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I am a big fan of Discount Tire and Tirerack.com. I usually research tires on tirerack.com (and these forums of course) and try to buy my tires at a local Discount Tire. So far that had been working out for me just fine.
Recently, I got my Costco membership and started looking for at their tire offering I am a big fan Continental tires (had multiple DWS sets and ControlContact Sport AS (discount tire exclusive). Now, my TL has DWS06 and I am very happy with it. The thing is, I need new set for my wife’s 2013 TSX. Sadly, Costco does not carry Continental, but they have Michelin. It seems now that the new Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus can actually rival DWS06 in all seasons, unlike the non plus previous version that was somewhat relatively speaking trash in winter.
Good rating on the Michelin’s and Costco unbeatable price got me thinking about these tires.
I can get Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus with installation and road hazard for a little over $650 while the same package at Discount Tire is over $900. Even if I were to skip road hazard at Discount Tire, the price would still be around $800. DWS06 are almost as expensive at Discount Tires (perhaps $30 difference). So the questions are:
- Does Costco do a reputable and comparable job to Discount Tire?
- Has anyone used road hazard from Costco?
- Are Pilot Sport A/S 3+ as good as DWS06 in winter and inclined weather conditions?
- Are few decimal points on tirerack.com grading scale a big deal? For instance, light snow traction 8.9 vs 8.2? what does this translate into real driving?
The only place I go to for tires is Costco. As long as you like the brands they carry (Michelin, Bridgestone, etc..) You're in good hands. Honest to god, I have NOTHING bad to say about them. Do you shop at Costco? Have you ever had a bad experience with them? Most people I know have never had any kind of issue whatsoever with Costco.
ive used the road hazard a couple times. Well... The wife has getting a nail or something in the sidewall. Tire was not able to be repaired, so, they give you a new tire and you pay the difference with regards to how much tread is left. So, if your tire has 80% tread left as compared to the same tire when new, you're only on the hook for 20% of the cost.
with regards to tire rack... Are the numbers provided by tire rack themselves, or people just submitting their own reviews on the tires? If it's the people... Well.. You're comparing apples to oranges. Everyone drives differently. Everyone has different expectations. Everyone has different interpretations of "normal" or "spirited" driving, etc. I don't hold too much value in those numbers. I find a tire I like and then research the shit out of it on my own.
Costco can save you money because they only stock selected (the most popular) brands and sizes. For my TSX Wagon, I had to go to TireRack because Costco didn't have the Michelin Primacy MXM4 I wanted. But for my Mazda3, I bought the Michelin MXV4 from Costco. Since they don't accept appointments, I had to go first thing in the morning and was the 3rd customer. Costco wants you to shop and eat while they work on your car -- which is fine.
The guy helping me was a young person, but he knew his stuff. When I asked what tire pressures should be used, he looked it up quickly and told me. When I asked how "fresh" were the tires, he showed me the code on the sidewall which was about 3 months ago.
They do ask that you return after a few weeks so they can check the torque on the lug nuts -- there were rare instances of nuts getting looser on alloy wheels. They will also recommend a wheel alignment, but if your car doesn't vibrate and tracks straight, you can skip it.
They give you a nitrogen fill for free, and as an indicator, will replace your valve step caps with the green neon variety. I don't like the attention, so if I were to go this route again, I'd ask for my original black/gray caps back.
As for your specific questions:
- I haven't used Costco's road hazard warranty
- would love to know the handling differences of the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ vs Continental DWS06
- a rating of 8.9 vs 8.2 is meaningful to me. Again, just for me, they should be within +/- .3 to be considered the same.
Costco can save you money because they only stock selected (the most popular) brands and sizes. For my TSX Wagon, I had to go to TireRack because Costco didn't have the Michelin Primacy MXM4 I wanted. But for my Mazda3, I bought the Michelin MXV4 from Costco. Since they don't accept appointments, I had to go first thing in the morning and was the 3rd customer. Costco wants you to shop and eat while they work on your car -- which is fine.
