Is It Okay to Buy Tires Online?

Yes, it is okay to buy tires online, but the tire is only half of what you are buying. The other half is the seller. Buy from an authorized dealer and the manufacturer warranty comes with it. Buy from an unauthorized reseller and it may not. Then check three things no checkout page checks for you: the load index, the DOT date on the tire, and what your local shop charges to mount it.

I have sold tires over a counter in Long Beach since 1971, and we sell them online too, so weigh my opinion accordingly. Most answers to this question say to buy from a reputable site and leave it there. That is good advice as far as it goes, but "reputable" is not the word in the warranty paperwork. The word is "authorized." I want you to know what that means before you click the button, and what to do when the truck drops four tires on your porch.

Buying Tires Online Chart by Seller

Where you buy decides who stands behind the tire. Find your seller and read across.

Where You Buy	Manufacturer Warranty	Who Handles a Problem	Main Thing to Check
Authorized online tire retailer	Yes, with your receipt	The seller, then the manufacturer	Return terms and date code
Online retailer with local installers	Yes, if the seller is authorized	Seller for the tire, installer for the mounting	The installer's full price
Marketplace listing from an authorized store	Usually	That store and the marketplace	Who the seller actually is
Marketplace third-party reseller	May not apply	Mostly you	Dealer status and date code
Auction site or classified, used tires	No	You	Age and repairs you cannot verify. I would skip it

What to Check the Day They Arrive

Do this before anybody mounts anything. Once a tire is mounted, your options shrink fast.

Check	Where to Look	What You Want	If It Fails
Size	Sidewall and invoice	Matches the order and your door placard	Do not mount. Call the seller
Load index	Number right after the size	At or above the factory number	Do not mount. Call the seller
Speed rating	Letter after the load index	At or above the factory letter	Call before mounting
DOT date	Last four digits of the DOT number	Recent. Ask questions past three years	Call before mounting
Condition	Tread, sidewalls, and beads	No cuts, plugs, or crushed beads	Take photos and call the same day
Matching set	All four tires	Same model and same load index	Do not mount a mixed set

Does Buying Tires Online Void the Warranty?

Not by itself. The warranty does not care whether you clicked a button or shook a hand. It cares who sold you the tire and whether you can prove it.

Read the language. Michelin's says plainly that "Unauthorized tire dealers cannot provide the Michelin Promise Plan." Continental limits its coverage to tires "Purchased from an authorized Continental brand tire dealer." Bridgestone covers the original purchaser and has you present the tire to an authorized retailer for an adjustment. So before you buy, look the seller up on the manufacturer's dealer locator, or ask the seller in writing if they are authorized for that brand. A low price from a reseller on a marketplace may come with a warranty you cannot use.

Three Papers You Have to Keep

• The receipt. Continental wants the original sales receipt at claim time. If your proof does not show a purchase date, it uses the tire's DOT manufacture date instead, and that can cost you months of coverage.
• The rotation log. Continental's mileage warranty requires a completed log and rotation every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. Bridgestone wants proof showing the date, mileage, and servicing location.
• The warranty document for your exact tire. Terms change by brand and model, and classic tires can be excluded altogether.

Coverage runs from the purchase date, not from the day the tire was built. Michelin gives you 6 years from purchase, and Continental gives you 72 months. Mileage claims pay on a sliding scale, so read how tire mileage warranty proration works before you count on one.

One more thing for you online buyers. A warranty claim does not always mean shipping a tire across the country. Bridgestone's process runs through an authorized retailer, so ask the manufacturer where to take it before you box anything up.

How Do You Register Tires You Bought Online?

This is the step almost nobody talks about, and it is the one that could matter most. Tires get recalled. The manufacturer can only reach you if it knows who bought them.

Federal rule 49 CFR Part 574 covers this. An independent dealer has three choices: hand you a filled-out registration form, send a paper form to the manufacturer within 30 days, or send the information electronically within 30 days and say so on your invoice. So look at your paperwork. If there is a form, send it in. If the invoice says it was registered, you are done. If you find neither, go to the manufacturer's website and register the tires yourself.

Most people never do. In 2015 the National Transportation Safety Board found only about 10 percent of tires sold through independent dealers were being registered. Here is how to stay out of that group:

1. Photograph the full DOT number on every tire before mounting. The complete number may only appear on one side, and that side can end up facing the car.
2. Register each tire with the manufacturer. It takes a few minutes online.
3. Keep the photos with your receipt. You can check those numbers against the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association recall search any time.

