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I have a dumb question - where do you store your tires when you're not using them? In your garage? How do you get them there? I can't imagine 4 tires fitting in the back of an A4.
Mine are stored by the tire shop (well, technically, they outsource that service to an outfit that picks them up from their shop and drops them back when requested 6 months later). For people who live in condos in big cities, that's essentially the only practical thing to do - I do have a storage locker, but it would be an insane PITA to get the four tires out of the car and into the storage locker.
Frankly, I almost feel like if you're carrying the tires to the shop, you might as well just swap the tires yourself. In some ways it's less work...
Around here, the tire shops are swamped when there's the first forecast of snow. I just do them myself in the garage. I have a torque wrench to make sure that they're properly tightened and a low-profile jack to expedite the process. I have FOUR cars... (two beaters for teen kids) so it's definitely an annual savings for me to do myself. We have a combo of OEM, knockoffs and steelies for winter wheels.
Can't really see how you can save money by not having the extra set of wheels. Around here it costs about $60 at least for basic install and balance. Road force balance is $200. Do that twice per year and it costs you at least $120 per year. Alloy wheel is around $120 each so in 4 years you will break even. Not to mention that when you sell your car you can easily get 50% back by selling the wheels.
I find that while the initial cost up front is greater to buy a set or 2nd rims, in the long wrong it's likely cheaper. Many of us have very high-dollar optional wheels on our cars, and the opportunity for damage to have tires swapped back and forth year after year is a real issue. I always enjoy the convenience of simply jacking up my own car and swiping out the tires, and I can do so whenever I decide the weather warrants it at my convenience. This also allows me to rotate the tires easily, so I save a little money on both rotations and mounting each year. A set of quality non-oem replica wheels have never given me any issue, and I get to enjoy the look of two cool wheel designs throughout the year....easily for under $1000. Plus winter salt and nasty potholes don't threaten your nicer OEM summer rims. I have had great success selling them as well when I change cars (if they don't fit the next car I get), and I've always recouped at lease1/2 of what I paid for the wheels. Also, I usually drop down a size smaller for a winter tire than gives me a little better ride in the cold temperatures and nasty road expansion joints, and this notably improves comport in the winter months (I mean, I'm not tracking it in the winter anyhow). If you do the math over a few years it's certainly clear it can save money to have a complete winter wheel package. Honestly, the only downside is having to store them (but you were going to have to put the tires somewhere anyhow right, so is this really any different???) and the initial upfront cost.
This!
The only thing I would add regarding the space issue is that you can get wall mounted tire racks for around $50.
I have a dumb question - where do you store your tires when you're not using them? In your garage? How do you get them there? I can't imagine 4 tires fitting in the back of an A4.
If you fold down your rear seat, you can easily fit four tires in the back of your car. I've done it with every A4 I've owned.
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My winter tires are on wheels that I purchased from Tire Rack. My local tire shop stores them for me, for a modest charge. I'm usually in and out in 30 minutes.
Today I put on my General studded tires, and could do it myself since I had dedicated wheels. Tires made in Germany. Since Audi doesn't use TPMS sensors in the wheels, it makes dedicated wheels cost less than some other cars. I don't have dedicated wheels for my Q7 since they cost so much more, but that means I have to pay Town Faire Tire $40 per swap to balance the tires (Audi dealer wanted $160).
I have a dumb question - where do you store your tires when you're not using them? In your garage? How do you get them there? I can't imagine 4 tires fitting in the back of an A4.
Shed or garage. In theory, you could put them in contractor bags and just leave them outside somewhere. Four tires fit in an A4. Also just did my father's Ford Focus sedan, and four tires fit in that too.
12-11-2017, 02:11 PM
