[Kaliuzhkin]

Thanks to strong advice from the LT Board, my Elise '06 has two sets of tires.

I just had the friendly neighborhood service station replace the winter snow tires with the summer tires. Cost: $75, all labor. The invoice includes checking the tire pressure, balancing, etc.

I bought the snowtires from them, and my family has been using this service station for at least half a century.

Is this excessive? That means it will cost me $150 a year!

Would I save money buying a set of wheels so I don't have to balance the tires each time?

 

[shadowhusky]

You can usually get a set of base wheels for about $400-$500

 

[Simba]

$75 is average if they did a good job (e.g. didn't scratch up the wheels). Aside from the labor, there's also wheel weights and so forth.

You'll certainly save money having a second set of wheels. It's also easier on the tires as they're not being pulled on/off the wheels every so often.

One thing I would be careful of so far as having the 'friendly neighborhood service station' do them, aside from scratches, is putting the lug bolts in with an impact gun. Very easy way to end up with differing and excessive lug torque. If they take the time to do it with a torque wrench, well, more the better.

 

[Kaliuzhkin]

$75 is average if they did a good job (e.g. didn't scratch up the wheels). Aside from the labor, there's also wheel weights and so forth.

You'll certainly save money having a second set of wheels. It's also easier on the tires as they're not being pulled on/off the wheels every so often.

One thing I would be careful of so far as having the 'friendly neighborhood service station' do them, aside from scratches, is putting the lug bolts in with an impact gun. Very easy way to end up with differing and excessive lug torque. If they take the time to do it with a torque wrench, well, more the better.

Good idea.

Next time, I'll ask them to use a torque wrench. What torque should they use?

 

[Uncle Sam]

It's fairly low torque - 77 ft/lbs I believe. That's why impact guns at around 150 ft/lbs are a bit much on our cars.

 

[RoadDad]

It's fairly low torque - 77 ft/lbs I believe. That's why impact guns at around 150 ft/lbs are a bit much on our cars.

77 ft-lbs is correct.

Most (not all) places use a torque stick, with most (again not all) being at 80 ft-lbs, on the end of their impact wrench when putting wheels back on as most (again not all) cars are around 80 ft-lbs (yes, many are different both higher and lower -- 94 ft-lbs for my wife's minivan for example). No car that I am aware of has 150 ft-lbs torque spec for the wheel bolts, therefore if a mechanic is using a bare impact wrench w/ 150 ft-lbs torque they really have no clue and you should not use their services at all.

To the OP, $75 is about what it costs here to have 4 tires mounted. Stick on weights usually cost more than the clamp on weights which can also account for some of the price.

 

[xtn]

Your summer tires should be bald by the time you need to swap them out in the fall. If they aren't you aren't having enough fun.

xtn