So I have a few cars. 2 240s and a Outback. My 240 sedan is needing new tires are the tread is almost getting low and they are 10 years old. I don;t drive it much anymore maybe 6k per year now. Mostly cause the Outback is my work car and the 240 wagon is our dog car. Now with that said what are some Value tires that you guys trust? Not wanting to dump much into them due to it will sit in garage most time. Tire size P185/70R14

Thanks

OP - may want to take a look at this....

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=329205

Be sure to check the load rating - Volvos are heavy and are often asked to carry a load.

No, Volvos are not heavy. Most in 1987 are around 3000#. They have high'ish GVW but even that is not that great at 4-4300#. With our sidewalls, it is hard to find tires NOT in that load range.

I will reiterate my common theme...rarely used cars benefit from used tires. They are harder to find in our sizes but $50 a tire mounted for Kuhmo Solus tires only 2-years old is not an uncommon find.

Edit: To put it in perspective, even 86 load range tires are good enough for sedans ans 88 for wagons.

Just put a set of 185/70-14 Goodyear Assurant tires on my Honda Fit. Very pleased so far. Relatively inexpensive, quiet, great in the wet, great fuel mileage when pumped up to 36-38. I'd buy them again.

Could you folks suggest vendors?

You can buy through the internets from Amazon and other retail vendors of anything.

Yet if you shop around at tire stores, they now nickel and dime you to the hilt with mount, unmount, balance, new tire stem, extra price for alloys (sometimes, tell them you got alloys), and disposal.

I have yet to find a tire store that will install a set of tires for 200$. That price includes cheapo Chinese tires like Kuhmo. It always ends up being like 280-320. Yet the retail market in over consumption town in this midwestern city may not be the same as in other cities where you folks reside. And sales tax.

And no, I'm not a Sam's Club or Price Club or Costco member.

And I've donned 240s in used tires with okay tread and well less than seven years of age with not the best results. Though I still look for 14" tires on the craigslist.

Used tires from the tire stores here, Spokane, Chico CA, Portland / Vancouver require in an in-person look at their used tire collection. You have to verify the used tires are there and acceptable for tread depth and manufacturer date code. Yet such inspection won't reveal defects you can detect at near highway speeds, such as flat spots or defective tires that are not concentrically round, as I have had on the green 1992 240 GL.

Like Uncle Old Duke points out, the tire business is a scam full of shysters. Yet I do not have good negotiating skills.

I have to get tires on the kittys grey 1991 Volvo 240, as yet. The used StarFire 340 (Cooper brand) on the 1990 li'l red 240 DL wagon have a flat spot on one and vibrates at highway speed (though 2-ply sidewalls unlike the new Hankook tires on the green 1992 240 GL).

Thanks.

Duffed.

hi kitty g- see my response below your message. regards olduke

hi kitty g- thank you for the high compliment on shystering. will give you 2 pieces of counsel. 1st and most important become a better negotiator by adopting my 3 point strategy: a.maintain walk away power when shystered b. know your prices and always make a counteroffer -dont be afraid, everything is for sale at the right price c. if the clip joints price is still malodorous refer to point a. on tire stores- sadly i have not found one which gives a good deal. not only is their deal too high but they almost always tryto back out when you make a warranty claim based on mileage- to wit- you did something wrong ie alignment, bad ball joint, paper work, incorrect rotation, etc. if this happens submit your claim directly to the manufacturer of the tire. have always obtained satisfaction from goodyear, goodrich, michelin and douglas when i go this route. lastly the best tire deal i have found after comp shopping tire stores is sams club. they gave me the best final price on sets of michelin defenders (90k treadwear warranty) and only charged $15 per tire for the extras you refer to(mounting, stem, balance, no charge rotation, flat repair, disposal). the only downside is ive had to give every tire vendor when i make a treadwear claim, a lesson in algebra 1 on how to figure the formula for pro rating the percentage coefficient with the mileage used vs. mileage warranted. that scared the hell out of me b/c one manager had a 4 year degree from U Miss. WTF? hope this helps a bit. regards oldduke

Hiya Uncles Old Duke and Michael Yount,

Yep, Old Duke, there is not much in the way of alternate tire pricing as ad specials. Perhaps that found on Amazon for shipped tires. Again, I do not belong to a Costco or a Sam's Club.

In reading your posts as to dealing with shysters, I don't possess the hubris you do to call out the shysters and get a better price. I'll see on Amazon.com a tire sold for 35$, and then consider the price to have the tire store tire technician, or mechanic, to do the work at like 15-25$ hourly they earn, and business cost overhead, and do see at every price point for every service the profit margin they work in. At 300$ for cheapie tires, like 100$ pure profit for the shysters.

Even outlets that sell self-touted discount tires in the rough areas of this town would have a set of Kuhmo tires ending up being like 280$ to 300$ when all said and done. Without a treadwear or road hazard. I have road hazard on these new Hankook tires from Wal*mart. Yet Walmarts are everywhere.

Les Schwab stores are not. Only in the PacNW. (What we can call Volvo 240 land like around the Salish Sea - Puget Sound.)

So, I'll try to ask "Is that your best price?" Try to do as much on the phone.

As Onkel suggests perhaps the best deal are using (not too old, not too worn) used tires on Volvo 240 tires, I've not had good luck. Though I have heard of folks finding recent used tires from newer cars that the owners ditched for something better. Yet the leg work to find such deals take much time. And you get no warranty if the used tire is defective, as is the case on my 1990 240 and was the case on the 1992 240.

