Are Discount Tire certificates worth it?

[807adventures]

I am always curious if the certificates for tires are worth it. I need a new set of tires and its $80 per tire. Anyone have any experience either way? Thanks.

 

[trail_runn4r]

I guess it depends on the tire brand/model you are choosing and how much is it. $80 per tire seems a bit too high assuming a $200-$250 cost for a single tire, imho.

 

[807adventures]

I guess it depends on the tire brand/model you are choosing and how much is it. $80 per tire seems a bit too high assuming a $200-$250 cost for a single tire, imho.

I am getting BF KO2's. They are $420 each in my area.

 

[trail_runn4r]

I am getting BF KO2's. They are $420 each in my area.

KO2's seem like a very reliable tire and also have a 50,000-mile manufacturer's warranty. If it was me I would probably skip the certificates.

 

[AggieOE]

Based on what I just checked on at Discount Tire, it's ~20% of the tire cost.

I think this is always the grand ol' question, is "insurance" worth it. No when you don't need it, Yes when you do.
We really need a large set of data points of those people who used the Certs and those who replaced the tires due to age without ever using the Certs. Maybe there is a clever polling way to do this on the forum.
I used them a LOT in high school when I was one of those kids running rubber band tires on a car. On the Jeep and 4Runner over the last 6 years, I haven't needed to use a cert yet on 4 sets of tires.

 

[KonzaLander]

I used Discount Tire certificates this weekend on my 2016 Land Cruiser.

Two tires with punctures (nail near the side wall in one and a staple in another). Discount refused to repair either tire stating the nail is too close to the side wall and the staple punctures were closer than 1" from each other. They ordered replacements and installed the two new tires for $0. This was the first vehicle I ever bought any sort of hazard insurance for and it just paid for itself.

 

[Anak]

The tire certs are a form of insurance.

All insurance follows the same rule: The house always wins.

Think about it. That is the only way the business model can work.

It is up to you if you want to play the game.

 

[TheBison]

I've used the certificates repeatedly over the years - a simple nail or cut in a sidewall can ruin any tire no matter how good it is. I've had them replace BFG KO's (both AT and MT), Goodyear Duratracs, Falken MT's...

 

[AggieOE]

The tire certs are a form of insurance.

All insurance follows the same rule: The house always wins.

Think about it. That is the only way the business model can work.

It is up to you if you want to play the game.

This is how I usually think about it. However! I do wonder if we fall in a market niche where it's in our best interest as compared to other subscribers. In other words, Most vehicles drive to work, the grocery store, and back home. Since our vehicles spend more time than others covering long distances off-road and in remote areas, maybe this group would be where the insurance companies technically lose money on the warranties. Again though, I haven't needed a warranty replaced tire in the last ten years. **knocks on wood** lol