Buying Tires Online: How Installation Works

The basic process

Buying tires online has two parts: choosing and ordering the tires, then getting them onto your vehicle. The second part is where people have the most questions.

This guide describes the general process. Retailers and shops differ in their details, and we do not describe any one retailer's program here. Read each retailer's own pages before you order.

Step 1: confirm the size

Start with the size. The tire sidewall and the driver's door placard both show what your vehicle uses, and the owner's manual lists it too.

SimpleTire's buying guide gives the same first step: check the tire size listed on your current tires or in the vehicle's manual.

Our guide to reading a tire sidewall explains the numbers. Then use the tire finder to see tires and retailers for your size. If you are weighing a different size, the tire size calculator compares two sizes.

Sizes like 225/65R17 and 235/65R17 have their own pages. Those pages do not tell you what your vehicle needs, so confirm against your placard.

Step 2: choose how the tires get installed

SimpleTire describes three approaches, and other retailers describe similar ones:

• Ship the tires to a local garage or installer
• Arrange mobile fitting, where a technician comes to you
• Ship the tires to your home for self-installation

If you pick a shop, ask whether it accepts tires bought elsewhere, and book an appointment before the tires arrive.

Ask the shop whether it can work on your wheel and tire type, for example large wheels, low-profile tires or run-flat tires.

Step 3: understand what installation involves

Installation is more than swapping tires. Here is what a shop generally does.

Mounting. The old tires come off the wheels and the new ones go on.

Balancing. Michelin says new tires should always be balanced when mounted. Balancing ensures the tire and wheel assembly spins evenly at speed. An unbalanced tire can cause vibration.

Old tire disposal. SimpleTire's guide lists recycling of old tires among additional services. Ask whether disposal is included or charged separately.

Tire pressure sensors and valve stems. Many vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system. Ask whether the installation price includes tire pressure sensor and valve stem service.

Alignment. This is a separate service. Michelin says that if you have had new tires fitted, it is worth confirming alignment at the same time.

Mobile fitting and self-installation

With mobile fitting, a technician brings the equipment to you. Ask what the service covers and where it can be done, since not every address and every tire type may be offered.

Self-installation is the third route. It means mounting, balancing and tightening the wheels yourself. Continental says lug nuts must be tightened with a torque wrench, to the value in the vehicle's manual, in a diagonal crisscross pattern.

If you are unsure about any of that, use a shop.

Questions to ask the installer

• Does the installation price include mounting, balancing and disposal of the old tires?
• Are there extra charges for valve stems or tire pressure sensor service?
• Will you retorque the wheels, or tell me when to come back?
• How long will the appointment take, and what happens if a tire is delayed?

Write the answers down so you can compare shops.

Step 4: compare the total cost

Do not judge a purchase by the price per tire alone. Installation, disposal, shipping and taxes can all add to the total, and shops itemize them differently.

SimpleTire suggests checking for hidden fees and shipping surcharges, comparing return policies and confirming the installer's qualifications and fees.

Ask for the total cost to have the tires installed on your vehicle, with every fee included. Get it in writing, or look for it in the order confirmation.

Step 5: check the tires when they arrive

Before anything is mounted, look at each tire.

• Confirm the size, load index and speed rating on the sidewall match your order and your placard
• Read the date code to see when each tire was made; our guide to the tire date code shows how
• Look for obvious damage such as cuts or bulges
• If you ordered a set, confirm the tires match

If something is wrong, contact the retailer before the tire goes on the wheel. Check the return policy before anything is mounted.

Keep your records

Save the order confirmation, the installer's invoice and the date codes you noted. If a question comes up later about the tires, these show what was ordered and what was fitted.

Note the date of installation and the mileage too. They help you keep track of rotation, which USTMA says should follow your owner's manual, or every 5,000 to 8,000 miles if the manual gives no period.

Step 6: after installation

Ask the shop to retorque the lug nuts, or tell you when to come back. Continental describes retorquing wheels after about 50 km (roughly 31 miles) following a tire change, and says to use the torque value in the vehicle's manual because the correct setting depends on wheel material and bolt diameter.

Then check your tire pressure against the label on the driver's door or in the owner's manual. Do not use the number molded into the sidewall; that is the tire's maximum, not the recommendation for your vehicle.

If you replaced only some of the tires, check where they were mounted. USTMA says newly installed tires belong on the rear axle when fewer than four are replaced. Our guide on replacing two tires or four covers this.

A note on affiliate links

TireShopper.com does not sell tires. When you leave the site for a retailer, the retailer sets the price, the delivery options and the installation terms. Read them on the retailer's own pages, and see our affiliate disclosure for how the site is funded.