So, I'll try to be more of bastard in-person?

These Hankook tires were made over a year ago in late 2015. Yet all were the same month and year.

Tires are such BS in the nation of greed. I guess always has been.

Thank you.

Happy Sat-Your-Day.

Volvo "Buttermilk" MacDuffy's Tavern and his too small Bicycle.

hi kitty g - forgot about the membership with sams club. have one b/c their gas price usually cant be beat. as to used tires. have had good experience with them but not always easy to find . if you ask up front they will usually guarantee them for 30 days. used to use recaps a lot but they have disappeared.once on a fast night on tobacco road one blew when imade a tight turn on deadmans curve. tire actually shredded as the tread came off. no ticket or smash up but copper told me it was my fault, next time dont drive caps faster than 40- 45. uncle told me the copper was right. first time i heard that about caps (1969).you ever drive caps? regards oldduke

Hiya Uncle Old Duke!

Happy Friday again!

... once on a fast night on tobacco road one blew when i made a tight turn on deadmans curve ...

Recaps or retreaded tires. Not on a car yet on a few commercial trucks (not OTR tractor trailer trucks more like Lorries).

Well, if the Kuhmos are made in South Korea, I may look again. Yet it's always around $280-320$ for a set of anything cheap.

No Sam's Club.

I use the gasbuddy.com to check for prices. Yet every time I get there, even if it is less than an hour when a gasbuddy.com member reports the price per gallon, it's always like 10-15¢. The gas station shysters themselves probably report the prices.

Hope that helps.

Petrol Duffed.

I think recaps were more common before the use of radials (1940's-'50's). I know my dad (used car dealer in that period) often fitted them and we took a Florida vacation in a 1959 Lincoln in 1962 with recaps installed. On his return from service in Europe during WWII he worked with a friend and a New Jersey recapper on making a snow tire tread to be stretched over your regular tire. I remember seeing a magazine article in the '60's about a Pirelli carcass being designed which would have a replaceable tread installed according to the season. I guess neither my dad nor Pirelli went anywhere with the idea.
I've bought used tires many times--but you do have to inspect them carefully for even wear, dry rot, bubbles, etc---and to see them rotate without wobble before they go on the car. -- Dave

I think they still recap bit truck tires. Today's car tires are built so that by the time the tread is worn out, so is the carcass.
--
1992 745, >500k km (now gone, but not forgotten)

Kuhmo is South Korean, not Chinese, fwiw.

I may have misunderstood your math -- but you'll be hard pressed to find any brand NEW tire in sizes that will work on the Volvos mounted, balanced and installed for less than $200. Most places are not less than $20/corner for removing, dismounting, disposing, remounting, balancing and installing the new stuff. That means your price per tire is down in the $30/apiece range.

Typo - Goodyear Assurance

i have been very happy with cooper lifeliners. not too expensive but seems a decent quality and good handling tire.

--
'91 244 200k auto

I've had a low cost set of Kumhos on my 245 and got good service from them--Recently replaced with Kumho "Sense" 195/70/14. -- Dave

iT IS A LITTLE COMPLEX, AND IT MAY HAVE CHANGED, BUT THE BEST DEALS I HAVE GOTTEN - SEVERAL TIMES - HAVE BEEN AT DISCOUNT TIRE DIRECT ABOUT 1 WEEK BEFORE A MAJOR HOLIDAY (I.E. LABOR DAY, 4TH OF JULY, THANKSGIVING, ETC.) YOU GO ON LINE AT DISCOUNT TIRE DIRECT (THE 2ND COUSIN OF DISCOUNT TIRE) AND SEE WHAT IS AVAILABLE IN YOUR SIZE. TYPICALLY A REGULAR PRICE BECOMES A SALE PRICE, THEN A REBATE FOR THE TIRES, THEN FREE SHIPPING AND NO SALES TAX. THIS REBATE REQUIRES YOU TO USE THEIR CC, WHICH IS AMAZINGLY EASY TO GET (30 SECONDS ON PHONE).IT WAS THROUGH GE SYNCHRONY BANK, NO INTEREST I PAID OFF PROMPTLY, THE USUAL CC FEES AND 27% INTEREST IF NOT PAID OFF ON TIME. WHEN IT ARRIVES YOU TAKE TO A LOCAL USED TIRE STORE, WHO ARE USUALLY THE MOST COMPETITIVE PRICE WISE (DISCOUNT TIRE B&M, WAL MART, ETC. WILL ALSO WORK) AND YOU CAN DROP SHIP DIRECT TO STORE IF PRE ARRANGED. SOME TIMES THE CHEAPEST TIRES DO NO HAVE THE BEST REBATE, BUT THE TOTAL MIX MAY BE BEST. SOME USED TIRE PLACES ARE EAGER TO GET YOUR THROW AWAY TIRES, AND SELL TO SOMEONE EVEN POORER THAN YOU. MANY FOLKS THAT FREQUENT BITOG (BOB IS THE OIL GUY WEB SITE) HAVE PURCHASED THERE, INCLUDING ME.JUST DON'T STRETCH OUT THE REPAY PERIOD. THE CC WORKS ALMOST NO WHERE ELSE. (I THINK EXXON GAS AND ONE OTHER). I HAVE A NORMAL CC SO I DON'T CARE.BTW KUMHO AND HANKOOK MAKE THEIR BETTER TIRES IN KOREA BUT THEIR BOTOM LINE STYLE AND SIZE MAY BE CHINESE, TO STAY COMPETITIVE. HOPE THIS HELPS.