When to get new tires?

[Harbones]

My Xterra is only 1 week old but I know I will want to upgrade the tires at some point. Someone was telling me that you can trade in your current tires, and the best time to do it is just after you get your new truck. Is there any truth to this (for one thing i can't figure out the trade-in deal if you buy online)?

I can't really afford to get tires now, but the time i would be ready to do this would be in about 6 months - probably the worst time since my tires will have a reasonable amount of wear but no where close enough to need replacement. So if i would be much better off to get tires now then I could do it...

Any advice?

Thanks,
Harbones

[Lance]

If you are going to trade them in on what you really want before they are worn out...you are eating your profits unless you trade them in NOW!!!

Every day you wait costs you money....the new tires go up in price periodically...and the old ones are worth less with every mile...but OEM's are cheap...and their value is small to start with.

Depending upon the dealer and the new tires' profit margin, etc...and the dealer's knowledge of a buyer for the used ones...you can get anything from a token discount, up to maybe half the value of the used tire when it was new...

The General Grabber AW's are crap tires...they sell new for around $50 - 60 or so...so the maximum you might get is around $25-30 on a trade in....half worn = ~ $10 - 15.....

So by now, you have a total of $20 in rolling stock, plus maybe $30 for the full sized spare...maximum. ($50 total off the (5) new ones' total)


So - No matter what...you will be paying for the new tires...you're just renting the ones you have for now.

The trade in is more important when you have more expensive tires...especially the larger sizes that people will buy a worn one of just to use as a spare.

For example; I got $30 per tire for 4 bald GY GSA 30 x 9.5/15's...and $50 for the treaded spare....that got me $170 off the (5) 32x11.5's I replaced them with....made a difference.



Enjoy!

[Lance]

I just noticed you asked how to do the on-line trade in...I don't think Tirerack for example deals in the used ones...but if you are having them shipped to an installer for example...you might talk to them. E Bay, etc...can let you sell them...or you can run an ad in the paper, stop by a local tire place, etc.

I go through a lot of rigs...and I get tires from a local dealer and from tirerack for example...and I used to also use my dad-in-law's gas station...and do my own mounting, etc...what ever was convenient or cheaper depending upon the circumstances.

Places that fix flats usually have a rack of used tires that people with sliced sidewalls/slicks due for state inspections...etc...come to for a quick fix of rubber....they will buy the used tire, and sell it to these people...you can even drive over with the tires on the truck, mention you are getting new ones, and see what they'd give you for them...

After getting the new ones...drive the used's over to the place of choice to get paid.

Any help?

[Harbones]

Thanks for the responses Lance. So if i understand you correctly, if i'm ever going to trade in my stock tires the time is now . Unfortunately i've already racked up 1200 miles. Regardless, i'll check around town to see if anyone is buying. If not, could it be more advisable to just store my bfglts in the basement and put them on again when its time to trade in my xterra?

Thanks again

-Harbones

[Lance]

At 1200 miles...they should still look all but new...

In how many years are you selling your X?


With any luck...the old tires will be dried out and cracked with age....poisonous spiders will have nested in them, West Nile Virus Mosquitoes will be waiting, and hungry, Mice, carrying Hanta Virus, Rats with Bubonic Plague, Rabid Bats, Rabbits with Bats, Bats with Cryptosporidium contaminated guano, Janet Reno....etc....

As I said...Grabbers are cheap tires...you are not geting much for them either way...if you want and can afford new meats...do it now..if you need to rent the Grabbers untill you have the $ for Boggers, etc... ( ), Then drive them until as bald as you need them to be.

If a premium trade will be the slight edge you need to pay for the new ones...trade sooner...its not an exact science...its an art.

[Harbones]

Ok so you've convinced me that if i'm gonna do the sell, it should be now. However, this brings up a secondary question. I'd love to get some nice meaty tires for off-road. However, i have to remember that my livelihood depends on my X getting me to and from work every day . So if i got a set of replacement tires they'd have to be an AT (either the pirelli scorpion or bfg). On the hand, what do you think of getting some nice MTs and some cheap rims (the stocks go on the cheap rims of course) and just swapping them back and forth? Is this even possible (alignment, etc) or practical (i dont have a nice jack or air-powered driver)? The only other option i can think of is these Trxus which i hear are supposed to be an MT that is close to an AT.

Mucho gracias
-Harbones

[Lance]

A set of inexpensive/less expensive rims with your froad tires mounted up for froading, and keeping your road tires on the rims you have is a good compromise if you are willing to take off and put on for every trip...if there are not too many trips....once a month or something...its not that big a deal.

You don't have to do anything except take off the road set, and put on the froad set (Reverse when home again....)

Alignment, etc...should be fine. (Unless while of road you hit some nasty thing that knocked your suspension for a loop, etc.)

If you get a second set for off road...get 5...if you needed MT's to get into trouble in the first place...you'll need them to get back out too...Blow out the fourth MT...leaving three MT's, and a Longtrail....can make it a VERY long trail.

Not to mention the fun your ABS, etc. will have dealing with three large tires and one puny tire, on the way home in the rain, snow...etc.

[Lance]

I've done my change over (And rotations..) in the driveway. If you get a set of Jackstands, it goes faster and is a bit safer than trying to use the tire changing jack alone.

Jack one corner, place the stand, lower onto the stand...take out the jack...if rotating...I would jack up the next corner, and place a second stand there, etc.

If just swapping off meat for on meat, etc...you can do one corner at a time.

You could also marry the gas station guy's daughter...and then just do it all on the station's lift with the airtools and stuff. (I've done this too....)

[Harbones]

Thanks for the help Lance. I am gonna get some new tires asap. Now i just need to master the art of dealing off my original tires .

-Harbones

[Lance]

Good Luck and Godspeed!

[Goliath the X]

A week after taking delivery of my X I checked 11 tire stores in my area. All of them laughed their asses off when I told them they were Generals. They all said they get new Generals so cheap it's not worth it to buy the old ones.

I finally found a guy in Jersey who had a frontier with 17s who wanted the 15" rims.

Good luck with unloading them.

[Harbones]

As an update I did get new tires - 31x10.50x15 Trxus ! These tires are absolutely badass :smoka: (though i have to admit i haven't gotten a chance to really put them through the ropes offroad).

Anyway, I put an ad in the paper to sell the 4 tires at $175 (by my calculations this was about half price - i have an XE so they were BFG LT's). I had at least 10 people call me wanting to buy them. In fact, when one guy found out i was already showing them to someone else he offered me an extra 50 bucks to sell it to him on the spot. The guy I ended up selling them to said it was one of the best deals he had ever gotten. I was happy to get this price for them, but in retrospect I wish I would have charged more for them :o.

-Harbones
(Xodus)

[Goliath the X]

Good deal Harbones!!!

I sold my tires and rims to a guy in NJ for 400 for his frontier SC. I just couldn't sell the tires to a dealer.