Shopping for tires at Costco comes with many advantages, some of them are simply convenient while others can also save you money. It is no secret that buying tires from Costco means that you are likely going to pay less when compared to most tire dealerships in the country, but what tire brands does Costco carry?
What Tire Brands Does Costco Carry?
Since 2015, Costco carries Michelin, Bridgestone, and BF Goodrich tires. All three of these brands are some of the most prominent tire manufacturers in existence. Moreover, they also offer class-leading tires in the performance category, off-road category, touring category, and pretty much every other category.
This comes as no surprise as everyone knows that these typically reside in the higher-end price category. However, if you consider the money you could potentially save by buying them from Costco, those high-end prices don’t seem so high-end after all.
What Are The Advantages Of Buying Tires Through Costco?
- Competitive pricing
- Lifetime warranty
- Lifetime tire maintenance
- Inflation with nitrogen
- Free shipping and handling
Is Shopping For Tires At Costco Cheaper?
In order to even be able to buy tires from Costco, you need to be a full-fledged Costco member which should run you about $60 every year. If you do decide to join the Costco cult of savings, you are going to enjoy competitive prices as Costco often offers discounts on various tires by up to $80 per tire which means that you can save up to $320 per a new tire set.
Moreover, Costco even offers tires that can’t be found anywhere else, such as the Michelin X-Tour tire series which is exclusively offered to Costco members and no one else.
Do I Get A Lifetime Warranty With Costco Tires?
Not only that Costco will try and repair your tire if something goes wrong with it, but if they can’t, they are often inclined to simply replace the tire altogether. If you go through various forum threads on this topic, you will even come across people who swear that Costco knowingly replaces tires that have been intentionally damaged, but you should take that with a grain of salt.
Either way, they will inspect the tread levels on the damaged tire and will offer you credit depending on the percentage of tread life left. Of course, if the tire comes with a manufacturing defect, they are going to replace it right away.
Do I Get Lifetime Tire Maintenance With Costco Tires?
Not exactly, but if you are willing to add an additional $18.99 per tire (which adds up to $75,96) on top of the asking price, you are going to get free lifetime tire maintenance. This includes tire installations, lifetime balancing, lifetime tire rotations, lifetime flat repairs, lifetime air pressure inspections, brand new rubber valve stems (additional charges do apply for TPMS valves), and the Costco Wholesale’s Road Hazard Warranty.
However, you need to keep in mind that Costco is not willing to maintain tires that are too old and not safe to use.
Does Costco Inflate Tires With Nitrogen?
If you do decide to buy your tires for Costco, you can also take advantage of unlimited tire fill-ups free of charge. The good news is that Costco only carries nitrogen, not just regular compressed air which means that your tires ought to retain pressure a lot better. This benefits longevity, handling, and even fuel efficiency.
However, you should also be aware that nitrogen is not some special type of air that blows compressed air out of the water. Regular compressed air is 78% nitrogen anyway, so you can think of inflating your tires with nitrogen as that little bit extra that should benefit you and your tires in the long run.
Do I Get Free Shipping And Handling If I Buy Tires From Costco?
Yes, you do. Costco typically offers free delivery for goods that exceed $75 in combined value, but given the fact that tires do take up a lot of space in a delivery van, this is indeed a good thing. You don’t have to pay for anything along the way which also means that all costs associated with handling are on Costco too.
Does Costco Change Non-Costco Tires?
No, they do not. Costco is not going to replace, install, rotate, balance, or repair tires that have not been specifically bought from Costco. They don’t deal with non-Costco tires at all, no matter if you are a Costco member or not. Costco also does not deal with Costco-bought tires if you don’t have all the receipts or if you’ve neglected your tires.
You also need to keep in mind that Costco is once again not willing to install tires that don’t meet the tire criteria recommended for a specific car make and model year. If there are any problems associated with these disclaimers, a Costco tire center manager or supervisor will have to decide on the stop if they are going to install/maintain tires that are questionable in any way.
Is Buying Tires From Costco Worth It?
When you add up all the benefits of buying tires from Costco and when you compare them to membership and the lifetime maintenance costs, it makes quite a bit of sense to buy tires through Costco. You are always sure that you are getting the very best tire brands you can get and that your tires will be properly taken care of for as long as they can be.
Conclusion
Costco carries Michelin, Bridgestone, and BF Goodrich tires since 2015 and these three brands are good enough to replace all the other tire brands out there. However, Costco is not a tire-specific wholesaler because they sell whatever they can. Tire Rack on the other hand carries 26 more tire brands because Tire Rack deals with tires/wheels almost exclusively.
Either way, Costco is a great place to buy tires because you are eligible to also benefit from various additional tire packages such as lifetime warranties, lifetime maintenance, free shipping and handling, and free tire top-ups with nitrogen instead of compressed air like in most places.
