The changing tyre game

[sparoz]

I just spoke to my tyre guy about how expensive tyres are these days (compare to importing them).

He said the tyre companies have started to regconise the price disparity and starting to reduce their price.

They will also match, or get close to what the import price is. So, don't pay too much even when you decided to buy your tyres here.

[MikeVictor]

Originally Posted by sparoz

I just spoke to my tyre guy about how expensive tyres are these days (compare to importing them).

He said the tyre companies have started to regconise the price disparity and starting to reduce their price.

They will also match, or get close to what the import price is. So, don't pay too much even when you decided to buy your tyres here.

Is this the same business you referred me to for the Pirelli's a couple of years ago, out of interest?

[Jeef Beef]

I really doubt my local tyre shop can 'match' the $200 I'm getting from tirerack.com from their local $800+ RRP.

[Orlin]

someone along the chain is making really good margin selling to Aussie end users when charging the same price as they did 12 months ago with the AU dollar so strong I am sure their cost price has dropped a fair bit. Glad to see they are finally dropping their prices and being less greedy

[sbce90]

I went to a tyre shop yesterday and I bluntly told the guy what options I had for ~$1000-1200 shipped from tirerack. I asked whether his shop could compete with the prices I have and the look on his face was priceless. o.O

Goes on to tell me how such and such tyre is about $5/600 a corner. I silently nod.

[alik01]

Originally Posted by Orlin

someone along the chain is making really good margin selling to Aussie end users when charging the same price as they did 12 months ago with the AU dollar so strong I am sure their cost price has dropped a fair bit. Glad to see they are finally dropping their prices and being less greedy

The guys who've made the real money on the strength of the dollar are the boys and girls in high finance. A lot of importers hedge against fluctuations, so they are safe from any dips but also miss out on the highs. Takes quite a while for the contracts to get renegotiated after a sustained high.

I think a lot of the importers keep a pretty juicy margin in the goods, be it tyres, cars, condoms, whatever and then blame it on the dollar, distance, taxes etc.

[Orlin]

high finance, unfortunately for me I sell phones for a living lol

[alik01]

Considering you drive a damn nice car - I'm guessing you do alright! High finance or not.

[Taymaishu]

It's great for the lobbying industry and success payments.

Xxxx was given xxxx dollars per capita in the US to run yyyy campaign. Ends up we get more doh which makes our success payments higher. :-)

[janus77]

I'm in the market too, am looking at a set of RE-11's as replacement for the oem rft's (would be buying one of those conti repair kits too of course), pretty good price with the AUD strong anyway.

Hard to see how you can match it in Australia, i'm not even sure that the re11's are available here? certainly not for $1250 delivered.

oem tyres still have a little tread left, I just hit 20k, anyone else wearing their tyres out this fast or faster? Reckon they'll be good to 23-24k, depending on how many spirited drives i do in the meantime.

[sparoz]

Originally Posted by mattyv

Is this the same business you referred me to for the Pirelli's a couple of years ago, out of interest?

Yes.

Originally Posted by sparoz

They will also match, or get close to what the import price is. So, don't pay too much even when you decided to buy your tyres here.

Originally Posted by janus77

I'm in the market too, am looking at a set of RE-11's as replacement for the oem rft's (would be buying one of those conti repair kits too of course), pretty good price with the AUD strong anyway.

Hard to see how you can match it in Australia, i'm not even sure that the re11's are available here? certainly not for $1250 delivered.

oem tyres still have a little tread left, I just hit 20k, anyone else wearing their tyres out this fast or faster? Reckon they'll be good to 23-24k, depending on how many spirited drives i do in the meantime.

Your tyre place has to pick up the phone and ask say Bridgestone the question - and I guess if you go to a place where the owner is managing - you might have better luck. What I was trying to say is that for those people who decided not to import their own tyres - you certainly don't have to pay list price. For the people who do, just check if your local tyre place will get close to it before the hassles.

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by sparoz

Your tyre place has to pick up the phone and ask say Bridgestone the question - and I guess if you go to a place where the owner is managing - you might have better luck. What I was trying to say is that for those people who decided not to import their own tyres - you certainly don't have to pay list price. For the people who do, just check if your local tyre place will get close to it before the hassles.

Even if the local tyre shop is willing to go below list price, it's just literally impossible for them to match the prices we can get overseas.