The guy helping me was a young person, but he knew his stuff. When I asked what tire pressures should be used, he looked it up quickly and told me. When I asked how "fresh" were the tires, he showed me the code on the sidewall which was about 3 months ago.
Also not sure about the "no appointment" thing. I've made appointments every time I went in.
They do ask that you return after a few weeks so they can check the torque on the lug nuts -- there were rare instances of nuts getting looser on alloy wheels. They will also recommend a wheel alignment, but if your car doesn't vibrate and tracks straight, you can skip it.
They give you a nitrogen fill for free, and as an indicator, will replace your valve step caps with the green neon variety. I don't like the attention, so if I were to go this route again, I'd ask for my original black/gray caps back.
As for your specific questions:
- I haven't used Costco's road hazard warranty
- would love to know the handling differences of the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ vs Continental DWS06
- a rating of 8.9 vs 8.2 is meaningful to me. Again, just for me, they should be within +/- .3 to be considered the same.
something doesn't add up. Here, I can get any size tire I need from the brands they carry. Obviously they're not going to carry every size in their warehouse, as they don't have the room. At the very worst, I had to wait 3-5 days to have tires shipped from across the country from the manufacturer's own warehouse. And if Bridgestone or Michelin, or whoever else makes it, Costco can get it.
also, I've been able to make appointments for every time I purchased tires from Costco. When their busy season hits, it might be a 10 day wait, but like you said, you can just lineup early and not have an appointment at all. Here, between now and December, people go bananas for winter tires. People will line up outside (in the heated foyer area) up to 3 hours prior to the tire shop opening.
the retorquing issue is bullshit. Yes, the lug nuts can come loose. They, like all tire shops, only torque them to the specified number as per the car manufacturer. If you do that, there is a chance some might come loose. But this is the same for every tire shop. Personally, I always torque my lugs an extra 10ftlbs and I've never had a lug come loose. It's not enough to ruin the stud but it will keep things from loosening up.
i agree with the nasty green valve stem caps. I either specifically ask them to put my original caps back on (if you don't ask, they WILL put the nasty green ones on), or I take them off myself and switch them out in the parking lot. I have a dozen of those nasty green ones kicking around
I appreciate everyone's input. I am convinced to get the tires from Costco. I am less convinced to try out the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+, but for the difference in price compared to what I would have to pay for the DWS06 at Discount Tires, I am willing to gamble with them. Looking at the Tirerack.com reviews, either replacement is day and night better than the stock Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 which is trash - just see the comparison between the stock, DWS 06 and A/S 3+.
Also, it looks like my Costco is taking appointments, so that will make me happy.
something doesn't add up. Here, I can get any size tire I need from the brands they carry. Obviously they're not going to carry every size in their warehouse, as they don't have the room. At the very worst, I had to wait 3-5 days to have tires shipped from across the country from the manufacturer's own warehouse. And if Bridgestone or Michelin, or whoever else makes it, Costco can get it.
also, I've been able to make appointments for every time I purchased tires from Costco. When their busy season hits, it might be a 10 day wait, but like you said, you can just lineup early and not have an appointment at all. Here, between now and December, people go bananas for winter tires. People will line up outside (in the heated foyer area) up to 3 hours prior to the tire shop opening.
the retorquing issue is bullshit. Yes, the lug nuts can come loose. They, like all tire shops, only torque them to the specified number as per the car manufacturer. If you do that, there is a chance some might come loose. But this is the same for every tire shop. Personally, I always torque my lugs an extra 10ftlbs and I've never had a lug come loose. It's not enough to ruin the stud but it will keep things from loosening up.
i agree with the nasty green valve stem caps. I either specifically ask them to put my original caps back on (if you don't ask, they WILL put the nasty green ones on), or I take them off myself and switch them out in the parking lot. I have a dozen of those nasty green ones kicking around
It's the basis for all of Costco's products -- stock brands they can get a deal on so that the customer gets a better price. I suppose each Costco can have slightly varying policies. My Costco doesn't sell gas, so maybe it's just smaller. I agree with the lug nut business; I think it's just to protect themselves legally. Maybe it happened once and now they have to ask the customer to come back. When I rotate my tires, I torque them to spec and have no issues.
