Is it worth driving to Portland for tires?
 

As stated in the title. I need new tires and I'm thinking of taking a trip down to Portland to buy a set of tires after labour day. I could get a set of Pilot Sport A/S 3+ for just shy of $1000 USD. Locally, I think it's about $1600.

Riding on DWS 06 right now, great grip but soft sidewalls. I blew 2 of them so far. Low profile, heavy car... Not a great combination with our crap roads.

Probably not worth it if I go down for a weekend just for tires but if I make a trip out of it...

Why not get them shipped to Blaine?

Sales tax... lol... and I'm looking to get them installed down there as well. I need to stay down there for 48 hours to bring them back duty free and I can't think of enough things to do in Blaine to keep me busy for 48 hours...

compare to these online stores 1st

https://quattrotires.com
https://pmctire.com

If you make it a weekend trip and enjoy your time down there, any purchase would be well worth it as compared to buying it up here.

If you're thinking of just a day trip, I definitely wouldn't do it unless the savings truly justified it.

Exactly. Just stay there for the weekend.

Go buy some electronics while you're there; no sales tax. Check out the outlet for some shopping. Hit up the food trucks while you're at it too.

They're about what I expect... $1600 without install.

FWIW id go through 3 tanks of gas at least each way. So just in fuel probably $550-600 plus my time. Just do it here

What the heck are you driving down there? It's only 509km! Should be 1 tank each way

How do you go through 3 tanks on a 500 km drive?

Aren't those US made tires and not subject to duty?

It's probably auto charged sales tax to buy from the online store if shipping/pick up is set to WA.

what size? i paid $600 for mine at costco here
and i've already used the warranty twice

sounds like a bad value proposition unless you're already down there for a trip

Do you drive a Panzer tank? 3 tanks of gas to get to portland?

I do this drive often and usually have a 15-25% tank of gas left in my '12 Audi sedan. Not sure what drive you're doing to use 3 tanks each way to Portland...

Uhhh.... $600 worth of gas would get me to Vegas and back and my car gets only 27mpg hwy.

I have a staggered setup.

Fronts 245/40/19
Rears 275/35/19

$600 wouldn't get me a pair of front tires at Costco... lol

if you buy tires from the states, if anything happens you have to go back down there. You wouldn't be able to go to any tire stores here, even tho its the same manufacturer. My buddy bought some tires from Bellingham and some how they pop after 1 month. so he had to drive back down there to get it replaced. Always there is a chance.

Not if you buy it from Costco USA. Warranty works at any Costco Canada+USA locations.

TIL: I'm the only person that's never had a flat or puncture in 20+ years.

I’ve surprisingly never had a flat or a puncture in 20 years of driving and I’ve driven 30k+ almost every year.

Oh boy I was about the drop money on the DWS 06 (low profile) for my Audi 6. I'm picking it because its got M+S

You're making me second guess that decision..

OP are you buying from a store or classifieds?

I'm buying in a store. Probably a Discount Tire because I have to get them installed down there as well. My tire guy says he can't even get tires at cost for less than retail in the US. I think I'm just going to go and have fun for a few days. Maybe pick up that 2070 Super I've been wanting as well while I'm down there.

I'd have a different opinion if I never hit any potholes. They're a good tire and served me well through 3 winters including that snow dump of 2016. Never had an issue with grip. They just don't hold up well with potholes. I'd probably buy them again if I didn't want to try out the Michelins. If you are sure you can avoid hitting a pothole then I'd say go for them. My front tires take all the brunt and they're 245/40/19 on a 4500lbs car. If I end up having the same problem with the Michelins, I'd probably go back to the DWS and deal with flat/bubbled tires on occasion