Tariffs
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 753
Likes: 47
From: Clearfield Utah
Tariffs
Is it just me or have the tariffs raised the price of Michelin tires? I need to purchase 4 season tires due to my current ones aging out. Any ideas on where to get the best price?
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,388
Likes: 469
From: NY
Could very well be if they're produced in France. Many goods produced at least in part outside the US are getting hit with actual or anticipatory tariff based price increases.
Shop around and try the usual Tirerack and Discount tire.
Shop around and try the usual Tirerack and Discount tire.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 1,055
Likes: 277
From: Chattanooga, TN
I'm in a similar situation with aging out tires.... my FIREHAWK INDY 500 tires are a little over 6 years old, They were purchased in San Diego at the end of April 2019.
Have put less than 20k miles on them, and they still have a ton of tread left. Were a bargain at $808. Those tires are now $1,310 on Tirerack.
Was looking at Continental ExtremeContact DWS06+ since summer tires aren't ideal for Tennessee.
$1,250 on Tirerack and Discount Tire. OUCH!!!
Have put less than 20k miles on them, and they still have a ton of tread left. Were a bargain at $808. Those tires are now $1,310 on Tirerack.
Was looking at Continental ExtremeContact DWS06+ since summer tires aren't ideal for Tennessee.
$1,250 on Tirerack and Discount Tire. OUCH!!!
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,357
Likes: 3,253
From: Hartford WI
Bottom line is this. If it costs me more to do business, I pass it onto the customer. There is only so much I can absorb till it doesn't make sense for me to keep the lights on. Maybe you had nothing to do with it but if someone else makes it more expensive for one of my suppliers to keep me supplied, I have to raise the price of the finished product to compensate for the increase in cost.
Pro
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 742
Likes: 310
From: Grand Rapids, MN
Tire prices went way up '21-'22. I had to replace a tire in '22 and was ~40% higher. So what you are seeing may be partially tariffs but likely the tires were significantly more expensive before any tariff talk. The tire was a PS4 for my Focus RS, from low $200s to $300 each so talking apples/apples.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,388
Likes: 469
From: NY
A set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport ZP in c7 widebody sizes is $2318 at Tirerack. IIRC that's up <$300 from when I bought my car in 2019. Not bad considering.
That tire is US made, so any tariff increase (on base materials) would be lower than on other products.
That tire is US made, so any tariff increase (on base materials) would be lower than on other products.
Last edited by EVRGRN; Jul 27, 2025 at 11:23 AM.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 1,866
Likes: 1,152
From: Keswick, Virginia
A tariff is just a tax - no matter how you slice it. It artificially increases the cost of any product, so it will thus be added to the bottom line price. Even for things totally made in the United States that are not subject to any tariff at all, just know that equipment, machinery and raw materials used in the manufacturing process could be imported or subject to a tariff or duty. That will be passed onto the consumer in the end.
On the other side of the coin, some unscrupulous companies will use tariffs as an excuse for hiking their prices. Most customers won't like it, but they'll accept that line of reasoning a lot more than the owner of the business saying that he has yacht payments to make. It's far easier to convince people that tariffs are to blame for any price increase........rather than chalking it up to greed. plain old greed.
P.S. As far as buying tires goes, try checking with Costco if you have a membership. Their prices are very competitive and their "extra" charges for mounting, balancing, valve stems, periodic tire rotation and road hazard warranty tend to be less than many other places that advertise a lower price per tire. You have to look at the bottom line. Caveat Emptor!!
On the other side of the coin, some unscrupulous companies will use tariffs as an excuse for hiking their prices. Most customers won't like it, but they'll accept that line of reasoning a lot more than the owner of the business saying that he has yacht payments to make. It's far easier to convince people that tariffs are to blame for any price increase........rather than chalking it up to greed. plain old greed.
P.S. As far as buying tires goes, try checking with Costco if you have a membership. Their prices are very competitive and their "extra" charges for mounting, balancing, valve stems, periodic tire rotation and road hazard warranty tend to be less than many other places that advertise a lower price per tire. You have to look at the bottom line. Caveat Emptor!!
CF Community Team
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 14,038
Likes: 7,361
From: Pittsburgh
2025 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2021 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Tariffs are a tax on the end user, the consumer, plain & simple
Pro
Joined: Oct 2023
Posts: 661
Likes: 889
From: Iowa
after 3 posts 
Stick Shift Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 7,460
Likes: 2,649
From: Troy & Dearborn, Michigan
Just be happy we don't have a VAT.... 
Although if we did tariffs would be moot (or unneeded), VAT is interesting and like a tariff or even a sales tax is a "consumption tax" (which versus an income tax has pros and cons). Europe has had it for years and prices already include the VAT (in Germany its like 19%). The only benefit is that through the supply chain the VAT is tracked. I was typing an explanation but the Google AI has a way better one:
Example: Imagine a 10% VAT on a product.
Although if we did tariffs would be moot (or unneeded), VAT is interesting and like a tariff or even a sales tax is a "consumption tax" (which versus an income tax has pros and cons). Europe has had it for years and prices already include the VAT (in Germany its like 19%). The only benefit is that through the supply chain the VAT is tracked. I was typing an explanation but the Google AI has a way better one:
Example: Imagine a 10% VAT on a product.
- A manufacturer buys raw materials for $1 and pays a $0.10 VAT (10% of $1) to the supplier. The supplier sends the $0.10 to the government.
- The manufacturer creates a product, adding value, and sells it to a retailer for $2. They charge the retailer $2 plus a $0.20 VAT. The manufacturer sends $0.10 of this VAT to the government and keeps the other $0.10 to recoup the VAT they paid on the raw materials.
- The retailer sells the product to a consumer for $5, charging an additional $0.50 VAT. The retailer pays $0.20 to the government, keeping the other $0.30 to cover the VAT they paid to the manufacturer.
- In the end, the consumer pays the full $0.50 VAT (which is 10% of the final $5 selling price), and the government receives the sum of the VAT collected at each stage: $0.10 (from the supplier) + $0.10 (from the manufacturer) + $0.30 (from the retailer) = $0.50
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 1,866
Likes: 1,152
From: Keswick, Virginia
We lived in Germany for a couple of years. They have a VAT of some kind on almost everything. The only good thing is that all taxes are included in every price you see attached to an item. If a car for sale is 10,000 Euros, that includes the VAT. A brick of cheese that is 5 Euros includes all taxes. Perhaps that makes it easier to put up with the high taxes.
A VAT can still be kind of insidious, though.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,357
Likes: 3,253
From: Hartford WI
We lived in Germany for a couple of years. They have a VAT of some kind on almost everything. The only good thing is that all taxes are included in every price you see attached to an item. If a car for sale is 10,000 Euros, that includes the VAT. A brick of cheese that is 5 Euros includes all taxes. Perhaps that makes it easier to put up with the high taxes.
A VAT can still be kind of insidious, though.
A VAT can still be kind of insidious, though.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 11,204
Likes: 911
From: Carlsbad Ca
Thanks, Joe.