used tires.. worth it or not?
 

Ive been combing CL and the forums for a while for a set of used 33s (Nitto trail grapplers) . So far, everything ive found on CL has been way over stated in terms of wear. Apparently "Like new" can also mean "Like crap". Whats the verdict out there. Anyone ever found a smoking deal on used that wasnt beat to hell? Its so tempting to pay 1/3 the price of new, but seems like in the end, its not worth it.

My thought is I wouldn't buy my self a used condom, why get some used rubber for the jeep. All kidding aside, you don't know how they were used. It's hard to see flat spots or problems such as cupping or strange wear. I always buy new.

I just got a used set of 35"s from a shop. The guy went up to 20"s. I took a tread depth gauge with me and they measure 20/32 which is new. They were a few weeks old and i got them at a great price. Just check for dry rot and production date. It is the last 4 digits of the DOT number. In the last set of 4 numbers, the first 2 is the week of the year and the second 2 numbers is the year. (0312 would be the 3rd week of 2012). You want pretty recent tires. That way you know how old they really are.

I've traded two sets of 33's with less than 7000 miles on them that were in great shape. They would be a great tire for somebody if they could be bought at the right price. The first set, Hercules Trail Diggers, I traded off because I wanted a 3 ply side wall, and the second set, Cooper STT's, because I wanted to go to a 35" after installing a taller lift. If they would offer you a guaranty of some sort it might be worth a try.

buying used tires is the most by far the stupidest act any man can do. As explained above about ware and cupping this common sense think about that. Save your money invest in 5 new tires of your choice.


NOT WORTH IT!

If you're looking for a very specific tire in a specific size, then buying used will be even more difficult to find a good sale. The target seller you should look for is someone who bought but then didn't like. For my previous Jeep, I scored 3 sets of tires that way and I only targeted a certain size tire not certain brand. All of those purchases were via ebay. A buddy of mine scored a set of Toyo MTs on CL in the same. Seller bought 33s then decided he wanted 35s and my buddy was looking for 33s and didn't care which brand. Got them for half price. Finding deals though will take some time, so if you need tires like NOW, buy new.

Got 5 used toyo's with 2k miles on them and no tread depth loss for a substantial discount off craigslist. Guy bought them without realizing they were too big for his G wagon. Got 10k on them now and no problems.

Unless they are almost new or I didn't have the cash I would buy new. I did buy a used set of BFG T/A 33" once and had good luck with them.

Buying used tires is like buying any other part for your Jeep used. It can be done and it can be done well you just have to be patient.

I got 4 315 duratracs used with 5k on them. 2 were slightly chopped. But I threw those on the back and don't notice. got a spare bfg at 315 for free off c-list. Oh yea I paid 600 for my duratracs. Be smart about it.