RE: Tire Rack (kinda long...)

[michael_kohlbrenner@xxxxxxxxxx]

I have probably purchased at least 10 sets of tires from the
Tire Rack over the past decade, plus some steel wheels
for winter use.  I also agree that their service is right
up there and their prices are (usually...) right down
there.  I will most likely continue to buy tires from them
since I am, for the most part, pleased.

However, in the midst of all of this praise, I feel compelled
to point out some minor issues about them.

First, they are a business.  They are working for profit,
and by the way the sales people force their phone extensions
on you, they are probably working for commission.  While I
have no problem with this, one has to be mindful of it. I
am convinced that there are certain tire models that have
better margins than others and they do tend to push them.

Second, I once received a set of Yokohama Guardex snow
tires from them that were over three years old, as shown
by the date code stamped in the sidewalls.  I did end up
keeping the darned things since I didn't look at the date
codes until they were mounted and both Yoko and Tire Rack
claimed that there would be no ill effect since they both
stored them in cool, dry warehouses with no UV or ozone
exposure.  While there was no way to truly know for sure,
they didn't seem to perform as well on the first few
slippery days as I thought they should based upon prior
experience with that tire model.  After the outer layer of
rubber was worn off, they did seem to work OK.  The thing
that ticked me off was that the guy at Yoko fessed up that
there was a large batch of older Guardex tires that they
sold to Tire Rack and implied that they got some sort of
deal on them.  The problem was that Tire Rack didn't sell
these tires at any kind of discount as I feel that they
should have.

I have also heard from others that they will not check
tire date codes for you prior to shipment.  And warehouse
or not, tire rubber does age and I personally believe that
this can be a significant issue especially with high
performance tires (or fancy snow tire compounds...).

Last, one has to realize that they don't carry ALL tire
brands.  You can't get Toyos there as others have said.
Also, they don't carry Nokian, Gislaved or Vredestein
tires for whatever reason, which is also too bad since
they make some of the best winter tires in the world.

Sorry for what probably comes off as a the long-winded rant.
As I stated, I am, for the most part, satisfied with the
Tire Rack, in spite of my one bad experience with old tires.
They will continue to get my business as long as they
continue to offer good value.

Regards,
Mike Kohlbrenner

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