Hi,

Yes about three years ago I saw this coming from Costco and bought two sets, of which, I still one to put on two of my cars in the future. So I’m saying to stay with Michelin I’m now short one set.
So I too have seen Michelin’s 195 x 14 recently get deleted from the Costco line of “you having to order them but it only takes a few days in advance”.
They never have offered any in the Bridgestone line but I didn’t want them anyway. Not that there is anything wrong with Bridgestone I think. For me Michelin’s hold their air inside better between maintenance intervals. So far never a flat tire with them either.

It’s just in this last year their contractors stopped working with Costco in this manner.
Apparently this side unit had volume drops from not enough people requesting them. Then there is a chain reaction on up to the top shareholders of suppliers and retailers to pull the plugs.

So, independent dealers of Michelin may have some leeway so check with them.

But Costco is a major buyer of everything they get into.
They work both sides of the fence for their members and the company’s welfare, just like any other well run business.

The Good news is yes, there are other tire makers willing to stay in the game because there are many vehicles out there that still use those tires.
This will give them just as much as they always had before the big rims and shorter sidewalls.
Less of a tire, cost less to make but being exclusive to certain rims are skinning the new driver wallets with sticker shocks!

The USA tire world has gone global and intermixed to survive for years.
We have to make sure that you buy tires that still meet FEDERAL DOT standards!
Do not except them if individual states have rewritten in some sort of other acceptance criteria.
If that happens you might be paying for new tires only to find out they are recapped carcasses.
That was a real problem mid last century and 18 wheelers are still throwing whole rubber treads today.
This is because some states are corporate and or commerce driven to be lenient.


IMO with tires and batteries you get what you pay for.
But all that has changed with batteries!
Johnson Controls made Kirkland batteries for years and then onto Interstate batteries sold in Costco.
Interstates are placed in other parts store or garages on consignment.
Those on consignment can set too long to be fresh.
I do not see any places using float chargers.
The batteries deteriorate sitting. Lots of stores have and will sell you an aged battery.
Costco has a great turn over so you get fresher batteries there.
Lately Interstate puts with monthly stickers of their stock. Maybe they rotate them but Costco will not accept delivery of a tire more than one year old.
You would be surprised how long tires will set in some warehouses. So watch the DOT date label closely!

J.C. had a proprietary wrought leads plate.
It was so good that Exide could not complete against them domestically.
Excite has had management problems for some time and now Wall Street owns them.
They are buying everything with retirement plan funds and the global trading competition is piece dealing America apart.

Exide goes back a longways making batteries to fit everything for over a century.
USA was not all over the world but America stuff sold it to be there.
Exide’s later generation of management with thinking they were too big to fail but now everyone makes their own versions.

Like wise being complacent put themselves into financial jeopardy.
Wall Street being the vultures they are, got them leverage up! That’s language for in-debt.
So to gain back what they technically still own, with hard work of the past management, has taken WS money and worked it to eliminate the threat of a better product.
Like Continental bought out Goodyear’s Quiet line if slant clogged belts with proprietary rubber compounds and it looks like “V” belts are endangered next.
At some point in the automotive venue over serpentines are the norm. Hide and watch!

It’s called corporate take overs!
The Wall Street and global financial markets “together” are vultures driving world economies ruthlessly, with less regard for inflation, because they thrive on it.
Interest and dividends greed makes for a vicious circle.
Slice and dice, don’t mind the blood letting.

Capitalism has two heads just like the MONEY! The two sides, be it, coin or a paper note world wide.

Keep shopping and get information to help hold our standards we have, up high!

Phil