette. They did deliver them down the road to a large chain tire/repair shop for free which they installed and high speed balanced for $80. Still worth the savings in my case.

 

Quote:

I wouldn't trust a Firestone store for anything

Its like anything else, find a good firestone store that you trust, with updated equipment, and you will be set.

Firestone has the largest company owned tire dealer network in the united states. They have very deep pockets, and their parent corporation bridgestone is currently making money hand over fist (unlike goodyear, who barely pulled out of the red).

As for the additional charge, they reserve the right to charge extra if you have non-OEM wheels. Its at their discretion. That does seem steep.

Check your private messages

 

Thanks for all the great information folks...I love this forum

Dizwiz......Thanks again!

Perfusion, Thanks....You're killin' me man, I laughed so hard, It woke up my wife and she came downstairs to see what the commotion was.....What a line:

"or that my "Johnson rods" needed greasing.. "

to all.......

 

My pleasure...

 

Mine cost about $100 to have my old tires put on new rims.

Had nothing to do with what my rims were made of.

If I knew somebody here that wouldve done it cheap, I'd have used them, it really shouldnt cost more than $10/tire for that job. Just dont be dumb enough to go to WalMart and let them do it.

 

You forgot the CET. Corvette Extra Tax.

 

I would be concerned. I have purchased Goodyears for my last 2 Vettes, C3 and C4. I watched every move.
Now I am ready to buy new tires for this mint 89R. Goodyears to keep the original look, or spring for Michelin's.
Now, are we going to lay out $900 to $1200 for 4 tires on our ride, and have some dude making $7.00 an hour working on it ? I am not pokin' fun at someone making that kind of money, because we have all been there, but what kind of expertise are you going to get?
And the installer's supervisor? Every time I have been in a tire store, they are busy, you tell them what you need, they tell you the price and try to sell you insurance for their "best" product, and all the other charges you have to pay for, like discarding the tires charge.
Then, they want to sell you oil changes, filters, etc., etc.
When we are flying commercial, do you know who just did the major on that GE or P&W engine hanging on that wing? Is it a licensed airframes and powerplant wrench? Or is it someone that is being instructed to do whatever?
I am getting off the subject, but since I have moved to a different state, the first thing I did was contact the local Corvette club to see where they get their Vette's serviced, and I got the answer's I needed pronto.

 

I bought my tires thru Tire Rack also, those installation prices mean nothing, and are not updated for price increases.

I went to a Goodyear, one of their installers, and the jerk at the desk saw me park the Vette.
He gave me a "good" price of $225. I said "gee that sounds good I'll call you", and left --why should I tell him what I think???

I called another Goodyear place, they did it for $90.

 

if the installation prices "mean nothing", then the future of Tirerack is in jeopardy! When I price compare for tires, and I bet most intelligent folks do, I look at the total cost of ownership, which is Tires, mounting, balancing, valve stems and good 'ole American Taxes!! I am tired of people thinking I have money coming out my **** because I own a Vette!!

If these installers do not honor the installation prices found on Web, then BLAM, I go to www.bbb.com and file grievance report for shady business practices. And I have no qualms about telling these folks that I am going to file a report at the Better Business Bureu...This kind of attention does not sit well with management, as they are required to try to rectify any complaints made against them.

to all those men and woman overseas looking out for us!

 

I did question someone on this, I don't recall exactly, about 2 years ago. The way I understood it: those prices are not agreed to by any contract. The installers quote a price and they can change their price anytime.
Besides the installers don't bank on Tire Rack installations to earn their living, so what do they care.

BTW, the $110 price you got is not really that bad.