new tires in Metro Vancity

the wife's '06 EX (5 speed) will be needing new all-season rubber when i swap out the winter tires/wheels. i knew about this last year but just got around to looking into quotes. the OEM Dueler 684's have lasted about 50k kms, and are a crappy tire to begin with.

i'll be going with a set of Yokohama Geolander A/T-S. we only use the V for recreation, camping, etc.. so i was looking for a beefier tire then OEM.

i got a few quotes from shops around Vancity. All numbers came in at between $920-$1100 out the door and installed. that'a a no-go for me since i put new rubber on my G35 for much less then that last year.

Discount Tire in Bellingham will be doing the job for $530 USD (total), not including a $40 rebate that is being offered until the end of Feb.

this is a huge savings so i thought i'd pass along the info. i spoke with Mike at DT. i'll update my experiences once the install is done next week.

The Geolanders are great tires, I just got mine off (after 45K mi) last week. I decided to go with a set of General Grabber AT2's because the price on the Yokos went up considerably since last time I bought them. You got a great deal though, the lowest price I could find on them here in StL was about $130/tire + tax, mounting, etc.
I got a set of 5 Grabber AT2s for $570 (out the door) from a local guy here that cut me a deal

the wife's '06 EX (5 speed) will be needing new all-season rubber when i swap out the winter tires/wheels. i knew about this last year but just got around to looking into quotes. the OEM Dueler 684's have lasted about 50k kms, and are a crappy tire to begin with.

i'll be going with a set of Yokohama Geolander A/T-S. we only use the V for recreation, camping, etc.. so i was looking for a beefier tire then OEM.

i got a few quotes from shops around Vancity. All numbers came in at between $920-$1100 out the door and installed. that'a a no-go for me since i put new rubber on my G35 for much less then that last year.

Discount Tire in Bellingham will be doing the job for $530 USD (total), not including a $40 rebate that is being offered until the end of Feb.

this is a huge savings so i thought i'd pass along the info. i spoke with Mike at DT. i'll update my experiences once the install is done next week.

tires down south (washington state) or online will always be a LOT cheaper than your local stores/shops.
online prices are cheap, but you get hit with the shipping & duty when it crosses the border. :mad:

The Geolanders are great tires, I just got mine off (after 45K mi) last week. I decided to go with a set of General Grabber AT2's because the price on the Yokos went up considerably since last time I bought them. You got a great deal though, the lowest price I could find on them here in StL was about $130/tire + tax, mounting, etc.
I got a set of 5 Grabber AT2s for $570 (out the door) from a local guy here that cut me a deal

thanks. i saw your posts on the Geo A/T-S and i am glad to hear another positive review. i looked at the Grabber AT2's as well but they are a bit too aggressive for our needs. they do look cool though.

Discount Tire lists the Geo A/T-S for $126, but they will match the best shipped price found on line. Tire Rack lists the Geo at $92, and shipping is $55 to Bellingham for a total of $423. install (etc) adds another $100.

all i have to do is print off an online quote showing the shipped price and Discount will match it.

Apologies, I just noticed you were a Canucks fan so I take back any help or well wishes I inappropriately sent your way earlier:D
GO BLUES!

tires down south (washington state) or online will always be a LOT cheaper than your local stores/shops.
online prices are cheap, but you get hit with the shipping & duty when it crosses the border. :mad:

no duty, but shipping to Vancouver is $100+ more than to Bellingham - a 40min drive. it doesn't make any sense to do this if one lives near the border. driving 30-40 mins to save 50% is more than worth it, IMO.

^^ nice try, bluebird. i predict another early golf season for STL this year:)

although you guys do give us a run for our money most games...i think we're 2-2 this year. but hey, it's great to hear some hockey passion from down south!

pay close attention Feb 21: Can vs USA 4:40PM! should be a good game.

