I love online shopping, but buying winter tires online isn’t something I ever thought I would do.
Winter tires are a necessity in Atlantic Canada. There’s no way around it. From as early as the end of October until as late as May, winter conditions aren’t outside the norm. Snow, sleet, ice…it’s possible to see all three conditions and more in a single day (sometimes, even a single hour) during our eternal winter season.
It’s not fun. I mean, just look at our driveway, for crying out loud!
In case it’s hard to tell, the driveway comes up on a significant slope — and it does not take long for the ice to build up.
And that’s just our driveway. Fact of the matter is if you’re driving a little sedan like us, you need winter tires. And good winter tires, like most car-related things, can be expensive.
It was through my efforts to find reasonably priced tires in good condition that I was introduced to 4Tires.ca, where we went on to buy a new set of tires.
Here’s how it went down.
(Disclaimer: Not sponsored. This post is based on my personal experience buying from 4Tires.ca)
What is 4Tires.ca?
4Tires.ca is an online shop from Canada that offers steep discounts on tires.
They sell summer and winter tires from all the major manufacturers. According to their website, they ship to Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. Shipping costs vary depending on how many tires you buy and where you’re located.
They offer a huge selection of wheels and rims for a range of different vehicles.
Perhaps most significantly, 4Tires only sell brand new tires that are without defect and covered by the manufacturer warranty.
Choosing a brand
In Atlantic Canada, Michelin is one of the big names when it comes to tires of all sorts, not just winter. Other big names include Bridgestone and Goodyear.
When I think of a top-of-the-line tire, those are the brands that come to mind. So when we initially began the process of researching tires, it was with the mindset that we simply would not be able to afford a tire of that calibre.
In any other scenario, that would have been true. But buying winter tires online changed the game for us.
Buying winter tires online: how we got four new tires for less than $500
I didn‘t find 4Tires.ca on my own. All the credit for this discovery goes to my lovely friend and colleague, Sarah.
She recommended it after her boyfriend got a really great deal on tires for his truck. I figured it was worth checking out.
The obvious question, to me, is how in the world do they offer these tires so cheap?
My understanding is while they are not used tires, the inventory is made up of older models. In other words, if you’re ordering a tire in 2019, you’re likely going to get a model from 2017-2018.
There are some people who have reviewed the service who hate this but it doesn’t bother me. The fact that they have not been used matters more to me than the year they were manufactured.
In the end, we purchased a set of Continentals. We paid $487.55 after taxes for four. The shipping was free and we received a $65 mail in rebate.
Our experience with 4Tires.ca
Obviously the price was right, but what about the customer experience?
We placed the order for our tires on Saturday, December 8, 2018. We figured we might have them within a couple weeks time.
So imagine our surprise when I got a call at work from a Midland driver on Thursday, December 13, 2018 saying he was at our place!
I made plans to work from home that afternoon and we arranged to meet at 3 p.m. The Midland driver returned right on time, wheeled them up our crazy driveway and got me to sign for them. He also mentioned he had been delivering a lot of orders from 4Tires lately and even bought a set for himself. I asked what he thought and, while it was early, his feedback was positive.
Jeff made the appointment to have the tires installed on Monday, December 17, 2018.
Since then, we have driven through just about every kind of weather, from mild temperatures and sunny days, to snow covered roads, to freezing rain and ice.
Where Jeff does most of the driving, I asked him for his thoughts. Here’s what he said:
“These tires performed admirably compared to what we had. They are quiet compared to winter tires we’ve had in the past and stop great on snow and wet pavement, giving you confidence that you will get to your destination safely.”
The weak point? Performance traveling on ice. We did have a little incident on ice while traveling home from Christmas break. That said, unless you have studded tires, you can only expect so much from your tires on ice.
Reflections on our experience buying tires online
Like I mentioned, we paid $487.55 for four tires. This includes taxes and, because we bought four, they shipped free. They also came with a $65 mail-in rebate.
The rebate is the one thing I have a few critiques about.
The first thing worth mentioning is the weird location of the paperwork. It was in an envelope taped to the inside of one of the tires. Thankfully the guys at the garage noticed and held onto it for us, because honestly, I never would have thought to look there. Not the biggest issue, but I thought it was odd.
The other odd thing was the fact that all the information for the rebate was in French only.
I was able to figure out what it said (with a little help from a co-worker) but it would have been nice to have the form in English, especially since it is available in English online.
These are minor things, of course. At the end of the day, we’ll have four new tires for about $90 a piece. Can’t complain about that!
Final Thoughts
Buying winter tires online through 4Tires.ca was, all in all, a positive experience for us.
We ended up with a nice set of tires for a fair price and we have been pleased with the performance so far. I suspect when it comes time to buy a new set, we will be returning to 4Tires.ca.
Do you use winter tires?
Photo by Matthew Henry from Burst
