OVERPRICED Yokohama Geolandar H/T 91A Tires 17 inch for 2017 Mazda CX 5

drivewest

Hidden cost of 2017 Mazda CX 5: I had to replace one tire that was slashed by a metal road plate. But it cost $250 plus tax (lowest price I could find). According to the tire shop, an equivalent or better tire should cost about half that amount. So thanks to Mazda for equipping the 2017 CX 5 with a tire that Mazda probably got cheaply, but is way OVERPRICED for the driver who is stuck with a replacement.

PF_Flyer

Yep, an expensive tire for sure. And with an AWD vehicle, you really need to match tires to minimize variances that can cause drivetrain damage. Another thing to be aware of when matching the tire is tread depth. I have a friend who owns a tire shop and I've seen them shave down the tread on a new tire to match the tread depth of the other tires to avoid possible drivetrain problems. If you have a lot of miles on the set of tires, this might be something you need to be aware of.

For a little bit of a silver lining, when the time comes to replace your OEM tires, you will have a lot of good options at a lower price that the Yokohamas you currently have

kyfdx

Unfortunately, almost every OEM tire is expensive to replace, no matter the make or model. Because, they know if you need just one, you are stuck with getting that single model, with no choice.

I don't think that's specific to Mazda. It's more of a tire company ripoff, than a manufacturer issue.

PF_Flyer

I never had to replace a single OEM tire, but I'm always looking forward to the OEM's wearing out so I can replace them.

thecardoc3

kyfdx said:

It's more of a tire company ripoff, than a manufacturer issue.

Poor choice of words here. Do you have any idea what tire machines and balancers can cost a shop today, let alone having to deal with the cost of having an employee to perform the work?

I have an idea. Go buy yourself a box van and install a compressor, balancer and tire machine so that you can provide the service of replacing that tire for the OP on a mobile basis. Buy a reasonable amount of inventory so that you are likely to have whatever tire a potential customer might need to have in stock. Add in your costs for insurance, fuel, etc and then decide just how much money it will cost you to sell, mount, balance and install that tire and manage to earn a living. Now you will be able to figure out what you would have to charge the O.P. for that one tire and let's see if you would really be a rip-off or not. Don't be surprised if you can't do this at a better price than what the tire store is giving the O.P. In fact you probably wouldn't be able to come close to the price he/she paid but then again you would't be selling the same service which is what the O.P.would really be buying, right?

kyfdx

@thecardoc3

I'm intimately familiar with those costs, as my family was in the tire supply business, since I was a child.

The price I'm referring to is the actual price of the tire, itself.

OEM tires for my car were $330 each (back in 2010), while superior replacements of the same brand could be had for around $200/each. That's typical.

The tire dealer or repair shop is not a tire company. Not every post in these forums is an attack on your business.

thecardoc3

Are you/they still in that business?

kyfdx

thecardoc3 said:

Are you/they still in that business?

Well... no, they are all dead.. but, thanks for asking!

My point is... nothing in my post was about repair shop or tire store costs, or how they relate to the cost of replacing a single tire. It was all about the selling price of a single OEM tire.

You've made a lot of great points! Too bad they have nothing to do with the original post, or my reply.

thecardoc3

kyfdx said:

My point is... nothing in my post was about repair shop or tire store costs, or how they relate to the cost of replacing a single tire. It was all about the selling price of a single OEM tire.

We could do an entire thread focused on just that, but then we would have to explain why just about anything off the shelf that would be the same size, fit and work as a replacement is not on the same level as the actual O.E. spec tire. The manufacturers wouldn't put more expensive tires on their cars if there were truly cheaper equivalents available.

kyfdx

thecardoc3 said:

kyfdx said:

My point is... nothing in my post was about repair shop or tire store costs, or how they relate to the cost of replacing a single tire. It was all about the selling price of a single OEM tire.

We could do an entire thread focused on just that, but then we would have to explain why just about anything off the shelf that would be the same size, fit and work as a replacement is not on the same level as the actual O.E. spec tire. The manufacturers wouldn't put more expensive tires on their cars if there were truly cheaper equivalents available.

What Yokohama charges for an OE replacement in the aftermarket likely has no relation to what they charge Mazda (who purchases by the 1000s).

OE tires in the aftermarket are high-priced, because most people need that specific tire. (just like our OP).

In almost every case, the same tire manufacturer makes better models at cheaper prices, for the replacement market. (Very high performance cars, excepted, generally).

I agree that OE tires might be specifically engineered for a particular vehicle, and maybe your Porsche Cayman can't be improved by different tires, once the OE wear out (very quickly.. lol), but just about every other car gets better, once you replace the OE tires with quality replacements. And, usually, at a much lower price than the OE, if still available.

thecardoc3

Walk around any dealer and count how many wheel weights you see on the tires to balance them. When you do see a weight take note of how much weight was required to balance the tire. Now watch what it takes to properly balance the replacements. That's just one of the differences between spec tires and replacements. You can definitely get an aftermarket replacement that won't wear out as quickly mileage wise, but what else is different between those two tires? In order to get something (aka longer life) you have to give up something, but what?

kyfdx

Long life isn't generally one of my requirements. I'll trade performance, comfort, etc, etc for mileage, any day.

I understand that you can degrade the performance of your car with crappy tires. But, you can also improve performance, for less money than OE tires.