Yeah, I guess I should've expected that huh? Unfortunately, I think you're right about the golf season, but as you may know, the motto here is StL is, "there's always next season." I just hope we don't do anything bone-headed like trading away our future...again...
Good luck with the tires

well we had the tires installed last Saturday. it has to one of the most pain-free vehicle service transactions of all time. everything at Discount tire was as promised. they price matched Tire Rack's internet pricing ($92/ea) and had the job done in 1/2 hour. great service, no hassles. total price was $535 out the door.

we then went to an affiliated alignment shop, Bellingham Automotive, for a 4 wheel alignment check (free with Discount Tire purchase). the right side needed adjustment so their price was $75, but they gave us a $20 discount coupon. they also threw in a free touchless car wash, and they had a great waiting area with Olympics coverage and free drinks.

all-in-all i was extremely impressed, and that is saying something because i am a critic. the whole trip took 3.5hrs at a relaxed pace, and we saved ~$500. works for me. so far we are loving the Geolanders, although time will tell. they certainly look a lot better then the piddly OEM Duelers.

as a reference i got pricing on new rubber for my G35 19" rims. DT's price would be $700 out the door, my best Canada price for the same Hankooks is $1200.

well we had the tires installed last Saturday. it has to one of the most pain-free vehicle service transactions of all time. everything at Discount tire was as promised. they price matched Tire Rack's internet pricing ($92/ea) and had the job done in 1/2 hour. great service, no hassles. total price was $535 out the door.

we then went to an affiliated alignment shop, Bellingham Automotive, for a 4 wheel alignment check (free with Discount Tire purchase). the right side needed adjustment so their price was $75, but they gave us a $20 discount coupon. they also threw in a free touchless car wash, and they had a great waiting area with Olympics coverage and free drinks.

all-in-all i was extremely impressed, and that is saying something because i am a critic. the whole trip took 3.5hrs at a relaxed pace, and we saved ~$500. works for me. so far we are loving the Geolanders, although time will tell. they certainly look a lot better then the piddly OEM Duelers.

as a reference i got pricing on new rubber for my G35 19" rims. DT's price would be $700 out the door, my best Canada price for the same Hankooks is $1200.

thats a great price! 17" suv tires up here starts at 200. nothing lower than C$200. what a rip off.
i checked at costco in vancity and michelins would cost me a minimum of C$220 each!

where is the discount tire you went to? bellingham?
if coming back to vancity and we declare it at the border, i assume we get charged for taxes? i know a lot of people dont declare when they do tires.

^ yeah i checked at costco and their price for crappy michelins was $200+/ea. these Yoko Geolanders are awesome tires, a bit more aggresive oriented.

if you declare at the border all you would pay would be ONE tax, either GST or PST (I forget which one). so if i had to pay PST i would have owed ~$38, which still means i got an awesome deal. of course, all i was asked was if i bought any liquor or cigarrettes. so it was a don't ask don't tell scenario.

for anyone who lives within an hour or so of the border this is a no-brainer, unless money (or principle) is not an issue.

^ yeah i checked at costco and their price for crappy michelins was $200+/ea. these Yoko Geolanders are awesome tires, a bit more aggresive oriented.

if you declare at the border all you would pay would be ONE tax, either GST or PST (I forget which one). so if i had to pay PST i would have owed ~$38, which still means i got an awesome deal. of course, all i was asked was if i bought any liquor or cigarrettes. so it was a don't ask don't tell scenario.

for anyone who lives within an hour or so of the border this is a no-brainer, unless money (or principle) is not an issue.

hows the ride and road noise of your Geolanders?
how long are they expected to last?

i know a lot of people who go down and buy tires or parts. :)

last december, just after christmas - i went down and this vancity integra sped past me on I-5. minutes later, i saw him pulled over for speeding! :D
when i got to the outlet mall later, i saw him pull up after me. guess what he's doing there? he bought a new hood from some WA kid. i saw it all with my 2 eyes. he paid the kid, swapped the hood and he left the old banged up hood on the grass sidewalk of the outlet mall and took off. what an a******.
i was so tempted to snap a picture of his car and call it in to the customs.
hate people like that. not only are they cheaters, they also dont clean up after themselves.

anyways, i will probably look around up here and down there as well when the time comes to get new tires.
i know of a place in richmond where u can buy new tires, pay cash n stuff, no taxes. if the difference is not that much, i'll do i up here.

the Geolanders are awesome so far. they are not any louder than the OEM tires, and they certainly look better. treadwear is rated at more than OEM as well. cornering is not quite as good, if you're in to high speed driving with the CRV. that's what my G35 is for so the muted handling is no problem for me.

i recently took the CRV off road down an old Hydro access road and the A/T-S's handled great.

my only regret is that i should've waited longer because the dollar kept creeping up.