Originally Posted by mlody
I appreciate everyone's input. I am convinced to get the tires from Costco. I am less convinced to try out the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+, but for the difference in price compared to what I would have to pay for the DWS06 at Discount Tires, I am willing to gamble with them. Looking at the Tirerack.com reviews, either replacement is day and night better than the stock Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 which is trash - just see the comparison between the stock, DWS 06 and A/S 3+.
Also, it looks like my Costco is taking appointments, so that will make me happy.
Note that this is not the tire I purchased. I got the Primacy MXM4 with the asymmetric tread. I wish Michelin would adopt a less confusing naming convention.
I think you will be happy with Costco's service and tires.
Going to Costco for tires is great as long as they have the tire you are looking for. We are a Costco shopping family and we love it. Never had a bad experience!
Going to Costco for tires is great as long as they have the tire you are looking for. We are a Costco shopping family and we love it. Never had a bad experience!
My Costco is more than happy to order a tire of they don't have it in stock.
Lugnut retorquing is NOT a legal escape for Costco. Any shop will have the lugnut retorque in fine print. Costco just brings it to your attention to prevent wheel-offs for YOUR sake.
A wheel-off from incorrect torquing procedure would be on them. A wheel off from negligence would be on you. That's true for any shop. They have no obligation to make you read the fine print.
It is very common for lugnuts to loosen a little bit after initially installing them. This happens for many many reasons.
Torquing a Honda M12 lugstud to 10LB over recommended is probably fine. 90LB is within the workable torque/tension relationship for a M12 fastener. I wouldn't. But you can AS LONG AS you're doing this with non-greased threads. 90LB on greased threads probably results in tension being close to reaching the yield point of the fastener.
Costco will remove any grease from lug studs, as greasing lug studs is a really bad idea. If your lug studs were formerly greased...it is very important to have the re-torque done.
Just have them re-check the effing nuts. It takes 5 mins. You can run in and buy your 75 gallons of milk and carton of 1800 eggs while they do it.
Anyway, as far as OP's question; The DWS and PS AS 3 are both great tyres. I think Michelin GENERALLY builds a better tyre in terms of the whole package, regardless of how they "rate". Ratings could also be skewed depending on how many total miles have been reviewed.
For example, the Conti DWS "rates" and "tests" higher than the MPSS in some categories. But its nowhere near as good of a tire IRL.
Torquing a Honda M12 lugstud to 10LB over recommended is probably fine. 90LB is within the workable torque/tension relationship for a M12 fastener. I wouldn't.
You need to put the Bluntzs down.
Not only does every honda enthusiast I know do this, stealerships do it also. Never heard of anyone having issues at 90lbft. In 12 years and likely thousands of lug torquings, never have I ever heard anyone, including myself, have an issue.
fuck, as if Honda would tell you to torque to 80, if the stud can fail at 90. Honda puts a decent size factor of safety on so much of their designs.
Not only does every honda enthusiast I know do this, stealerships do it also. Never heard of anyone having issues at 90lbft. In 12 years and likely thousands of lug torquings, never have I ever heard anyone, including myself, have an issue.
fuck, as if Honda would tell you to torque to 80, if the stud can fail at 90. Honda puts a decent size factor of safety on so much of their designs.
I agree though- don't fucking lube the studs.
But....I also said they'd likely be fine at 90LB (dry).....
^If you demonstrate that at costco, they give you another 10-15% off because thats the margin of error in my equation if you consider real measured values against assumed ones.
