Hi
I have been dealing with both the Tire Rack and their competitor Euro-Tire
recently - specifically to get a good set of snow tires for the MGB. I have
found that, while Tire Rack is a couple of dollars cheaper, Euro-Tire seems
to have people who know more and are more willing to check on unusual orders.
This is consistent with my positive experience with Euro-Tire over 10 years
ago.
The problem has been getting snows for the puny 4.5" wide wire rims that I
have cleaned up from my stack of spares. Most of the better tires will not
comfortably fit. This is probably a FDQ (frequently discussed question) but
I think a 175/70 on the 4.5" rims is pinched more than it should. However,
there was not anything available in a 165 so I ended up with one of the few
options in a 175 (defaults to either /80 or /85) hoping the the extra height
would allow the tread surface to run flat. There should be enough clearance.
Euro-Tire tracked down a remaining set of Continental 740s in this size.
I called around to local shops for pricing but it is more cost-effective to
mail-order the tires and pay for mounting/balancing. In fact, I have been
pretty fed up with local tire shops on the mounting issue - in particular the
Goodyear shops where I have gotten 3 sets of Eagle GT+4s in the past year or
so. They give no discount on mounting/balancing with new tires so I feel no
sense of disloyalty in bringing in mail-order rubber for them to mount.
John Sanders
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