I want to save money on my next round of tires, so I’m considering buying used tires. I’ve heard they’re quite a bit cheaper than buying brand new tires, so if they work well I’m very interested in a lower price point. How much do used tires cost?
Payton Ternus · Answered on Mar 03, 2022
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Maintenance and repair costs for your car can pile up quickly, so it’s nice to save money whenever you can.
Buying used tires is a great way to save some money in terms of car-related expenses. Used tires typically cost around 30%-50% of their original price, generally ranging from**$25-$160**. The exact costs of used tires will depend on a few factors:
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No matter if you buy an expensive item or a cheap one, chances are that both of these will suffer from depreciation.
Tire depreciation can easily be viewed as a percentage of value a tire loses during its lifespan. More expensive tires start with a higher price tag, but they follow a similar depreciation curve as cheaper tires do.
This is because the price itself isn’t as important as all the other factors listed above combined. Therefore, losing 30% of the value from a $1000 tire isn’t the same as losing 30% of the value from a $100 tire. This inevitably means that more expensive tires tend to lose more value from a dollar-per-dollar standpoint while cheaper tires lose the same percentage, but not the same amount.
How Does Tread Affect Used Tire Price?The more you use a tire, the less effective it becomes. The less effective the tire becomes, the less sense there is to buying it. Therefore, no one is willing to pay considerable amounts of money on a tire that has little to no tread left. As the tread tends to wear off, the value of the tire is soon to follow. Either way, be sure to always check how much tread a tire has left with these two handy tricks.
Wheel alignment does not necessarily affect used tire prices directly, but rather the effects of improper wheel alignment. If you fail to precisely align your wheels so they can meet the road at the exact angle, chances are that your tires will experience uneven wear.
Uneven wear means that some parts of the tire are noticeably more worn out and that the tire is not able to perform in the same way across its entire surface. Tires with considerable uneven wear aren’t going to fool anyone as these tires are the very cheapest usable used tires you can get. You can’t even properly predict how long these tires can last.
How Does Tire Age Affect Used Tire Price?Tire age works in a similar way as tire tread because the older the tire, the less tread it has. However, age plays a more pivotal role in other situations, such as when you don’t use your tires. If you keep your tires stored for a long time, even though they have lots of tread left, they are simply too old to be used.
Moreover, the modern-day tire industry has shown great improvement over tires made in the past few decades. So even if you do store old unused tires perfectly, chances are that they are not going to be as advanced as the tires you can buy today. To top it all off, the structural integrity of a tire sidewall tends to deteriorate as tires get older and older.
How Does Tire Brand Affect Used Tire Price?Brands like Michelin, Continental, Goodyear, Pirelli, BF Goodrich, and Bridgestone are known as premium tire brands. Being a premium tire brand means making tires for the very best and most advanced cars on the market. Premium tires cost a lot more money than mid-level tires and they perform better in most relevant areas.
Used tires with premium badges are also going to be more valuable on the 2nd hand market as people are more willing to invest in a brand known for quality. This is especially the case when it comes to used tires as you are never too sure if the tire is as good as it looks.
Some tire sizes are more popular than others which means that the used tire market is in greater demand for such tires. 15 and 16-inch tires are likely the most popular tire sizes out there which means that most used tire buyers are going to want 15 and 16-inch used tires.
However, low-profile tires tend to be more expensive from the get-go which also means that they are more expensive when buying used. Really large commercial-grade and off-roading tires use more rubber, steel, cotton, and all other materials during production which also pushes the price of such used tires.
How Does Tire Type Affect Used Tire Price?Not all tires are made equal which means that certain types of tires are more expensive than others. For example, an industry-standard all-season tire is always going to be a lot cheaper than a performance tire or an off-roading tire. Winter tires use different compounds which wear out faster and pre-mounted winter/snow tires are a bit trickier to buy for that very reason.
There are a couple of reasons why people tend to opt for used tires as opposed to simply buying a set of brand-new tires. First of all, used tires are cheaper and it often makes more sense to buy a set of used tires for a particular car that isn’t getting as much use as a typical daily driver. So, if you own an old car that you only drive occasionally at low speeds, there is no need for you to overspend on a set of brand-new tires.
Furthermore, by buying used tires, you are actively lowering the effects used tires have on our environment. The good thing is that you can recycle both new and used tires which means that you can take them to certain facilities where you can even make some money doing that. No matter how you look at it, it makes perfect sense to recycle tires.
