Anyone know of a good, cheap source for tires?

Terry Tilton · Joined: 20 Jul 2001 Posts: 58 Location: Austin, Tx

I am paying $180 for every set, usually a YFA compound or a Vega. I run 6 inch wheels and dont believe MG makes a tires in that size. Anyone have a good lead for me?

Mark Dismore Jr · Advertiser Joined: 21 Jul 2001 Posts: 1096

Terry, it's like a lot of things, you can either get them cheap, or you can get a good source, you can't really get both. A lot of shops sell them for a fair price because they have them in stock. Others charge less but they don't have them in stock. It all comes back to overhead versus no overhead.

Mark Comet

Chuck McCue · Joined: 17 Jul 2001 Posts: 2944

MG does not produce any 6" tires ....yet.

CM Arsenal Pro Racing

Russ McGrane

quote:
Originally posted by Terry Tilton:
I am paying $180 for every set, usually a YFA compound or a Vega. I run 6 inch wheels and dont believe MG makes a tires in that size. Anyone have a good lead for me?

Terry,

Do yourself a favor and get some 5" wheels. Unless you are doing a lot of road racing, you'll probably have better luck on them anyway. Once you get the wheels, check with Chuck McCue at Race Arsenal. I think their website is www.racearsenal.com I have found that he usually has the best prices on things, and he is a nice guy to deal with. He was running a special on MG yellows at $145 per set delivered. Not sure if the sale is still going.

Tim Doll

Terry

About the best 'general' source of tires is Comet (and no, Mark didn't pay me to say that

). Long term though your best bet is to develop a relationship with a quality dealer or supplier. You may be surprised what a good dealer will do for you in return for you being a loyal customer.

Tim

Terry Tilton · Joined: 20 Jul 2001 Posts: 58 Location: Austin, Tx

Glad you mentioned that. Road Racing is almost all that I do.

S. Clark · Joined: 18 Jul 2001 Posts: 32

Tim Doll said it - as shop owners, we definitely know who our most loyal customers are . My best customers get my best price and the guy that comes and buys here and there and calls for prices and only wants the best deal he can find - PAYS FULL RETAIL. Youd be surprised what I sell tires to my "buddies" for,especially if they buy 2 sets and a box full of other parts !

Terry Tilton · Joined: 20 Jul 2001 Posts: 58 Location: Austin, Tx

Well, thats great customer service. If I could get a good price from someone, I wouldnt have to shop around in the first place.
The intent of my question wasnt to get a special "buddy" deal on tires, I just wanted to know if there was somewhere else where I can pay less.

Rick Volz

In my opinion, kart tires are one of the most over priced items one can purchase in the world. Everyone states that there is no margin in kart tires. Well someone somewhere has a steep profit margin. I know it is not the local dealer. I cannot see it costing more than $5.00 a tire to produce. But what is a Grand Products for example purchasing the $5 tire for from Bridgestone $20.00. They then sell it to a local dealer for $30.00-45.00. I can get a Dunlop 185/60 14 for my Honda Civic for $45.00. And as Terry just stated above the “buddy” system is a joke. When is the last time you were pricing an item at local auto parts store and did not compare prices? Oh, hello is this the Pep Boy’s price or the buddy Pep Boy’s price?

Rick Crow · Joined: 18 Jul 2001 Posts: 49 Location: Albany NY

another option is to join up with several other people and buy in case lots,You generally will save $5-10 a tire.

Rick

Tim Doll

quote:
Originally posted by Rick:
And as Terry just stated above the “buddy” system is a joke. When is the last time you were pricing an item at local auto parts store and did not compare prices? Oh, hello is this the Pep Boy’s price or the buddy Pep Boy’s price?

Well, the local NAPA store considers me a loyal customer and often gives me discount, and their machinist gives me assembly tips when I pick up stuff that he has worked on. I also get special "Preferred Customer" pricing at the store where I buy my stereo equipment (it basically means I get sale prices without having to wait for the sales). And no, I wouldn't expect to get that sort of service from Pep Boys.

This sort of service used to be common before everything was sold through multi-billion dollar conglomerate chain stores.

Tim

Mark Schmidt

I agree one of the best sources is Comet. They have been great class sponsors to my series I run in and have helped so many times I can't count. I had a real good relationship with a local shop, but that changed when I went to a shifter Kart, through that change I found Comet and CTS was always there with parts info and general input. You can't beat that. As for tires they have some of the best prices around.

Just my two cents worth, and Yes I plug Comet kart any chance I get for all the effort they have done to help the series it is small return I can give them THanks Mark for all the support,

Alberto E. Casasus

Hi Terry:
In my opinion, I would try Chuck McCue too. He has a very big variety of tires and parts. He also has diferent items is sale everyday, sometimes you won't even have to pay shipping. I have deal with him for sometime now and I have always gotten a good price on the items. His email is www.racearsenal.com

Arik McGruder · Joined: 24 Jul 2001 Posts: 7 Location: Syracuse, NY

quote:
Originally posted by Alberto Casasus:
Hi Terry:
In my opinion, I would try Chuck McCue too. He has a very big variety of tires and parts. He also has diferent items is sale everyday, sometimes you won't even have to pay shipping. I have deal with him for sometime now and I have always gotten a good price on the items. His email is www.racearsenal.com

Yeah, I would definately give Chuck a call. Great guy and very helpful

(Hey Chuck, heres the advertising and I always call you for my parts--maybe we can set up some "buddy" prices

What a joke.

S. Clark · Joined: 18 Jul 2001 Posts: 32

what a joke? - you stock $8000. worth of tires and sell to me at cost . You tight wads want shops to have your parts on the shelf for you when you need them and then bitch when we have to make a buck. You missed the point or dont choose to acknoledge it. Many businesses have "preffered" pricing. We PREFER dealing with customers that prefer doing business with us and we give perks to our good customers. Volume principles dont work in the kart biz , and like RBlood said - theres no profit in tires - we stock them for our customers . My point is that some will shop for price only and they will spend 3 days shopping and $25. longdistance to save $5.00 a tire , nothing wrong with that at all , in the end they ussually figure they did fine.