How Old Can New Tires Be When They Arrive?

Older than most folks expect. No federal rule puts a sell-by date on a tire, and a new tire is new until it goes into service. It can sit in a warehouse for two or three years and still be sold that way, and that goes for a store as much as a website. The difference is that in a store, you can read the date before you pay.

Look for the last four digits of the DOT number. A code of 3224 means the 32nd week of 2024. Our guide to reading DOT tire date codes shows you where to find it. The aging clock starts at manufacture, not at purchase, and several automakers say to replace tires at 6 years while many tire makers set 10 years as the outside limit. Our piece on the 5-year tire rule lays out those zones.

Here is my rule of thumb. Under two years old, I do not think about it. Two to three years is fine if the tire was stored well. Past three, I want an answer from the seller before that tire goes on a wheel. Ask about date codes before you order, because a seller can often pull a fresher set if you ask first.

Age matters most to the low-mileage driver. If you drive 8,000 miles a year on a 60,000-mile tire, the tread would take 7.5 years to wear out. A tire that shows up three years old will age out long before you use it up. That driver is the one who should be pickiest about dates.

Will a Tire You Buy Online Actually Fit?

The size will. The rest of the spec is on you. The same size can come in very different load ratings, and that is the part a quick search skips over. Every one of the 60 most common sizes on the market comes in more than one load index. Look at the spread in these four:

Size	Load Index Range	Load Per Tire	Spread
225/65R17	100 to 107	1,764 to 2,149 lb	385 lb
245/60R18	98 to 109	1,653 to 2,271 lb	618 lb
265/70R17	112 to 123	2,469 to 3,417 lb	948 lb
275/60R20	114 to 126	2,601 to 3,748 lb	1,147 lb

A tire can match your size perfectly and still fall short on capacity. Search by your vehicle instead of the size, then confirm the load index against the placard in your door or your factory tire. If the number you are looking at is lower, read whether a lower load index tire is safe first.

Vehicle search also has limits, so watch for these cases:

• Truck and SUV tires: check for LT or passenger construction and load range. They are not interchangeable without a pressure change.
• European cars and some EVs: the factory tire may carry an automaker approval mark, such as a star or N0. A size match does not get you that mark.
• Run-flats: if your car has no spare, a regular tire leaves you stranded. Bridgestone also limits its run-flat adjustments to certified run-flat retailers.
• Staggered setups: the fronts and rears are different sizes. Order them as a set.

How Much Does It Really Cost to Install Online Tires?

The price in the cart is not the price on the car. Here is what usually gets added.

Line Item	Usual Cost	Notes
Mount and balance	$60 to $180 for four	Higher on large, low-profile, and run-flat tires
Carry-in fee for outside tires	$100 to $200 for four	Replaces the line above at many shops, and may bundle stems and disposal
Valve stems, TPMS service, disposal	$30 to $80 total	Ask if these are included
Road force balancing	$20 to $50 more per axle	Worth it if you are sensitive to vibration
Alignment	Ask for a quote	Worth doing if your old tires wore unevenly

So add roughly $90 to $280 to the cart before you compare. Local shops quote out-the-door prices, and online carts usually do not. Our breakdown of tire mounting and balancing cost has the numbers by tire type, and why online tire prices beat local shops covers the other side of that math.

Call the Shop Before You Order

Not every shop will touch outside tires. Independent shops are usually the most willing, and mobile installers build a business on it. Some national chains refuse or charge more, and dealerships are the least likely. Their worry is liability on a tire they did not sell, and I understand that, because I have stood on that side of the counter. Call first. Ask if they mount customer tires, what the all-in price is, and whether they will accept a delivery.

What You Give Up

A store sale often includes things that do not show up in the price. Free rotations, rebalancing, and flat repairs for the life of the tire are common at the bigger chains. Over 50,000 miles, that is real money. If you are comparing a local deal with an online one, ask what comes with it.

What Happens If a Tire Shows Up Damaged or Wrong?

Act the same day. Keep the box or wrapping, take photos, and call before you do anything else. Do not take it to the shop and hope. Once a tire is mounted, most sellers will not take it back.

