Can't answer about any specific place local to you, but in my area - the largest GM dealer has a pretty good sized tire department & will match any internet price if you print it out and bring it in. That is of coarse is if it is a tire brand they have access to.

If that is of any help at all.

 

I don't know if this will be received well but here goes. Wal-Mart can order many tires from their book. That's how I got the General Grabbers. And the
prices they offer including lifetime rotate and balance is difficult if not impossible to beat. At least give them a try. I save about $50 every 6k miles when I do the 5 tire rotation. Btw, 70k on the Generals with lots of meat left.

 

Thanks DC. Will check to see if they can get brand x. I'm not afraid to go to Wal-Mart as not many of us have the tools to mount a tire although it is a very task. How loud are you grabbers? Mine is basically a DD with a couple winter drives up north to see the Packers play. You know we can get a bit of snow here in MO if the December jet stream is right.

 

I will probably not buy the Generals for a couple of reasons. 1. They are loud and seem to be getting louder the more they age. Maybe because of the aggressive tread and size: 245/70/16. 2. I don't do a lot of off roading and will probably go for more of an all season tire. 3. They don't hold as compelling an advantage in price. Good luck and let us know how you decide. p.s. where in Mo are you?

 

In my experience, tirerack.com is the cheapest any way you cut it.

Walmart is the most expensive.

Even with $20 shipping per tire, and then $15 per tire mount/balance, ordering from tirerack.com still blows away any and all of the tire shops in my area. 99% of the time I order from tirerack.com.

While Walmart is getting $170 for a cheap, knock-off brand specially made for them version of a Goodyear, I can order Generals or Firestones from tirerack, pay shipping, take them to a shop for mounting and balancing, and come out having spent maybe $135 for a tire. Tirerack IS the way to go.

 

In my experience, tirerack.com is the cheapest any way you cut it.

Walmart is the most expensive.

Even with $20 shipping per tire, and then $15 per tire mount/balance, ordering from tirerack.com still blows away any and all of the tire shops in my area. 99% of the time I order from tirerack.com.

While Walmart is getting $170 for a cheap, knock-off brand specially made for them version of a Goodyear, I can order Generals or Firestones from tirerack, pay shipping, take them to a shop for mounting and balancing, and come out having spent maybe $135 for a tire. Tirerack IS the way to go.

All I can say is compare. I got my Generals for $87 and I get free rotation and balancing lifetime. Tirerack can't do that. And at the time couldn't beat the tire price. Plus add the convenience. Maybe my experience will be different next time. Btw, I priced the Generals at Wal-Mart two months ago and they were $115.

 

Both times I went to a Walmart here, they couldn't even sell me Generals. Said they weren't in the books and they couldn't order them.

So then I had them price me another set of somewhat lesser quality tires that they did have, and it came out to over $160 per tire. Screw that..

All the independent tire shops locally won't even touch a 4x4 with new tires for less than $700.

I guess it's different in different areas of the country. But when I order from tirerack.com.. I get 4 tires of my choice sitting on my front porch for $500. Then I spend $50 for mounting and balancing.

 

Both times I went to a Walmart here, they couldn't even sell me Generals. Said they weren't in the books and they couldn't order them.

So then I had them price me another set of somewhat lesser quality tires that they did have, and it came out to over $160 per tire. Screw that..

All the independent tire shops locally won't even touch a 4x4 with new tires for less than $700.

I guess it's different in different areas of the country. But when I order from tirerack.com.. I get 4 tires of my choice sitting on my front porch for $500. Then I spend $50 for mounting and balancing.

Wow! You have a really crappy Wal-Mart. Believe me, it's in their book. Maybe a higher up can help. I did once get a similar answer like you did. But since I knew they could get them I kept after it. Btw, the tires came in less than 5 days later.

 

All the shops listed in my area were were at least $35 per tire. $20 to put it on and then the usual BS (valve stem, disposal fees etc.) brought it up to $35 per tire. This was through tierrack.com so perhaps I should just order the rubber and find a place to install them.

 

Don't buy at wallmart,unless there are a OEM tire size that originally came on your vehicle they most likely will not mount it anyways.

Places like Firestone and Discount tires will price match tirerack.com as they use tirerack as a warehouse.

 

I bought my 245/70/16 tires with lifetime balance and rotation. They had no problem mounting them.

 

I know of quite a few people who have had tires mounted at Walmart and they were not OE size, never had a problem

As far as Tirerack and those types of places not sure why anyone uses them.
I buy local and get as good or better prices than what they sell for without mounting or shipping.
Got my Duratracs for cheaper than I could get at the Goodyear store or Tirerack.( mounted/balanced and all taxes) Bought them at Tireman here in Toledo and they came straight from the Goodyear warehouse in downtown Toledo!

 

I buy from tirerack.com because like I said, everytime I need tires I call ALL the local shops in the yellow pages to be fair and give them a chance (I like buying local to support the local economy if I can) and they always quote me outrageous prices. $700-$900 to put tires on a daily driver? I don't think so.

I can pick exactly what I want, see it, read about it, check the specs on it, hear what owners have to say about it, then order it and have it placed on my front porch for me... ALL for less money than a local shop thanks to tirerack.com. I love that website.

 

But do you ask them to price match?
I look at all of the online places, print off what they will sell for then go shopping locally. I have never had any place refuse to price match before. they all will and I save a lot of money. Like I said Tireman matched Tireracks prices, mounted / balanced them for that same price and then the guy said since it was end of the month and if I bought them that day he would take care of the taxes!
I worked in and managed tire shops for years, I never let a customer walk out the door without selling him something

 

Yes, I have asked local places to price match before and I even took a printout of the tire I want and the price from the tirerack.com website in the store with me. They said "we only match other real stores". Whatever that means.. so I guess tirerack.com isn't a real store?? That's funny because they deliver real tires to my front door.

The Walmarts here will mount for $5 per tire and balance for $5 per tire (or $7.50 per tire for lifetime) so you end up with a $50 invested in mounting and balancing a whole set.

So for my Generals:

110 per tire
86 shipping
50 mount/balance

$576 total on the road and that's for 255/70-16s. There isn't a single tire shop anywhere in central KY that will even come close to matching that....and that's with paying almost 90 bucks shipping! Tirerack.com is awesome.

 

Ours gladly mounts any tires they sell. So I don't believe it's a corporate policy but rather individual discretion.

 

My walmart wouldn't mount a non OEM size tire on the vehicle. However, if you take the wheel off the vehicle, then they'll mount and balance and let you put them back on your vehicle yourself. They even let me use their floor jack to do it. The guy said it's a liability if walmart mounts a non-oem size tire on the vehicle themselves.