Divide by the warranted miles. A tire's tread life warranty is the maker's own durability number, and dividing the price by it puts a $127.96 tire and a $226.96 tire in one table. On October 14 the Steadfast HT in 235/60R18 was $2.50 per 1,000 warranted miles at $174.96 with 70,000 miles; the Alenza A/S Ultra in the same size $2.84 at $226.96 with 80,000; the Scorpion All Season Plus 3 $3.13 at $219.04 with 70,0008910. A sale price that does not beat today's figure in this table is not a saving. The warranty guide does this for eight lines.
Count a set-of-four reward per tire, after you have the card. Michelin's $80 on four tires is $20 a tire, our arithmetic, paid as a reward card four to six weeks after a claim, and only on a set bought from a participating dealer without a buy-three-get-one or 25-percent-off deal on top16. SimpleTire's Goodyear card is 'up to a $100 mail in rebate' on 'SELECT' tires, up to $25 a tire by our arithmetic, and the Steadfast HT page carries no badge saying it qualifies18. The checkout price is the one to compare; the card arrives later, if the claim is accepted.
Watch the listed price, not a label. None of the six model pages we read showed a struck-through price, yet two sizes moved between our October 2 and October 14 reads: the Steadfast HT 235/60R18 up $12.00 to $174.96 and the Alenza 235/65R17 up $15.00 to $220.96, while the Alenza 265/70R17 fell $1.0089. A November 'sale' price only means something against the price the same size carried in October; the table above is that record for the sizes we track.
Match the size, load index and speed symbol first. The three 235/60R18 tires in the table carry 107H, 103H and 107W; a lower-priced tire with a lower load index than your placard is not a substitute. Read your placard and the tire size guide before comparing prices.
Add installation. SimpleTire's own guide says to include mounting, balancing and disposal fees when comparing, and its installation package lists mounting, balancing, rubber valve stems, tire disposal, shipping to the installer, a TPMS reset and 12 months of roadside assistance, with a four-tire minimum; the fee itself is shown at checkout for the shop you pick35. A free-install offer, like the Continental card that ended October 14, is worth the shop's install fee and nothing more1.