Since you should read the fine print on anybody's store, here is ours. Report shipping damage within 24 hours. Returns have to be requested within 30 days, new and in the original packaging, and they carry a 20 percent restocking fee plus shipping unless we made the mistake. Special orders cannot be returned, and we do not take back mounted tires. Plenty of sellers do something similar, and some are more generous. Know the terms before you buy. If a tire shows a cut or a bulge, do not try to judge it by eye. Learn how to read tire sidewall damage and get it replaced.

Is It Safe to Buy Tires From a Marketplace or Auction Site?

New tires from an authorized store on a marketplace can be fine. The trouble is that the listing page looks the same whether the seller is an authorized dealer or a guy with a garage. Click through to the seller's name, then check that name against the manufacturer's dealer locator.

I worry less about counterfeits than about old stock. An honest-looking listing can ship you tires that are six years old, and you will not know until they arrive. Used tires are a different story. I do not recommend them from anybody, because you cannot know how they were stored, what they have hit, or how they were repaired.

How to Spot a Seller You Should Skip

• No phone number or street address. Call it before you buy. If nobody answers, you have your answer.
• A price far below everybody else. Tires cost real money to ship. A deal that looks impossible usually is.
• Payment only by wire, gift card, or payment app. Use a credit card, because it gives you a way to dispute the charge.
• No date code answer. A real tire seller can tell you what is on the shelf, or find out.

Are There Tires You Should Not Buy Online?

• The tire you need today. Shipping usually takes days, and a blowout will not wait. Our own orders run 4 to 10 business days by ground.
• One tire for an AWD vehicle. The new tire has to match the other three closely, and a local shop can measure them first.
• Anything you cannot confirm. If you cannot verify the load index, approval mark, or seller, keep shopping.

Why Classic Car Owners Buy Tires Online

Here is the case where online is not just okay, it is the only way. Try walking into a neighborhood tire shop and asking for a bias-ply wide whitewall in a 1950s size. They will look at you like you asked for a buggy whip. Collector tires have always been a specialty mail-order business, and that is a big part of what we do. I bought Lucas Classic Tires this past year, so we take that side of the business seriously.

Classic buyers should still read the warranty, since Michelin's limited warranty excludes its classic tires. Find a shop that is comfortable mounting tube-type or bias-ply tires before the box arrives, and ask about the date code here too. Low-volume sizes can sit a long while.

What a Bad Online Buy Costs You

Most of these go fine. When one goes wrong, it goes wrong in steps.

1. The surprise at the shop. A carry-in fee or a refusal, and your four tires are sitting in the trunk.
2. The return. Restocking and shipping on four heavy boxes can eat your savings.
3. The wrong spec, mounted. Now the tires are yours, and the load index or date is what it is.
4. The dead warranty. A defect shows up, and the seller is not authorized or the receipt is gone.
5. The recall you never heard about. Nobody can reach you because nobody registered the tires.

Every one of those is avoidable, and most take about five minutes.

How to Buy Tires Online the Right Way

1. Read your door placard. Write down the size, load index, speed rating, and pressure.
2. Shop by vehicle, then check the spec. Do not stop at the size.
3. Confirm the seller is authorized for that brand. Use the manufacturer's dealer locator.
4. Ask about the date code. Do it before you pay.
5. Call your installer. Get the full out-the-door price, and add it to the cart.
6. Read the return terms. Know the restocking fee and the damage deadline.
7. Inspect on arrival. Run the checklist above, and photograph every DOT number.
8. Register the tires and start a rotation log. Keep it with your receipt.

Conclusion

After all these years behind a counter, I am comfortable telling you that buying tires online is fine. It is a good deal when you do the work a good counterman used to do for you: confirm the spec, check the date, and know who stands behind the tire. If you want to see what is available for your car, start in our tire store, and call us if you have a question. We have been answering them since 1971.

Key Takeaways

• Manufacturer warranties depend on an authorized seller, so check the dealer locator.
• Keep your receipt and a rotation log, or a mileage claim can fail.
• Register your tires. A recall notice cannot reach you otherwise.
• Check the DOT date before mounting, and ask about it before you order.
• A size match is not a spec match. One size can span more than 1,000 pounds of load capacity.
• Add roughly $90 to $280 for installation, and call the shop first.

FAQs