Before you decide to buy used tires, you need to be able to inspect them carefully and thoroughly. First of all, you need to find out when were the tires made.
You also need to find out how much tread is left on the tire and if there are any cuts, pierces, or similar defects on both the face and the sidewall of the tire. Go around the entire tire and don’t skimp a mere inch.
Be sure to know what you are after before you come and start looking for tires. It is also essential to make sure that the tire you are looking at can even fit your wheel and your car. If you do all of this carefully and with a decent understanding of what is going to happen if you don’t, you should buy used tires.
There are plenty of places out there where you can buy used tires. You should start by looking at your local tire centers and dealerships as these often stock used tires if such tires are worthy of resale. Big-box retail shops such as Walmart, Sears, Costco, etc.) can also sometimes stock used tires while also selling them for a considerable discount.
Online services such as eBay, Craigslist, Amazon, or Kijiji are filled with loads of used tires and wheels, but these are a bit trickier as you are usually buying from private individuals.
It is often best to search for specialized used tire shops that predominantly deal with refurbishing used tires as these are the places with the best deals and best used tires in general.
Determining a used tire cost requires a bit of knowledge as not all tires depreciate in the same way. It is reasonable to think that a standard used tire should only cost about 30%-50% of the tire’s original price, but some tires, such as lightly used high-performance tires, can cost up to 75% of the original price tag.
Either way, many factors affect how much a used tire costs, all of which are important. If you do decide to buy a set of used tires, be sure to do so carefully as used tires need to be inspected thoroughly before buying.
Konstantin Ishchenko
experienced car enthusiast
The motorist's budget is hit the hardest when you have to buy both summer and winter sets of tires within one year.
For example, the popular Nissan Qashqai is equipped with 225/45 R19 tires in the maximum configuration, a set of the middle price category will cost about 50,000 RUR.
But there is an option to save money and buy used tires. This article will tell you how to safely buy used tires and when you shouldn't. nine0003
Or the season has changed.
We wrote in detail about how to assess the condition of tires and understand when they need to be changed in a separate instruction. Before you start looking for tires, it is important to be able to read their parameters. The most important in this situation are the size, manufacturer and model of the tire. nine0003
If the task is to buy a set of four tires, then it is important to respect the size. If you damaged one tire, you will have to look for exactly the same one: two wheels of the same axle must have tires with the same tread pattern, and this is possible only in the case of tires of the same model.
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How to save money on buying car tires and wheels?
Tire parameters important to look for: width, profile height and rim diameter Tire manufacturer and model According to Avtostat, an average car in Russia drives 17,500 km per year. Let's take the average wear resistance of tires according to the Treadwear index - 320 and calculate how long a new set of summer tires could theoretically last.
Every 100 index units is 12,500 km, which means tires are rated for 40,000 km. Assuming that the summer kit is used for 6 months out of 12, the mileage for six months is 8750 km, and the kit is enough for 4.5 seasons.
If the annual mileage is 30,000 km, then the summer kit should wear out in 2.7 seasons. But I have not met people who change tires in the middle of the season: either they change them in the spring, or they drive them until autumn. nine0003
Judging by Yandex Market, the average popular tire 205/55 R16 costs 5500 R, which means that the set is 22 000 R. Let's round up 2.7 to three full seasons. One season costs Rs. pay more than 14,000 R. How to evaluate the tread depth on a used tire, we will tell a little later. nine0003
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These are very average values, but still usable. There is no perfect formula, operating conditions and driving style are very different.
Buying used tires will allow you not to get into a loan if a new set is too expensive. Or it will help those who know for sure that at the end of the season they will change the car: there is no point in buying new tires for the next driver. However, the theoretical calculation does not take into account your travel time for the next purchase and the risks of buying a bad kit. If you plan to drive a car for at least two years, buy new tires. nine0003 Velcro on stamped disc. A set of tires and wheels - 3000 R. I took it to change the car into it for the duration of a long body repair. It was a pity for me to leave the car on the expensive original casting. I had to spend two weeks searching, look through hundreds of ads and once go to the other end of the city. When the wheels are no longer needed, I plan to sell for 6000 R
At first glance, selling tires is illogical. Tires need to be worn out completely and then disposed of, but the market for used rubber is huge.