An additional comment on the OP's original question about Costco and their tire services>
I just had Costco install a set of Michelins in our (non Acura) SUV. I noticed after getting home that they "rebuilt" (when you buy tires online there is notice that they have to use a TPMS service pack) or replaced the TPMS sensors and used ones with a rubber stem. They look like regular non-TPMS stems and I thought WTF but the TPMS works so they are sensors and not just stems. I did a search and they exist and they look just like a regular sensor would look but made of rubber (see attached image). It also seems that they don't use the metal sleeve that the Acura TPMS sensors use (the sleeve that goes over the black hard plastic piece).
I don't know if your Costco uses these rubber sensors but keep this in mind should you decide to purchase at Costco because your wheels may look a little different.
An additional comment on the OP's original question about Costco and their tire services>
I just had Costco install a set of Michelins in our (non Acura) SUV. I noticed after getting home that they "rebuilt" (when you buy tires online there is notice that they have to use a TPMS service pack) or replaced the TPMS sensors and used ones with a rubber stem. They look like regular non-TPMS stems and I thought WTF but the TPMS works so they are sensors and not just stems. I did a search and they exist and they look just like a regular sensor would look but made of rubber (see attached image). It also seems that they don't use the metal sleeve that the Acura TPMS sensors use (the sleeve that goes over the black hard plastic piece).
I don't know if your Costco uses these rubber sensors but keep this in mind should you decide to purchase at Costco because your wheels may look a little different.
Thank you for the heads up! I will definitely pay attention to that or might ask them ahead of time next time I am shopping there.
Hate to review this thread, but some friends and co-workers commented on getting tires at Costco by saying that theirs tires are not the same as sold by tire rack or discount tires even though they have the same model numbers etc. They also mentioned that companies like Michelin produces tires for Costco in batches only few times a year, and they only ship those tires to them and not the one that they make every day. This sounds kind of strange, so I am not sure what to think about this. The good thing is, my local discount tire will price match Costo, so now I have really not much of a reason to go to them, instead I might end up getting tires from Discount Tires. I also decided to go with grand touring tires instead of the ultra high performance and because of that I am leaning towards Michelin Premier A/S.
Hate to review this thread, but some friends and co-workers commented on getting tires at Costco by saying that theirs tires are not the same as sold by tire rack or discount tires even though they have the same model numbers etc. They also mentioned that companies like Michelin produces tires for Costco in batches only few times a year, and they only ship those tires to them and not the one that they make every day. This sounds kind of strange, so I am not sure what to think about this. The good thing is, my local discount tire will price match Costo, so now I have really not much of a reason to go to them, instead I might end up getting tires from Discount Tires. I also decided to go with grand touring tires instead of the ultra high performance and because of that I am leaning towards Michelin Premier A/S.
This isn't true.
Costco does get specially branded tyres from Michelin for certain lines. The Michelin LTX-MS, IIRC was a tyre that was made by Michelin for sale specifically at Costco. It was, in any case, highly reviewed.
BUT besides those very specific one or two lines.... a regular inventory Michelin like a Pilot Super Sport or MXV4 etc is the same at Costco as everywhere else.
You have the same odds on manufacturing dates and manufacturing plants at Costco as anywhere else also.
Michelin or any other brand does not specifically have plants and regular tyre inventory set aside for Costco that is in some way different than the ones that are going to Discount or Tire Rack. That's a bit crazy.
Costco isn't a high volume tyre sales centre. And they're certainly not going to sell a "defect" batch that other places won't take.
I've used Discount tire, Costco, and Tire rack with equal levels of satisfaction.
The advantages to Costco are certain instant rebates, price (why go get a price match if you're already at a place that has the lowest price?), and most importantly, the nitrogen inflation .
The nitrogen inflation is a bigger advantage than you think.
10-09-2016, 12:00 PM
getting a nail or something in the sidewall. Tire was not able to be repaired, so, they give you a new tire and you pay the difference with regards to how much tread is left. So, if your tire has 80% tread left as compared to the same tire when new, you're only on the hook for 20% of the cost.
do it.
