Tires

Overview

When the tread on your existing car’s tires starts to gradually wear out or get damaged, it’s time to replace them.
After all, tires are one of the most important components of any automobile, something which has a major effect on the vehicle’s maneuverability, performance, and overall safety.

They are the only parts that come into direct contact with the road, helping you get from point A to point B and increase your gas mileage. This helps you to save on gas and significantly enhance the general ride quality.

When tires fail, the driver, the other passengers in the car, as well as nearby vehicles and pedestrians can be seriously affected.
In extreme scenarios on the road, good tires, just like bad ones, can spell the difference between life and death.

Tire shopping sites offer a great way to buy the tires you need in order to keep the vehicle safe, efficient, and comfortable for optimal driving performance.
Their comprehensive virtual catalogs include tires, wheels, parts, and a variety of accessories.

Vendor websites in this industry offer an extensive selection of tires and wheels for almost every year, make, and model, featuring every size and type (including some hard-to-find specialty models). There are also intuitive item search tools, low prices (compared to car dealerships), as well as attractive discounts, promotions, and special deals.

Major online car, truck and other vehicle’s tire discounters offer a huge a variety of popular domestic and foreign brands from the world’s leading manufacturers, such as:

• BFGoodrich
• Bridgestone
• Continental
• Cooper
• Firestone
• Goodyear
• Hankook
• Michelin
• Nexen
• Nitto
• Pirelli
• Toyo
• Yokohama

In addition, websites in this market usually offer a searchable database through which consumers have the ability to find local physical shops where the new tires can be professionally mounted and balanced on their car by an installer.

Consumer Tips: How to Buy Safely and Avoid Tire Scams Online

Just like any other field that involves buyers, sellers, and money that switches hands, the online tire market also has its fair share of scammers, fraudsters, and cybercriminals that operate on the internet and look for potential victims.

Scammers use a variety of illegal or unethical ways to trick unsuspecting car owners.
Some sell poor quality tires made by unfamiliar “mystery brands”, some sell counterfeit merchandize, some sell defective recalled items, and some stock unused old tires and offer them as “new”.

In addition, some businesses offer inferior customer service, unfair store policies, or other aspects that lead to an extremely negative shopping experience.

Taking the following steps will help you to find credible and reliable retailers and complete your purchase in a safe, secure, and satisfactory manner:

Verify that You’re Ordering the Right Size

The technical characteristics of a given tire are imprinted on its sidewalls in a code-like sequence such as P215/65 R15.
However, many websites offer a convenient option which enables the user to easily search for the right size by entering the vehicle’s manufacturing year, make, and model.

This helps to ensure that they will get the correct size without the need to decipher the “mysterious” string of letters and numbers into everyday English.

Understand Product Types

The diverse tire world offers different product categories to different needs, from all-season, performance, and touring tires to summer, winter, and snow models.
Additionally, there are solutions specifically engineered for track and competition use.

The bottom line: do your homework and educate yourself about the different types in order to get a clear understanding which will serve you best before placing an order.

Investigate the Tire Seller’s BBB Record

Check the company’s record on the Better Business Bureau’s website.
What you’ll find there will help you to evaluate whether it’s a legitimate business that deserves your money and trust or if you need to look elsewhere.

Look for the current BBB rating, customer reviews, complaints, warnings and alerts on their business profile.
In addition, learn how long it has been in business – a potential indicator of experience and reputation.

If the retailer is not even listed with the BBB, this is a very bad sign.
On the other hand, if the tire retailer is certified as a BBB Accredited Business, it’s an important positive signal.

Pay Close Attention to Red Flags

Learn how to better protect yourself when shopping on the internet. This will help you to avoid scammers and keep safe in general.
Knowing how to check if a website is legitimate or not is the first line of defense.