Dear Bree,

I don’t know a stinking thing about tires, but I need some.  I have to get off my tush and do this thing already, but I’m a little intimidated to walk into a store knowing zilch.  So, I’m wondering: Can you help get me started?

I’m looking for tires for my car; nothing too fancy, I just need to get myself and the family safely around town.  Help!

Clueless

Dear Clueless,

You’ve come to the right place, and I feel your pain.  Once upon a time, I took my SUV in to get new tires, clueless as you, and when they asked me some basic questions about my vehicle, it was like they were speaking Greek.  They were really patient with me, we went outside together and they got the info they needed, but I went home feeling like an idiot for walking in blind.  So, a baseline is a good thing.

How about going onto our RNR Custom Wheels and Tire Express website and taking a browse?  We’ve got lots of brands to choose from, and we’ll walk you through things.  Here’s the info you’re going to need to get started: make, model and year of your car.  Then you’re going to need a little info about the size of tire that you want.  If you want to stick with what you have now, go out and look right on the side of your tire, and you’ll find the info you need.  Then you can choose the brand you want to look at, or you can choose “any brand.”  Start there.

Now, if you don’t know much (or anything) about these brands, go to the company’s websites and check them out.  They all have one.  Another tip:  Consumer Reports.  Narrow down some choices (brand, size, performance, price, whatever), then go to Consumer Reports and do a search.  See what other people have to say about the tires you’re looking at.

Next step, come see us.  We’ll walk you through the store so you can see and feel the tires you’ve been looking at online (depending on stock).

We carry, of course, the big national brands that you’ll recognize right away (Bridgestone, BFGoodrich, Firestone—just to name a few), but we also carry some really great brands that, if you’re new to this tire-buying experience, you might not know, like Falken, Pirelli, etc. (you can find a complete list on our website).  These are great brands, too.

One last thing:  You’ve actually stumbled upon a really good time to buy.  RNR Custom Wheels and Tire Express has a pretty great special going through mid-August.  Right now, $40 will pay your first month on a complete set of tires installed on your car.  If you decide to go with Falken brand passenger tires, you’ll even get a $50 rebate check in the mail from Falken.  Pretty good deal, huh?  So, go to our site, take a look around, do some research, and come see us!

Bree