The tires on my truck are 21 years old. There is good tread left, but there are small cracks on the side and in the tread area. I don't drive the truck much. I had a low tire this morning and the tire shop I went to refused to repair the tire. He gave me a huge price quote for new tires and a front end alignment.
Any recommendations for good tire shops?
They gave you the correct advice. Those tires are far too old and very dangerous. There is no point in putting on new tires without checking wheel alignment. That will cause your expensive tires to wear out prematurely.
Good quality tires with installation and alignment are expensive. Cheap tires are also the most expensive. So check prices of comparable tires from different dealers.
The only outfit, I would avoid for sure is Discount Tire. They run up bills repeatedly and get into unnecessary work. They also do flat plug tire repairs free, to make people think they are good guys and return. Those repairs should not be allowed and are very dangerous.
In general I find the independent dealers tend to be the most honest and reliable. Even if it is a Goodyear dealer for instance, it still may be locally owned and run as a franchise.
I use a locally owned Goodyear dealer, and they are honest and fair, but not cheap. Tires are a very important part of the vehicle. The last thing you need are poor quality tires sloppily installed.
What tire is best for you very much depends on where you live and the climatic conditions. For instance in climates not prone to snow and ice, you can install harder longer life tires. If you are in the frozen North that is not such a good idea and a good all weather radial a safer option.
Depending on the vehicle a new set of quality tires with alignment and adjustment as required, is going to run you $600.00 to $800.00 for high quality tires.
Lastly if you are going to part with that vehicle soon, then cheaper tires are a reasonable option. For a vehicle in regular use, cheap tires are the expensive option.