It has several types of sellers with very different offers. nine0003
Companies that sell used tires from Europe and Japan. Despite the ban on the import of used rubber, which has been in effect in the Eurasian Customs Union since January 1, 2010, this business is booming. The main thing is to prove that tires are not hazardous waste and they are not imported for recycling. Therefore, on Avito and various sites, many offices offer used tires of various brands, sizes and models.
| Benefits | Defects |
|---|---|
| Huge selection of summer tires Advice available, professionals know their product Usually there is a tire service on site Safer online shopping. Many sell by bank transfer as a full-fledged online store Tire warranty until the first tire fitting, a defective tire will be changed to a good one or money will be returned | nine0081 There is almost no choice of winter tires: no studded and little friction - Velcro.
Here are some of the advantages of specialized stores that sell used tires:
But there are also disadvantages:
nine0016 Dealers and tire shops. They differ from the first ones in scale - they are much smaller, and also in that they trade at best on the scale of one city. Often the base for such activities is a tire shop. They buy cheaply at Avito or from tire fitting clients, sell more expensively at Avito or other tire fitting clients. nine0003
There are also not very pleasant scenarios: an unscrupulous tire fitting worker offers to dispose of a completely normal set of tires “out of friendship” and gets it for free. For another client, the same kit “very much nothing, two seasons will definitely pass” costs 15,000 rubles.
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A typical tire shop that sells rubber for emergency replacement of a damaged tire. The choice is small, storage is not according to the rules: direct sunlight damages tires. But there are situations when there is no choice
Individuals who sell unwanted tires for a variety of reasons. Here are the main ones:
nine0016 | Advantages of | Defects |
|---|---|
| You can search for tires by car make and model, not just size With a little luck, you can make a super bargain | It will take a long time and carefully to choose among ads Many do not know what they are selling (mistakes in tire names, sizes and models are normal) A rare seller agrees to tire fitting in his presence, everything will have to be checked by himself and by hand Many scammers: they can offer to leave an advance payment and disappear or send an erased kit instead of what is in the ad No warranty on tires |
Here are some of the benefits of buying used tires from individuals:
But there are also disadvantages:
Universal ad platforms: Avito, Yula and others. Here is the largest selection of used tires.
Both private traders and professionals sell. Despite the convenient application and filters, it takes a lot of time to search. Don't expect every seller to list the model correctly. Bridgestone Potenza can become just "Bridge Stone" - and this is not the worst option. nine0003
You will have to scroll through a huge number of ads with completely worn-out tires that are only suitable for recycling. Unfortunately, no filters will save you from this. Looking for tires on Avito is like looking for a treasure: you have to dig a lot, and no one guarantees a reward, but some are lucky.
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Adjust the filter by size - so you will have more chances to find the tires you need You can no longer drive on such tires: they are worn out to the limit marks, this can be seen even in the photo. Plus, the sidewalls are very worn out. But the seller still thinks that he can get 3000 R for them Websites for car sales announcements: "Avto-ru" and "Drom".
There are few private ads here, mainly specialized stores operate on such sites.
Droma has the largest selection of used wheels and tires from Japan in the country. Drome offers a good customer protection service and acts as a guarantor of purchase: if they send you worn or damaged tires, the site will return the money. If everything is fine, they will be transferred to the seller.
At the time of writing the article on Avto-ru, there were only five private ads for the sale of tires of the common size 205/50 R17 throughout Russia. It makes no sense to look for tires from private traders on this site. Source: Avto-ruCar club sites: forums, chats, Drive-2 — places where representatives of car clubs communicate. Sometimes it can be difficult to find the site itself. This can be a group on Vkontakte, a chat on Telegram or WhatsApp.
There are fewer offers here, but they are more interesting, more likely to find a good set. It is not customary to post completely junk for sale in communities or to greatly inflate the price: the ad will be discussed, criticized, or even deleted altogether.
But don't forget about safety. You should not buy something without verification or send the entire amount to a stranger in another city. It is usually customary to ask a friend of a teammate to go look at the kit and make sure that the tires are sent. Here, as a rule, you can place your ad on the purchase of the necessary tires and wait for responses. nine0003
There is a flea market on Drive-2. It is not very popular, but it is worth looking into it: there are filters separately for disks, wheels and tires, you can specify the dimensions.
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Special online stores and car disassembly. In most cases, such sellers open an official representative office on Avito, but some sites are still working. They may have rare tires or a more interesting price. Large auto-dismantlers rarely sell tires - they mainly sell sets of wheels. The condition of the tires on the rims is most often mediocre: a car is not sent to scrap on good tires.
nine0003
Tire shops and car services. It's hard to find interesting deals on tires here, it's not their business. Tires in a tire shop are usually bought in emergency cases: when one or more tires are damaged, but you need to somehow drive a couple of weeks to pay.
