Saving money on that next set of tires for your Jeep
Author profile: Bill (Admin)
Bill has been a Jeep freak since 1995 and has since owned and modified three Jeeps, all YJ's. He lives in East Tennessee. Although his wife calls him a cheapskate, Bill prefers to be thought of as "budget-minded".
The TNVJC is young right now but as more and more members join, you're going to start seeing great deals on used Jeep parts in the Classifieds section of the site. I was a member of the AZVJC (Arizona Virtual Jeep Club) for many years and the classifieds section was always filled with great deals. Part of my daily routine was to login and see what new parts were added each day and my own Jeep was modified with parts I purchased mostly from the club classified section. A common used part you're going to start seeing is tires. Someone with a stock Jeep will put larger tires on so they'll wants to sell their old ones. Then they'll want even bigger tires so they'll sell the old set and on and on. My latest Jeep now has 33 inch BFG MT's that were purchased used from another club member and before that I ran 31 inch BFG MT's also bought used from a club member. Why didn't I buy new? Check out this math:
$145 - 33 inch BFG MT's (new - each)
$ 35 - 33 inch BFG MT's (used - each)
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$110 Savings
x
4 tires
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$440 total saving
$140 for 4 good used or $580 for 4 new tires
Of course you'll want to buy good used tires, with decent tread and no sidewall damage but in my experience these are easy to find.
Mounting and balance can be done for $5 each at many tire stores and then you can sell your old tires on the club at a discount.
I've run BFG MT's on all my Jeeps and even with some serious offroad trips in the rocks, end up getting 40,000 or more miles out of a set, if I keep them balanced and rotated. All terrains may last even longer. Want something bigger and/or more aggressive? Just wait, those will come along, too. The AZVJC often had 36 and 38 inch Super Swampers for a steal because someone was upgrading, downgrading or selling off an extra set they don't need anymore.
If you're looking for something right now, be sure to post an ad in the "wanted" section. Even if someone doesn't have that item for sale, maybe they know who does.
Spare tires...while you're at it consider buying more than just 4 tires. You should always have a full-size good spare, especially if you drive offroad. I'll post an article soon making the case for having a spare-spare (two spares).
Have a set of Jeep tires to sell? Great! Add a free classified ad and help out your Tennessee Jeeping buddies. Give someone a good deal and I think you'll find you'll get a good deal on something else in return. And spread the word about the TNVJC! The more members, the more deals for everyone.
A set of MT's with wheels I sold for $200 total.
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