Liste-Renn

I had a DT shop in Oregon unmount my Macan GTS summer performance and remount/balance some Mich Alpin dedicated snows that DT price matched (actually bought the set I found online) and had then shipped to the local shop for free!

The techs all looked about 18-22 years old and had cars stacked up awaiting "the cheapest replacement" tire option.

I perused the waiting room customers and their cars, debris in work area and was close to driving away. But they had my tires, that took me weeks to find in Macan GTS rim sizes- and in December!

Spied one kid who looked bright and watched him do an entire replace/balance job. He was good.

Pulled him aside when he finished and gave him a twenty. Pointed to my Macan and said if he didn't scratch my Spyder wheels he'd get another "Jackson" (Andrew)- looked like a stunned mullet when I said that, but he got it and nodded silently.

Mentioned the Porsche crest/valve stem OCD thing as I walked away.

Flawless mount and needed 5 weights total to balance 4 wheels. Crest tips dead on pointed at stems. Mounting lubricant wiped off, new black valve stems and polished my logo valve caps to a shine.

Best $40 I spent that winter.

groovzilla

You'd think a large business(Tire Rack) that was purchased by Discount Tire would have some sort of mention of the sale or at least a mention that the Tires can now be ordered directly thru Discount Tire.
There is absolutely no information regarding this. Not a big deal but just surprising.

groovzilla

The "Pre-Tip" always a worthwhile investment

SpectreH

I have always had a good experience at Discount Tire. So far in three states (SC, GA, OK).

WillyDaP

I would not advertise heavily that Discount Tire owns Tire Rack either, since both are quality companies that market to specific buyers. Tire Rack deals more with performance tires and frankly they have some folks that trackrats have dealt with for years. Tire Rack has a list of Dealers it can recommend and yes they can ship to Discount Tire also, but why take away some of the niche market they built over the past 50+ years. There are plenty of us who bought and still buy our track rubber through them as they almost always are the first on the block to get the sticky stuff. I have a friend who was the Wholesale Rep for the Dealership I used to work at, and he often let me and others know about what was the new hot ticket or if he got in some hard to acquire tires. I know there were plenty of folks who autocross and do track events that worried when Discount Tire bought the Rack , if SCCA National Sponsorships would stop and for those who have run between the pylons, Tire Rack has been a very, very long time friend.

groovzilla

When I ordered my tires from Tire Rack website, they only offered shipping(other than my home) and mounting/balancing at/to DIscount Tire. There were no other options.
WHen I brought my car in for the mounting/balancing, the Discount Tire Cust service person explained DT purchased Tire Rack "last year". He also said I could get better pricing had I dealt directly w/Discount Tire on the Purchase because they can save on the shipping.
This is how it was explained to me.



.

MarkTro

Wonder how that's going to affect ordering tires in the future. Seems like Discount Tire might have something to say about it.

groovzilla

It would seem to me, and in best interest of customer, that they would have some sort of mention on the Tire Rack website to purchase tires direct at Discount Tire for better savings on the shipping.
Whatever the case, Tire Rack has always been a great company w/excellent pricing on tires over the past 25 years I've used them

Interesting Tire Rack owner died on my 57th Birthday - This is getting deep
"Pete Veldman died on March 14, 2014, at the age of 87. Pete's son-in-law Mike Joines succeeded him as president. On December 4, 2021, Discount Tire acquired Tire Rack for an undisclosed amount."

Doug H

Actually makes decent sense as I used to have my tires for all of cars (except for center lock) sent to discount tire for mounting. Cheap and reliable. Center lick cars I just would suck it up and pay dealership prices for both tires and mounting.

Leedlast

I have been a happy Discount Tire customer for at least 20 years here in the northwest Chicago suburbs. The tire changers always were very careful with my Fuchs, never a scratch. They always came close to matching Tire Rack's prices and I did not need to have the tires shipped to my home, then load them in my truck to haul them to a tire store for mounting. Now that TR and DT are the same company, it's even easier. I found out earlier this year about the "merger" when I called DT to order tires for my motorhome and mentioned a tire brand that Tire Rack offered but DT did not. The DT sales rep replied "We own Tire Rack, so I can get them." As mentioned previously, why are DT and TR being so quiet about this?

Liste-Renn

Likely trying to preserve two revenue streams.

TireRack only mounts tires if you buy wheel/tire sets. They do shave track tires for a fee.

DT sells, installs, rotates and balances a la carte.

I am assuming TR caters to/markets to a different demographic- enthusiasts with discretionary income. At least their advertising is skewed that way. Or maybe I only see targeted ads in Panorama, Excellencd and car mags that cater to that crowd?

(If McDonalds buys Omaha Steaks, they don't sell necessarily sell Big Mac via mailorder to high rollers- but might add a steak to the fast food outlet menu.)

I've always had the option with TR to ship free to an installer rather than my residence. If this has changed, the new owners are trying to capture/keep the install revenue within the corporate umbrella.

Would never call DT for high performance tire/wheel advice, but that might change in the future if they fully integrate the workforce.

mk85911

I have used Tire Rack exclusively for tires for many years, and I’m happy to report that my most recent purchase about a month ago proceeded the same as usual. I ordered a set for my 997 , had them shipped to my regular installer, who happens to also be my Indy mechanic, and everything was wrapped up competently. To me, the most important aspect of the Tire Rack concept was the ability to have my tires mounted by someone who knows how to properly lift a Porsche. Mike

groovzilla

I ordered my new tires because the old set on my Mercedes Diesel SUV were losing air in driver's side front and passengers side rear.
PITA every 3 days filling tires. Turns out both had been punctured from screws as was a flat repair last year. DT explained with all the construction going on many tires come in with screw damage.
I can say the TPMS in my SUV works flawlessly and nothing like the worthless TPMS in my 997.

WillyDaP

As I mentioned and was noted, the two stores have different revenue streams and Discount Tire purchased TireRack to build on those long term relationships for their somewhat different market. TireRack still has a large Dealer Network with Dealerships, Stores, and even companies , as the Wholesale Company of choice. What one individual tells a customer is not always gospel, but why bring up the fact that Discount Tire owns the Rack when some folks have dealt with them for decades. The purpose of the buy was to keep name recognition and keep a lot of the buyers, along with their extensive Tire Installer /Dealership/ Business network. No surprise some individuals will mention they can match Tire Rack, since they can capture the business in store, since they are likely more concerned with their individual store than preserving Tire Rack's business. No surprise there, and who doesn't try to get business from another, but all the Discount Stores do not operate the same. One example is one Store in the Omaha Metro will not honor any free rotation, balancing , etc. on any tire purchased outside their Store ( including Tire Rack ) whereas another store will take care of you even if they mount your tires from elsewhere. Simple difference in Managers and how they feel they may get more business in the future.

Ask your Tire Rack Rep who their certified installers are in your area , and common sense is all it takes to realize that they need plenty of these shops, since there are plenty of places around the US that do not even have a Discount Tire shop, and often there may not be one within 100-200 miles. I love Tire Rack because I have a friend/Rep there that knows when tires are coming, what is fresh, and with those of us that compete on track or autocross we like to have rubber with current build dates. That has been one plus for many folks over the years and many trackrats have relationships the Rack because this has been their forte over the past decades. I bought tires from them in 1981, because they were the place for competition rubber and that is still the case today.

workhurts

feels like user error.