Michelin Tires at Costco [Are They Good? Cheaper?]

Costco is probably better known for its chain of retail stores than for tires. But the fact is that the Costco Tire Center offers great deals in buying tires, such as tire installation, maintenance, and warranties.

They offer a wide range of tires from the top manufacturers, such as Michelin, at discount prices. But are Michelin Tires at Costco of good value and quality, or are they as cheap as they cost?

You can save around $70 to $80 when you buy a set of tires from Costco. An offer on Michelin tires, plus an installation fee, can save you $110. This is almost twice the basic cost of a Costco membership saved in a single purchase.

Read on to learn more about Michelin Tires at Costco. Are Costco tires good? Are Costco tires cheaper than others?

Costco tires are relatively cheaper than tires from other shops. Buying a set of tires from Costco can save you around $70 to $80. Costco offers a promo on Michelin tires to save roughly $110.

Costco Tire Center generally offers an outstanding tire shopping experience. That’s because Costco offers several services to go along with your tire purchase. Here are the five main reasons why customers enjoy shopping for tires at Costco:

Competitive Pricing
Easy Tire Appointment Scheduling
Outstanding Tire Installation
Five-Year Road Hazard Warranty
Free Lifetime Maintenance Services

Let’s briefly discuss each item:

1. Competitive Pricing

Costco doesn’t necessarily offer the lowest prices on its tires. But the pricing is still competitive and reasonable enough to keep customers satisfied. Costco offers discount prices ranging from $70 to $80 off on selected tire brands at different times of the year.

These brands include the following:

BF Goodrich,
Bridgestone, and
Michelin.

Best of all, they only charge 1 penny per tire on installations, saving you an additional $60. That’s a great value right off the bat.

2. Easy Tire Appointment Scheduling

You can do it either at the warehouse or online if you’re scheduling a tire appointment. The great thing about scheduling an appointment at Costco is that you can get to do your shopping while the technicians work on your tires.

3. Outstanding Tire Installation

While most garages will use compressed air to inflate your tires when installing them, Costco instead uses nitrogen. This is because nitrogen retains tire pressure over time better than compressed air. This positively impacts the life of your tires, as well as your car’s fuel economy.

Additionally, Costco will install new rubber valve stems when servicing your tires. The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) valve stems and accessories are available for an added fee.

4. Five-Year Road Hazard Warranty

Costco continues to take your tires well after you’ve had them installed via their five-year Road Hazard Warranty. This will guarantee that they will repair or replace your tires should they get damaged during a typical legal vehicle operation.

Naturally, you will be required to present your original receipt. Also, you have to keep up to date with standard maintenance, including balancing, rotations, and others.

Failing to do so would void your warranty. Nonetheless, you are assured that your tires, as well as your wallet, are protected from tire failure and tread wear damage.

5. Free Lifetime Maintenance Services

When you buy your tires and get them installed at a Costco Tire Center, they’ll also throw in free maintenance services, including:

Tire rotations,
Flat repairs,
Lifetime inflation pressure checks, and
Lifetime tire balancing.

Take note, though, that Costco does not do alignments when you buy new tires.

How to Shop for Michelin Tires at Costco

Visit the Costco Website

Visit the Costco website and click on the “Tires” link. You will be sent to a page where you can search for tires by vehicle, license plate, size, or item number. After filling in the required fields, click on “Find Tires.”

Select Your Tires Based on Driving Needs

Select your tires based on your driving needs and the rim size.

Schedule Installation Appointment

Schedule your installation appointment at the Costco Tire Center of your choice. Costco offers free shipping and will deliver your Michelin tires free of charge.

Shop by Brand

You can also shop by brand by pointing your browser to “Shop” and clicking “Tires & Auto” to be sent to the corresponding page. Click on the “Michelin” banner to get to the Michelin Tires section.

Again, are Michelin tires at Costco the same quality? Michelin or Pirelli tires from Costco and Walmart have the same quality and performance as those available in dealerships.

Are Costco Tires Cheaper?

There are certainly a lot of advantages in shopping for tires at Costco, not the least of which is their discounted prices. But compared to the price of tires in other outlets, are Costco tires cheaper?

