Where to buy cheap tires in Bergen County NJ

[4NJseasons]

Here are my $0.02 about buying tires.

1. First you need to find out what mileage rating tire you need. They have tires with 80K tread life and tires with 50K tread life. My suggestion is you should work on a 4yr tire tread life, i.e. if you drive 15K miles/yr, you need a 60K mile tire. If you drive 20K mile/yr or more, you should buy a 80K mile tire. Tire rubber quality starts deteriorating after 4yrs, so there is no point paying extra for high mileage tires.

2. Get a touring/grant touring all season tire. Super grippy tires (rated for snow/ice) reduce gas mileage. We don't get much snow/ice in NJ (this year is an exception), so if you are mostly driving highways like NJTP/GSP, all season tire is the best option.

3. Thicker tires are better. I know that people like thinner sporty tires, but the truth is those tires provide less cushion, so the ride is stiff (uncomfortable) and thin tires are also prone to easier damage on potholes. With thicker tires the ride might be less sporty, but really, how many of us drive like the way they show in ads (I remember the nissan/mercedes advt where the car used to go sideways, not forward!). So, if you have a choice, go for the tires which have a thicker profile.

4. Rotate and rebalance your tires twice a year. You might be able to get upto 20% more life out of your tires if you do this. This is the reason why I prefer to get tires from Costo/BJs. I get a quick rotation/balance while I shop. Also, if there are alignment issues, the tire tech at the store will tell you about it.

Hope this helps...