Price. Before buying used tires, it is better to check the price of new tires of the right size. Tires from young Chinese brands are very cheap, and the market for used tires is overheated and overpriced. It is impossible to unequivocally answer which is better: a new tire from an unknown manufacturer or a used tire from a well-known brand. But it is necessary to compare, study reviews and weigh everything. nine0003 At first glance, an excellent offer. A set of fresh tires 215/55 R17 with 20% wear for 18,000 R. But the indicated balance of 6 mm is about 30% wear. The remaining tread of the new tire is 8 mm, the tread limiter bar has a height of 1.
6 mm. The tire is worn 2 mm. Usable tread depth: 8 mm − 1.6 mm = 6.4 mm. 2mm from 6.4mm is 31% wear. Source: Avito But then it turns out that the new ones are very inexpensive. The remaining 6 mm is two-thirds of the tire resource, which means that buying such a kit costs no more than 16,000 R. Source: Yandex Market
Manufacturer, model, size, indices and other features. Be sure to check all tire specifications - everything that is indicated on the sidewall. The seller may not understand tires well or deliberately lie. Carefully inspect each tire. For example, you can accidentally buy a set of four tires, where three will be with runflat technology and one without it. If buying tires remotely, always ask for individual photos of each tire in full detail, or even better, a video.
Tire year. Among the advertisements of specialized stores, there are often tires that are more than 5 years old. Tires may have excellent tread residue, but it is better to refrain from such a purchase.
The older the tire, the worse its properties and the greater the chance of hidden damage: cracks, delaminations and ruptures.
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The tire release marking always looks like this: the first two digits are the week of production, the second two are the yearTread depth. It is not necessary to measure the residual depth "by eye", it is better to buy a special device or use a caliper. The standard tread depth of new summer car tires is 7-8 mm, winter tires are 8-10 mm.
About tires that are long overdue for disposal, they wrote above: summer tires less than 4 mm or winter tires less than 5 mm should not be bought "for the season", it is not safe.
Digital Tread Depth Gauge is a simple and cheap instrument. It will help to accurately measure the residual tread depth and adjust the price of a set of tires. Source: Yandex Market Tread condition, damage and repairs.
Do not buy tires with uneven tread wear. They will not be able to provide a complete drainage of water from the contact patch with the road, it is unsafe to ride on them. Severe cuts or even the absence of individual tread fragments will also be a reason to refuse a purchase. Without a specialist, you run the risk of buying a tire that you cannot use.
But do not be afraid of well-repaired punctures. Tires with patches on the inside of the tread part can be bought, this will not affect further operation. You should not buy tires on which punctures were repaired with a tourniquet. nine0003
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Obviously, this tire is no good: there is almost no tread, the studs are completely worn out. The central part is almost completely missing, and the sidewalls are less worn. Maybe the tire was pumped. Surprisingly, they also sell such Cracks and delaminations.
Long longitudinal cracks, along the circumference of the tire on the sidewall or small cracks in the tread area - in any case, bad. Either such a tire was poorly stored, or it is very old. This is a particularly dangerous case, because such a tire can collapse while driving and cause a terrible accident. Cracks are not repaired, so you will have to refrain from buying. nine0003
Sidewall condition, damage and repairs. Hernias of any size, side cuts and patches on the side of the tire are good reasons to keep looking. You can't buy these tires.
Carefully inspect and feel the sidewalls of the tires. Unfortunately, not all defects can be found on a tire without a disk and without air inside. It will be ideal if you can mount tires on rims in a tire shop. Ask to balance the wheels and only then pay.
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If in doubt that the tires are intact, look for another option.
Remember that it is the tires that connect your car and the road.
Presence of spikes and their condition. It is not necessary to count every stud on a tire, it is difficult and time consuming. Just look at the tire: if it seems that there are about half of the studs on it or less, you do not need to buy a tire. Studded tires without studs won't get Velcro, so don't just look at the tread.
Studs on a tire that has already been driven for a couple of seasons look very different from new ones. They were worn off along the way, the seats were broken. In the background, you can see that the tire has already begun to lose studs. Even with sufficient tread, you can be left without spikes very quickly, it is better to look for another option Ads often offer used tires at an inflated price.
We have made a special calculator that will help you calculate the fair value of tires, regardless of the manufacturer, technical parameters of tires and their number in the kit.
nine0016
cm. All
222
9000 9000 9000) a car from Japan
cm. All
You can only buy "euro-winter" for mild climatic conditions.