When you first pass your driving test, owning a car can seem thrilling. Finally, you are free to go almost anywhere you want whenever you want. You can even bring your friends. But once that initial buzz dies down, your car is certainly still useful, but it sure does cost a lot to run. One unavoidable and often expensive cost of owning your vehicle is replacing the tyres.
Even when you know the dangers of driving with damaged, flat, or well-worn tyres, the cost of new ones can still seem excessive. The same is often the case when you know that in the long run, fresh tyres save you money by increasing fuel efficiency too. This all begs the question, is there anything you can do to bring tyre costs down?
You’ll be glad to hear that the answer to that is yes. Here are some handy tips to know to help you cut the cost of new tyres.
Shop early
The best-priced tyres won’t necessarily be available right when you need them, and if you leave it until they desperately need changing, you probably won’t have time to look around for the best deals. For example, if you use your car for work you’ll need to get it back on the road as soon as possible.
To get the best price, set the money aside for your tyres well in advance and look around for promotions regularly. You never know what bargains a quick Google search like “tyre sales Gold Coast” might uncover. If there are no discounts this month, simply try again the next.
Go budget
This might sound obvious, but many people don’t do this either because of brand loyalty or fear that budget tyres are unsafe. The latter is actually untrue; all tyres have to meet the same minimum safety standards in order to be legally sold. Budget ones from legitimate manufacturers can still be counted on to keep you safe during rain, other adverse conditions, and long drives.
The difference between premium and budget tyres is that the former exceeds these standards, which will be reflected in higher tyre ratings. The budget ones are less safe in comparison, but that does not mean that they are unsafe.
Look out for freebies
When you need new tyres, it’s not only the cost of them that you need to consider. Unless you’re planning to change them all yourself, you’ll probably need to pay for installation too. However, some retailers will throw in installation for free, making the combined total cheaper than other places where the tyres are cheap but you need to pay for installation.
Some also offer discounts if you take your old tyres back with you.
Negotiate
Few people try it, but those who do can make significant savings. If you’re unsure how to start, you could ask them to match a lower price you’ve seen elsewhere for the same tyres.
Conclusion
Like other goods, tyres are affected by inflation (no pun intended). However, even as their price keeps going up, you can make sure you always get a good deal by using these tips.
