What do you guys average paying to rotate directional tires for the Z. I have 17" rims and places want 120-140 for all four tires. That is a bit ridiculous to me especially since I've worked tires before and know its only a half hour job. They make the 17" stock rims out to be premium rims when I'd much rather work with them then the 15" steel mud terrains on my jeep.

Just curious if this is normal pricing. I'm used to paying 50 bucks for a rotation and balance so 140 sounds a bit much.

Also do you guys really bother?? I have 10k miles on falken ZE512 (which I really like but will probably upgrade when its time). Outside edges are just a little worn from taking turns aggressively. If I keep on w/o rotating I probably only have another 10k miles on the set. If I rotate maybe 15k miles. So I'm wondering if 140 bucks is even worth trying to get another 5k miles. Bottom line is the edges of the tire are gonna wear when I drive aggressively right?

Do you guys get like a lifetime balance and rotation package when you buy new tires? Wonder if it is something where I just need to pay another 100 bucks when I get new tires to be able to rotate them for free every 5k miles.

Would appreciate any wisdom...

Rob

 

that is high just for a rotation. a lot of places will do it cheap or sometimes even free with the intent of you coming back to buy tires from them.

that being said, I can't rotate my tires, so I wouldn't know. used to be about 30-50$ on the honda though.

 

You cant rotate directional tires, plus the tire sizes differ from front to rear unless you put same size tires on it when you replaced the OEM ones. So maybe that price includes dismounting/flipping and re-balancing the tire so it can be swapped over to the opposite side to even out the wear in that case I can see someone charging $120 for labor, since its basically like dismounting & mounting new tires.

 

Are you talking the tires off the wheels, swapping, balancing?

$120.

 

Aren't they uni-directional ? meaning that you can't even take them off the rim and flip them ?

All I know is that they are a Staggared set up so rotation is not even an option.
You just need to keep the car aligned well.

 

Wow.... I expected better answers. For a uni-directional staggered setup, you take your left tire and move it to the right side (front to front rear to rear). The tire still rotates in the same direction, but now what used to be the outside of the tire is on the inside of the car, which requires you to unmount the tire and flip it.

When I was doing my undergrad I did a stint at walmart and worked in the tire lube express since I have lots of mechanical experience (parents were jet engine mechanics in air force). This job with power tools, a lift, and tire mount and balance machine is a half hour job. The tires are light and not overly low profile (stock 17" OEM tire setup). I could do the job in 15 minutes if I wanted to rush, and would average 30 minutes (because who wants to kill themselves for 8 bucks an hour).

That means the slowest tech in the world should be able to do it in under an hour. $140 an hour labor seems pretty f'in expensive to me. I just want typical shop rate of 60-90 bucks an hour (indy shop rate not stealership). It's a shame that I can't just toss them 50 bucks and use their machine and lifts and do the crap myself. And yes a normal rotation is just 50 bucks, but that is what I do myself on my Jeep with a simple X rotation. This is more complex but not 3 times more complex, and 50 bucks for a simple rotation is pretty expensive too. I've seen places charge 6 bucks a tire.

As far as people doing it for free *shrug*, that's why I asked my other questions. I wonder if its something where I should just purchase a 'lifetime rotation and balance' package when I buy the tires. I suppose I could always go slower in the corners, or eat the 140 bucks, but I'm not a fan of either..........

 

I wouldn't even bother rotating unis. They don't last that long and the bother and cost far outweighs anything that you might gain. Keep 'em balanced and aligned and you should be fine.

 

i'm a assistant service manager at a lexus dealership and we charge $42.50 to rotate and $55 to rotate and balance. $140 is ****in' crazy.

 

He's not talking straight rotate. He's talking unidirectional rotate. Unmount, remount.

 

There are places that will offer "lifetime" rotation and balancing. I'm going to have my local Discount Tire put new tires on my Explorer for that reason. I can do it myself, but I'm lazy.

However, there is no way they will do an Unmount-remount rotation for free. They will charge for that. I'm going to be calling a local shop here that I've used to do wheels/tires/alignment on some of my other cars. My guess is $75 to $100.

 

Wow Mr. Know-it-all.

 

basically you are paying to a 4 tire mount. most places charge 15-25 dollars per tire depending on aspect ratio. check tirerack.com for their recommended installers to get that price quote for local shops.

i payed 19$ per tire so ~85 out the door.

 

It's f'in rotating the tires..... I didn't ask how to swap the VQ out for a jet engine.....

IDK for some reason when I say unidirectional tires on a Z people who own the car should know what I'm talking about, and especially a professional shop. I shouldn't have to explain what that is, its not like the Z's setup is exotic or anything. You see it on many many sportscars.

Sigh

I'm gonna check out tirerack though. Maybe even check out the stealership, but I doubt they will charge less

 

30 bucks for two including tip....!!!hahah

 

List prices, around here at least, are $9 dismount, $9 remount, $19 balance, $2 for weights. Multiply that by 4 and $120 seems pretty reasonable. If you are a past customer of theirs or negotiate, since all tire places will negotiate if you ask them or threaten to walk away, you should be able to get it done for ~100 bucks. Just tell them $25 per wheel all-inclusive.

 

Carlitos Tires (recommended by several Orlando forum members) has quoted me 60 bucks total over the phone. Gonna swing by on my lunch and see if that is legit. Will post up if that is the case.

 

I was thinking the same thing.

sorry man, with all due respect, you've obviously worked in the industry and you came here asking questions you already knew the answer to.

what exactly were you looking for ? ... were you looking for someone who has had similar quotes or paid similar prices for a similar service?

 

I worked at walmart.....that's not the industry. And I wouldn't trust my vehicle at walmart, and they won't dismount remount used tires so their prices are irrevelant.

Hence my question.....

What is the price paid by someone with a directional setup to rotate, or what is the fair price charged by someone truly in the business (not walmart and not the stealership).

Sorry if I hurt people's feelings because I thought they should understand the difference between rotating a honda's tires (or in my case a jeep cherokee) and a staggerred uni-directional setup before posting a response.

Ideally I was looking for a tech who actually does the work and knows that it is a half hour job and what a reasonable price would be based off of that.

 

Well, I'm not the tech, but I've talked to him and tipped him for not scuffing my wheels. I have tires changed often enough that I figured some face:face time, as well as some dough, would go a long way with taking care of my wheels. He usually says "be done in an hour" for all 4, and he has delivered on that before. Like you said, if they aren't super low-profile or oversized for the wheel, an hour max for 4 dismount, 4 remount, and 4 balancing seems logical.

This is at Skip's Tire and Auto Center - they are widely known in CA and maybe further. It is not a Mom/Pop store. They don't post their prices on the wall, but I think I've negotiated to the bottom of the barrel as each time I go in there I have to explain that I'm a frequent customer to the new cashier and show them my last invoice so they can punch in the right pricing. I pay $6 dismount, $6 remount, and $12 for balance and weights, or about 100 bucks for a full dismount/remount/balance.

 

you keep saying a tech that knows its a 30 min job. you know what a reasonable price for 30 mins of labor is.

the reality is you don't get to set the time limit, how fast they work or what their hourly rate is. shop around, you're not going to find an answer here and go back and bargain with them, most likely.

you aren't hurting anyones feelings.