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[shawnbttu]

Buy Tires/Wheels and TPMS as set from say VMR or **********s or whatever

OR

Buy Wheels online and get tires from discount tires locally?

Also, do discount tires have road hazard coverage if they didnt sell you the tires? And how about TPMS/mounting/balancing?

So confused about tires/wheels....any help appreciated

[coh4777]

I recently purchased wheels from **********s and the tires separately from Discount Tire, who also did the mounting, balancing and transfer of TPMS. Personally, I think it is better to buy the tires from a physical store so if you have any problems with the balancing you can just go right back to them. You can also have the wheel vendor drop ship directly to the installer's store, so it's pretty easy. As for road hazard coverage, I doubt that they would provide that service for tires that they did not sell, but you should probably check with them.

[JohnSprm69]

i'd buy them from one of the vendors already mounted and balanced.

getting the two separate, would mean a pain in the neck as you have to look a good shop to mount them and balance them making you spend whatever little $ you saved by getting them separate and not as a package.

i did this once and really didn't work out for me as here in miami, fl. tire shops seem to run away from doing all that work specially if they are 19" wheels.

[ModBargains.com]

I would recommend you getting tires from a local tire store (America's tire, Discount tire, etc) as they will be able to provide you with the services locally. This is to protect you (the consumer) from any possible issues that may arise during the shipping process. Having the wheels mounted and balanced at a local tire shop will save you a giant headache. Issues such as vibrations are often times hard to diagnose as it could be one out of a dozen reasons. The local shop will be able to assist you within reasonable time and provide you with that warranty to get the issue solved. This is best for you as the local shop would be able to provide you with services locally instead of you having to ship things back and forth to solve any issues that may arise (saving you money). These shops also price match and offer incentives such as rebates for you to take advantage of. I'll shoot you over a PM with more details!

- Alan

[david @ eas]

Depends on what you feel is more convenient really. I would shop around for prices to see what the best is

[shawnbttu]

Ok, so for the people who bought tires and wheels separate, the place you bought the tires from (Discount Tires for me) will NOT give you insurance on your wheels? What would happen if one of the wheels chipped?

If you did buy them both together, I am assuming the vendor you bought it from will give some for of insurance? If so, and if something goes wrong who would fix it? Thanks for the replies. I have the money and ready to pull the trigger but I just need to know all the details first.

[coh4777]

I bought my wheels separate from **********s as I said. They do not "insure" the wheels, but if you inspect them and there are any issues (ie chipped, peeled paint, etc), then you can return to them for replacement, but you have to do so BEFORE you mount the wheels. I think all of the other major vendors here have a similar policy. You can raise issues before wheels are mounted, but not after.

As for protection on the wheels longer term, depending on what you get, there is usually a manufacturer warranty for a year or so against structural defects. I know for example the Avant Gardes I purchased have one. I think VMR and a lot of the other major manufacturers do as well...

[mattsten]

The only thing I would hesitate about ordering separate is that I have had a hard time in the past finding tire shops that don't tend to damage wheels when mounting tires. I don't know Also, if there is a way to be sloppy with the mounting machine they will go ahead and do that too....

[megalo]

I'm going through the same exercise right now. As everyone else has said, I'll probably end up buying the wheels (VMR V710s) online and tires locally. Though I'm not sure where to buy the TPMS sensors just yet (eBay is ~$200 shipped).

[vasillalov]

I DROVE to tirerack to get my tires installed on my wheels and then drove back with my 4 old tires which I promptly proceeded to sell.

Why? Because:

1. I saved cash on sales tax
2. I save cash on labor
3. I got professional installation done and I was able to test the balance of the tires on the spot.
4. My car was treated very nicely the whole time.

[megalo]

Shawn, the TPMS sensors can be found easily on eBay - search for "bmw tpms" and you'll see quite a few. They are made by Beru.

[megalo]

Originally Posted by vasillalov

I DROVE to tirerack to get my tires installed on my wheels and then drove back with my 4 old tires which I promptly proceeded to sell.

Why? Because:

1. I saved cash on sales tax
2. I save cash on labor
3. I got professional installation done and I was able to test the balance of the tires on the spot.
4. My car was treated very nicely the whole time.

That sounds pretty good, but it would be quite the drive for me.

[bimmer_335]

Get the wheels from VMR & tires from tirerack or discounttire.com

the problem is if you get the tires locally even from discount tire or any other local shop, their prices are higher then the online prices published on their sites. And they dont match online prices... even if its on their own websites.... go figure!!!

[ApexM3]

Shop around for best price on wheels and tires.. then have them shipped locally to a "trusted" shop for mount and balance.

That what i did.. and that what i will continue to do.

[1997gtx]

Order rims from vendor ... order tires from tirerack, etc ... Get TPMS from Ebay or a vendor ... Go to a trusted local tire place to install everything. I'm finding that local places and tirerack have better tire prices than when you build a set from an online vendor.

[VMRWheels]

OP,

You will be pretty much getting a full thread of multiple opinions for various reasons.

I would recommend you go the route that is more convenient for you as well as considering the best pricing and customer service possible.

-Charles@VMRWheels

[ApexM3]

Originally Posted by VMRWheels

OP,

You will be pretty much getting a full thread of multiple opinions for various reasons.

I would recommend you go the route that is more convenient for you as well as considering the best pricing and customer service possible.

-Charles@VMRWheels

Hey charles, PM quote me a set of HRE RPF40's and RPG41's in black. 19" please.

[SpmnE9zero]

MOUNTED AND BALANCED FROM VENDOR!!! Your local guys typically have a harder time mounting bigger wheels, especially if you have a lip, they may leave you with a shipped up lip!