Where to buy new tires?

[leilanidude]

If they do nitrogen for free, go ahead, but do not pay for it. The air is already 78% nitrogen. Nitrogen is simply not going to do a thing in your car tires that "normal" air doesn't already do.

[Obie]

It's the oxygen in air that causes problems with rubber tires.

It's included in the $15.00 per tire fee that covers all of the services in the package.

[1voyager1]

quote:

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Originally posted by EightFingers

First thought was Costco, but they seem to be more expensive than places in Hilo and I’d like shop this side anyway if I can.
Looks like Goodyear has some decent reviews and prices were good. I suppose I could check the dealership(Nissan), but I never bought tires from a dealership before. Maybe Hilo’s different?
I’m open to suggestions, warnings, etc.!

Puna: Our roosters crow first

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It has been a few years now, but I checked tire prices around Hilo and at COSTCO.
COSTCO would put Bridgestone Tires at a reduced price one month then Michelin the next month.
I waited for the Michelins to go at the reduced price, drove over to Kona and had a set put on.
The cost was less, including the trip, than purchasing in Hilo at the time.

[leilanidude]

It's the oxygen in air that causes problems with rubber tires.
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False. Show me any tire that has trotted from the inside within the last 20 years due to "air".

[Obie]

"The main benefit of nitrogen-filled tires is that the loss of tire pressure is slower, because the gas in the tire escapes more slowly than air does. With more stable tire pressure, the thinking goes, you'll get better gas mileage and get full tire life since you're always rolling on fully inflated tires."

[leilanidude]

Obie - You are smarter than this.
Nitrogen is perfect for airplane tires. Worthless other than a gimmick in vehicles.
If the tire gets put on the wheel, it already has 78 percent nitrogen sitting in it before it gets any pressure added. Does the tire shop suck out the existing air before adding their 98 percent nitrogen? Do they pump it up with nitrogen then release pressure, then repeat several times to get rid of all those "air molecules"?

[leilanidude]

Here is American Honda's position:

When it comes to inflating automobile tires, it’s our position that ordinary, dry-compressed air — which is about 80% nitrogen already — is the best choice. That’s because it’s more readily available, and the benefits of using nitrogen simply don’t appear to outweigh those of using compressed air. The practice of inflating tires with nitrogen really isn’t anything new; it’s been around a long time. It’s been commonly used on aerospace vehicles, commercial and military aircraft, military vehicles, race cars, and even heavy off-road construction equipment. Here’s why:

To meet rigid safety and performance specs, the required tire inflation pressures are often very high, especially in the aerospace industry. The tire inflation pressure for NASA’s space shuttle, for instance, is a whopping 315 psi!
Nitrogen is an inert gas; it doesn’t combust or oxidize.
The process used to compress nitrogen excludes water vapor. Water vapor can expand if the temperature climbs above 212 degrees Farenheit

Tires inflated with nitrogen leak more slowly over time than those inflated with compressed air. Automobile tires, on the other hand, are subjected to an entirely different set of conditions. Here’s why inflating tires with nitrogen offers no real advantages:

Although tires inflated with nitrogen leak slower over time than those inflated with compressed air, they still leak and need to be reinflated periodically to maintain pressure. If you can’t find a place that offers nitrogen inflation — and there aren’t yet all that many places that do — your only option left is to reinflate with compressed air. Doing that drops the nitrogen purity.
Nitrogen offers no better protection against road hazards such as cuts and punctures. So no matter what you inflate the tire with, you still need to check the condition and pressure of the tires at least once a month as recommended in the owner’s manual.
Tires that are inflated with compressed air and properly maintained offer the same fuel economy, tread wear, and ride comfort as those inflated with nitrogen.

Nitrogen for automobile tires is produced by nitrogen generators, which typically get about 95% purity. But to actually get that level of purity into an automobile tire, you would have to deflate and inflate that tire with nitrogen several times. If you’re not careful doing this repeated deflation and inflation process, the purity level winds up being closer to 90%. When compared with normal compressed air, which is about 80% nitrogen to begin with, you may start to wonder if there is any benefit at all. Because of this, those claims of less pressure loss with nitrogen aren’t valid.


So here’s the bottom line: Nitrogen is an ideal gas for inflating tires in aircraft, military vehicles, race cars, and heavy off-road equipment, but when it comes to automobile tires, it offers no apparent advantages over ordinary, dry-compressed air. Our advice to you: Just stick with the air you breathe!

[terracore]

That is good to know that "regular" air being 80% nitrogen and "nitrogen" air being effectively 90% nitrogen in the tire makes an insignificant difference. I just wish places like Costco didn't waste our money on gimmicks. One time I went to the Kona Costco and they had nitrogen refill stations where you could swipe your card and add nitrogen to your tires, then I went like a week later and they were gone.

The refill stations were along the red "NO PARKING FIRE LANE" curb which I thought was weird and I'm wondering if that's why they disappeared so fast?

[leilanidude]

Needed tires for one of the vehicles and for some stupid reason, I didn't shop Amazon - just checked the tires out on Firestone corporate website and set the local appointment after it confirmed stock (odd size).

Got to Firestone today and said I wanted new TPMS sensors since I knew 2 were already bad. Guy says, why do you want those? They cost more than the tires you are buying?

I was like, well they are 10 years old and I would rather replace all 4 now rather than come back in later. How much are you charging?

He says $125 EACH. At which point I mentioned, loudly R&G has them for $45 and Goodyear has them for $55. He claims theirs a are "junk". I explain that I am cancelling my appointment.

Just found the tires on Amazon and they are being shipped to Sears who sells new Nippondenso TPMS sensors for $50.

Firestone locally has completely lost all my business at this point - and I have 4 vehicles here.

[terracore]

"He says $125 EACH. At which point I mentioned, loudly R&G has them for $45 and Goodyear has them for $55. He claims theirs a are "junk". I explain that I am cancelling my appointment."

The irony! It was the sh!tty Firestone tires blowing out that led to the 2000 TREAD Act that required automakers to install the sensors in the first place!

Please let us know how getting the sensor replaced at Sears went. I have a sensor out myself that I've just been living with.