Tires, balancing, and alignment

[2-yota]

I've been out of the scene for awhile but now that the kids can run around by themselves, I think it may be time to dust off the cobwebs off the '2 and let her roll a bit this summer.

So where do you guys go to get tires mounted/balanced these days? The Road Force machine was the real deal before but what's the word now on the streets?

Also, is Dale's Alignment still the go-to place?

Lastly, any good Canadian stores to buy new tires from? I know buying from the US is usually cheaper if you're willing to drive across to pickup but time is scarce these days and I have to make some compromises and pay a bit more if that's what's needed.

[sprinterkb]

Welcome back Ed, would love to see your 2 rolling this year.
Yes Dales is still the place to go for alignments, I believe they also do RF balancing, and they do supply tires as well..
I have been exploring some new tires from Tirerack as well, exchange does hurt but some deals can be had.
Canadian pricing is still bad, but some toyota dealers have competitive pricing.
I do have the time to cross border pickup as I'm retired!
Let me know if I can assist?

[RePete]

Even 20 years on I can't support CDN dealers of tires when their pricing is 1.5 to 2 times more. You won't pay a 'bit' more, it will be a lot more if you don't have the time to cross the border.

Given that, I've seen competitive CDN pricing at Kal Tire & 1010Tires.com as well. If you're shopping for 15" OEM tires, that's going to be tough. And most modern tire balancers work decently on our cars, Road Force no longer corners the market there. The key is to keep going back (for free), until you're happy with the balancing.

[2-yota]

Yes, it's really about paying more for the convenience factor by keeping it in Canada. There also seems like a little better selection buying from the US. Maybe I'll pay Kevin to do a pickup for me

I do like Dales as I use to go see them (what's that guys name again, Justin?). But a bit of a drive for me especially since I'll have to make a few trips out (one to bring all the tires/parts there and another to bring everything back ... in a second vehicle). Ideally, if there would be a place close to Burnaby where I live would be ideal.

[immorality]

I've been pretty happy with The Speed Syndicate (6879 Antrim Ave, Burnaby) for tire mounting/balancing as well as some custom mechanical work. They are near Imperial & Royal Oak. If I really want to get fancy I'll get my front tires balanced at SR Auto in Richmond. It's more money, but it's the best balance I've ever had. I just purchased tires from TireRack (through ebay, saved a few bucks, go figure), and I'll pick them up from Blaine and take them to SR. Even using a 35% exchange in my math, they were over $100 cheaper than 1010tires. The price difference on 15's might not be as much.

[2-yota]

Thanks for the referrals Russ. Speed Syndicate would be really close to my house. SR Auto could work out too since my '2 is currently stored at my office out in South Vancouver so hopping over to Richmond is equally convenient. For sure I'll keep those in mind when the time comes.

[Bravo 5]

Yes, it's really about paying more for the convenience factor by keeping it in Canada. There also seems like a little better selection buying from the US. Maybe I'll pay Kevin to do a pickup for me

I do like Dales as I use to go see them (what's that guys name again, Justin?). But a bit of a drive for me especially since I'll have to make a few trips out (one to bring all the tires/parts there and another to bring everything back ... in a second vehicle). Ideally, if there would be a place close to Burnaby where I live would be ideal.

You're thinking of Jason Trentini. I took my new to me 89 supercharged there to install my new suspension and steering parts and to do a wheel alignment. Ive taken my last 4 MR2s there and its excellent work as always.

+1 for going to the US for tires. For my OEM sized tires for my 89 I paid $166 for four tires after the instant rebate and a $50 mail in rebate (albeit for 185-60-14s).

[immorality]

No problem Ed, I hope you see you out on the road soon.

[2-yota]

Tire Comparison Update: I ran some comparisons on a set of Yoko's and Kumho's to be purchased in Canada (at Kal Tire and 1010 Tires) versus purchasing in the US (at Tire Rack). Currently, there are some Spring Mail-in Rebates to be had in Canada so that closes the gap a bit. Taxes aside, the difference after rebate on a set of 4 ranges from $42 to $71.

Factor in the taxes (GST/PST) and BC Levies VS the possibility of fee's at the border ... I'm guessing the savings now at best would be in the neighborhood of $90 to $140 for the set (potentially even less if I end up getting gloved). From what I can see, probably not worth my hour or two running to Trump territory. I'll keep the business in Canada.

[sprinterkb]

Thanks for the update, Ed, just what I expected. Sometimes its best to shop local and support our economy not the Donald's.
You have to understand that retail tire pricing includes huge mark ups in Canada, and you have to haggle sometimes to get the best deal. Volume of sales has a lot to do with it.

[RePete]

Those huge tire markups have had me shopping down south for 21 years. CDN price gouging is especially crippling on 'exotic' sizes of high performance tires vs. common sizing in all-season/touring tires - so it might be worth it for some to stay home if they choose tires sizes that are plentiful here.

Regardless, I performed a more realistic calculation of my previous Tire Rack purchase; this may not reflect a typical saving though because of the sizes and tire brand I chose. When including the $10/tire CDN ding at the border (which BTW goes directly to the CDN government, my contribution to sovereignty), plus the crazy exchange rate as well as my fuel expense to travel to my PO, I saved almost CDN$85 per front tire and CDN$134 per rear tire (these tires were on sale, something non-existent for UHP tires in Canada). Over CDN$400 saved, still worth a 2 hour diversion on a Saturday morning.

[immorality]

I always do the math before purchasing, and only once in recent memory have I bought locally (Bridgestone's @ Costco). While I would prefer to do so, as Pete said, the price difference can, and often is, ridiculous.

[2-yota]

I guess the savings are relative to the type of tires. In my case, with the Canadian manufacturers' rebate right now, it certainly helps buying on our side of the border (it's still more, but not that much more). But if the savings were $400 for me, I'd probably split the savings with one of you guys to go pick up for me

Just curious, do you guys ever have to pay taxes or duties at the border other than the $10 fee you mentioned?

[immorality]

I usually pay taxes, but never duty. I don't recall paying a $10/tire fee at the border.

[2-yota]

Done deal ... purchased a set of 4 Yokohama S-Drive's locally from Volco (1010tires.com). Store price was $672 cdn. After manufacturers' rebate of $70 cash back, final damage was $602 cdn (before GST/PST).

I checked Tire Rack for the same identical tires would be $430 usd (so about $578 cdn after conversion before border $10 ding or tax). Probably find a little better deal in the US if willing to spend time to shop around some more but I think I came out OK this time.

Regardless of Canadian or US price, the main thing here is that my MR2 should be back on the road in the next month or two ... now that's priceless!