Buy Tires in DR or US?

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AlterEgo

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In a couple of weeks, we're shipping a Toyota Venza down to DR. The tires are actually in pretty good shape, about 30,000 miles on them, but one of them has a couple of plugs/patches.

We're debating between bringing it down as is, and later going to Pricesmart for new tires, or getting a new set here before shipping. Here we'd have a better selection of brands [we think!] and probably a better price, but we don't actually need them yet. Plus he's thinking a nice shiny new set of tires might be tempting in customs.

Venza's have big tires - 19/20", maybe hard to find there?

Thoughts/opinions from anyone who has bought tires in DR?????
 

the gorgon

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In a couple of weeks, we're shipping a Toyota Venza down to DR. The tires are actually in pretty good shape, about 30,000 miles on them, but one of them has a couple of plugs/patches.

We're debating between bringing it down as is, and later going to Pricesmart for new tires, or getting a new set here before shipping. Here we'd have a better selection of brands [we think!] and probably a better price, but we don't actually need them yet. Plus he's thinking a nice shiny new set of tires might be tempting in customs.

Venza's have big tires - 19/20", maybe hard to find there?

Thoughts/opinions from anyone who has bought tires in DR?????

a tire with plugs and patches is not exactly a good tire, regardless of how many miles are on it. the plugs change the weight of the tire at the spot where it is, and creates balance problems. not good.

buy the tires in the USA. get a good deal on reputable brands from some outfit like Tire Rack. you don't want to come to the DR, and find yourself stuck with buying some unknown Chinese crap.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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years ago we bought bridgestone tires for montero and they were about 30k for a set of 4, smaller than yours, thou. later on tires in the jeep were changed on business tap so no idea of the price but they were always bridgestone as well.
if you have doubts buy a new set in the states and drive over roadkill carcass or something, maybe they will look less desirable ;)
 

arturo

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Mar 14, 2002
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tire decision

Buy new tires up north, put them on the car, and ship the 4 old ones with the car. If you have storage, you can keep them until the roads eat up your new tires. If you don't have storage room, you can sell them for close to what you will pay for new tires up north. That is what I would do.


In a couple of weeks, we're shipping a Toyota Venza down to DR. The tires are actually in pretty good shape, about 30,000 miles on them, but one of them has a couple of plugs/patches.

We're debating between bringing it down as is, and later going to Pricesmart for new tires, or getting a new set here before shipping. Here we'd have a better selection of brands [we think!] and probably a better price, but we don't actually need them yet. Plus he's thinking a nice shiny new set of tires might be tempting in customs.

Venza's have big tires - 19/20", maybe hard to find there?

Thoughts/opinions from anyone who has bought tires in DR?????
 

Smart

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Jun 16, 2012
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Personally I'd wait till you get here if you don't need them yet. Tyres can be found cheap here and it is only using money that you needn't just yet, better in your bank than there's. The amount of potholes you're going to hit over here gives rims and tyres a good going over and it's inevitable your gunna hit a few now and then. So I'd wait and get value for money.

On the flip side if you have plugs in them then that may cause an issue, more so here than where you're coming from. Plugs are almost certainly made from a different density than the tyre rubber. The DR is very hot, besides that friction creates heat anyway, the combo of the weather here and the friction means your tyre get very hot. The heat causes the rubbers to expand at different rate, being different compounds and so you may end up needing to top up your tyres to accommodate a slow puncture. If they are just patches then there is not much issue.
My 2pence!
 
Aug 6, 2006
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If you do not drive a lot, water tends to enter where the plug is and then it rusts the steel belt. Then the tread comes off. I have had thus happen once.
 

Hernandez

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Feb 9, 2009
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If we are talking about top?brand tires like Bridgestone, Michelin, etc, let's say that for the same tire that costs $170 in US you'll pay $250 in DR. If you want to buy some cheap?brand tires, you can find tons of them in Villa Juana in Santo Domingo.
 

Smart

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Can't think of a reason people would buy branded tyres for the driving we do here, I doubt any of the manufacturers test here or develope specific for the conditions here, being broken up inconsistent very hot, often wet dirty and pot filled often gravelly roads. Yes they test for many of the individual conditions but here on a 1 mile run you are likely to travel through all bar snow and icy conditions. This place wrecks branded tyres as quickly as none branded more or less and to me driving here is not a place where the massive extra initial cost turns out more economical in the long term. IMO
 

Hernandez

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Feb 9, 2009
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Can't think of a reason people would buy branded tyres for the driving we do here......
For some tire sizes here you are limited to choose from one or two options only.... I am looking for 245/65R17 tires for my wife's SUV now, I want to buy A/T tires, the only available A/T is BF Goodrich for crazy $260 per tire ($170 for the same tire in US). They had Pirelli A/T before but now they don't have it here... maybe I should go to Villa Juana? Another option is Michelin all–season highway tires for 33600 pesos for 4 tires. But I like A/T tires, those highway tires look so gay :).

Three years ago when I was buying 35x12.5 R15 tires for my truck, none of the brand stores here had them in A/T, only mud terrain. Finally I went to Villa Juana, spent full day there, nobody had what I needed except one guy who said that he can bring four Hercules Terra Trac tires of this size from La Vega for 10000 pesos per tire, I said ok, he brought the tires to SD and I bought them, good tires, no problems at all.
 

Smart

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I've never paid more than RD10,000 for all four, lol. Right now I have a small city Toyota, it's 4 years old and I just bought new fronts for RD4000 for both down on Duerte.
It's the most economical car I've ever had, RD2000 to fill the tank from reserve and lasts me a month, and I drive about 2 1/2 hours a day (not strictly true, I sit in rush hour traffic for an hour and a half of those 2 1/2 hours, lol), and at weekends much much more. It's the fastest thing away from the lights, and I can park almost anywhere. Perfect for the city and wallet!
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Tires here are inferior to the US ones.... nowhere near the quality.
I'm just about to call Tire Rack and ship for both cars.

Tires are an important consideration for a car.

You'll get better tires, for less money from the US.
Not sure of the mudanza price, but I see tires all the time at Awilda.

My Jeep 's tires were bought here and almost ready for new -- 25,000 miles.
The roads here are tough on tires....
More reason to get the better tires ( IMO )
 

AlterEgo

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Sounds like we should buy a set of good tires here, especially because of the size [P245/55R19 103S], even here not available everywhere.

As far as shipping the old tires with the car, absolutely nothing can be inside a car when you ship it to DR [according to our shipper].
 

the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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Sounds like we should buy a set of good tires here, especially because of the size [P245/55R19 103S], even here not available everywhere.

As far as shipping the old tires with the car, absolutely nothing can be inside a car when you ship it to DR [according to our shipper].

nothing but the stuff which comes with a car , such as spare and tools.
 

popvisitor.

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Nov 14, 2013
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Just a thought, but for the terrain and roads of the republic I would purchase light truck/delivery tires for my car before shipping. They will ride just a tiny bit stiffer but their 6-8 ply build will give you much better endurance, reliabilityas to blowout protection and sidewall cuts, maybe even slightly better mileage
 

william webster

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and don't be afraid of brands like 'Hankook'... excellent tires , much favored by the performance crowd.
The Italian performance crowd, if you get my drift

Excellent tires
 
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