I always hear people say there are specific tires made for specific stores. Example: Goodyear makes tires specifically for Walmart which are cheaper but bear the same name/markings. Does anyone have good close up pictures of the ratings/load specs/etc on a tire bought at lets say a goodyear tire center vs the goodyears bought at walmart or sams club? The same question applies to Discount Tire Direct vs STS Tire center... Are the AT3's bought at eat location going to be the same product or is one a cheaper lower quality product with the same name?

Looking for pictures of the actual specs/ratings on the tires from each to compare...

Here's my contribution. One of my employees just received these from Discount Tire Direct today. They are Cooper ATP's 275/65R18s. Here are closeups of the ratings/specs

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I've not had any problems finding an installer to mount and balance special ordered tires the couple of times that I have done it. However, some dealers will not provide the "extras" like free tire rotation or offer road hazard protection for tires that they don't carry.

Ha ha. They still emboss "tubeless" on sidewalls. I'd bet a couple bucks that half the drivers today have never even seen a tubed tire.

I wasn't worried about finding someone to do it. I bring in the tires, I give them money, they mount and balance. I occasionally go off road, so I will get road hazard insurance from where ever I buy them.

My question was about what happens if something goes wrong. What happens if a tire won't balance, for example? Say I leave NTB and feel excessive vibration. Has anyone had the situation where NTB says it is a tire problem and tells you to deal directly with the manufacturer, and the tire manufacturer says it is an installation problem and to deal with NTB?


Personal related example: Back in the day I used to build my own computers. Once I shopped around to get the best prices on all the different components. I bought the motherboard at one shop, memory chips at another, hard drive at another, etc. Once everything was put together it wouldn't boot. Each shop told me the problem was obviously caused by some other component. Eventually I figured out it was a bad memory chip and got it swapped out, but I learned my lesson; shop around for accessories, but buy all the core components at one place.

How common are tire balancing problems? I've bought 4 sets, always at brick-and-mortar, and never had a problem. This is the first time I'm looking to maybe order online.

Yes and no... Cheaper tires aren't specifically made for discount stores, but the tires you get at a discount store may be of lesser quality. Here is a reply from Consumer Reports on this exact question: Not the same tire at Walmart? CR Responds

Basically, all tires are made on the same assembly line using the same materials, then quality checked and graded. The lowest quality grades get sold at a discount to the discount stores.

The ones that may be made cheaper for a specific chain will have a different name or model number, such as the ATP's for Discount Tire Direct and the RTX's for National Tire and Battery.

That makes sense. Would Tire Rack be considered a discount retailer or do you think it would be on a higher tier than Discount Tire Direct?

Man I love those TRD rims. Are they the Tundra ones? I like them better than the TRD Pro ones. Are they are a direct fit for the 4Runner?

I think those are the beadlock style TRD wheels. IIRC they were just released as general aftermarket TRD wheels for 4runner/taco/FJ

These are not a model specific TRD rim. but they are a direct fit for the 5th gen 4runner. They are also not a beadlock, but a "streetlock", meaning, the ring is purely cosmetic.

They have been rocking my ride for a while now and I love them...

Okki

They are the Wheels that came on the Baja and TRD Pro Tacomas.

I've been doing a lot of research on AT tires recently, specifically the Cooper Discoverer AT3 and family. I was set on this in the stock size (265/70/17), except I need to get them fairly quickly and no one has them on sale.

I was able to discover that there are 5 variations of the AT3 made by Cooper for different brands. The AT3 and ATP have a 55k warranty. The Mastercraft Courser AXT is made by Cooper for a subsidiary with a 50k warranty and a slightly different tread pattern. The RTX and Adventurer AT appear to be combinations of the AT3 and AXT patterns (The RTX's pattern is quite a bit different), with the AXT's warranty (50k).

As of right now the RTX ($100 instant + $100 credit back) and the Adventurer AT (buy 3 get 1) are on sale.

Here are all the variations:


And here is what each one looks like:

Cooper Discoverer AT3


Cooper Discoverer ATP (Discount Tire Direct)


MasterCraft Courser AXT (LT Only)


Cooper Discoverer RTX (NTB, Big O, Tire Kingdom)


Cooper Adventurer AT (Pep Boys)

I ended up replacing Michelin LTX MS/2's with Cooper AT3's over the weekend. Bought a used set or rims off CL. Sanded them down painted them with duplicolor wheel paint and had them mount the new tires to the refurbished wheels. I am happy with the result.

The initial balance did not go so well. I had asked for them to use only the stick on weights. They did, but at highway speed there was a pretty bad steering wheel vibration. I took it back and asked them to re-balance them using the clip on wheel weights and it drives perfectly.

On another note. Check the DOT date on your new tires when you purchase. Of the 4 new tires they initially installed, 3 were manufactured in late 2014. The 4th was manufactured in early 2011 (5 years old). I asked them to replace the older one with another 2014 or newer and they did without any issues. I was glad I checked the numbers...

My old wheels were in terrible shape. Lots of bubbling, pitting, and peeling. New ones should be good for some time.

$738.00 OTD. STS Tire Shop.

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Have recently bought two sets of tires for family members from Tirebuyer. Like Tire Rack, they are dropshipping from the nearest distribution points, which I assume will offer the newest stock available. A set of Yokohamas for my Miata smelled factory fresh when I got them last summer. (Somebody needs to make a Cologne for that!)

Tirebuyer will also ship free to their partnering mounting shops with a fixed price before you order. My local Tire Barn has been doing each set for $66 with new stems and provides great service.

This is my way of buying tires for now. I will be buying a set for my daughter-in-law's Mazda 3 soon. Tirebuyer is the best deal thus far.

These newly released this feb... Falcon Wildpeak A/T3W tires look nice, and they look like a better version of the AT3. The std version have silica tread compound like the AT3. Side walls look nice too, not boring like the AT3!

New Falken AT tire (A/T3W)


WILDPEAK A/T3W TIRE | Falken Tire

Cooper ATPs are excellent tires, especially for the price. They are some of the best A/Ts I have ever owned, and are very long wearing. The last set I had on my Ranger still looked nearly new after 20k miles of hard use. I would buy them again for my 5th gen but they are not available in a normal load range in the size I want.