To find out how much lower Michelin tire prices at Costco are, let’s use the Michelin Defender LTX as an example.

After putting the specs of my vehicle at Costco.com, a set of four Michelin Defender LTX tires will cost $186.49 each. Include an additional installation fee of $15 per tire, plus a service fee of $2.99 per tire, and it all adds up to $817.92 before tax.

Now, let’s compare the Michelin tire prices at Costco to those from other dealers:

Michelin Tires Prices at Costco Vs America’s Tire

Four new Michelin Defender LTX tires bought from America’s Tire would cost you $816, which is just $1.92 less than Costco. But add in an $80 installation fee and a disposal fee of $10; you get a total of $906.

As a bonus, though, America’s Tire offers lifetime tire service, including free rotations and flat repair for the duration of your tire’s lifespan.

Michelin Costco Tires Vs Michelin Big O Tires

Over at Big O Tires, you can get a set of Michelin Defender LTX tires for $965. That’s $65 more than America’s Tires and a whopping $147 more than Costco.

Costco Michelin Tires Vs Walmart Michelin Tires

Finally, at Walmart, Michelin Defender LTX tires are sold for $203.99 per tire. Factor in the basic installation fee of $15 per tire, and you spend $875.96 minus tax. It is less expensive than at Big O Tires. But it is still more expensive than the tires at Costco, which are cheaper by $58.

How to Get More Discounts for Costco Michelin Tires

Use Costco’s Coupons

As we have seen, Costco Michelin tire prices easily beat those sold in other retail outlets. But you may be pleased to know that you can get an even lower price on Costco Michelin tires. This is by using one of their current coupons, which would get you a discount on a set of four new tires.

Avoid Being a Brand-specific Shopper

When you’re out shopping for tires, it helps not to be a brand-specific shopper. It is advisable to maximize your savings by taking advantage of any coupon.

That being said, Costco often offers great tire coupons for brands such as:

Michelin,
Bridgestone,
BF Goodrich, and
Goodyear.

Be a Costco Member

Of course, you will need to be a Costco member to qualify for their deals on Costco Michelin tires.

Michelin X Tour A/S T+H – A Costco Exclusive

Another good reason to shop for Michelin tires at Costco is that they have a Michelin tire that you won’t be able to find at any other retailer. This is the Costco-exclusive Michelin X Tour A/S T+H.

Although the Michelin X Tour A/S T+H is a Costco-exclusive, that doesn’t mean that the tire was developed specifically for them. The X Tour A/S was designed as an all-season touring tire.

Since Michelin’s lineup already had a dozen passenger car tires, they decided to mimic the design of other products rather than spend time and money developing a new one.

Very Similar to Defender T+H

To be precise, it is very similar to their own Defender T+H. One may even say that it is practically the same tire but under another name.

Among the Most Accomplished Products in the All-season Touring Tire Category

Nevertheless, the Michelin X Tour A/S T+H is among their most accomplished products in the all-season touring tire category. It comes in a range of popular sizes, from 15 to 17-inch wheel diameter.

Available Dimensions for Compact Cars

These are suitable dimensions for compact cars such as Corolla and Civic, minivans, mid-size sedans, coupes, and crossovers. Other X Tour A/S sizes include a smaller 14-inch wheel diameter and a larger 18-inch wheel diameter.

Let’s briefly talk about its features, maintenance indicators, and performance:

Features

Michelin X Tour A/S T+H is designed to provide long tread life, a smooth and quiet riding experience, and safe driving all-season long.

Utilizing an all-season tread compound, the X Tour A/S promises improved treadwear characteristics and increased longevity compared to previous generations.

The rubber tread compound also contains a high-silica content that helps to improve traction on wet surfaces. Also, it is molded in an asymmetric tread design to reduce road noise and improve riding quality.

Maintenance Indicators

Michelin X Tour A/S T+H utilizes a regular tread wear indicator (TWI) which enables you to monitor how much tread your tire has left easily. This is important because it will not dispel water on wet surfaces if your tire doesn’t have enough tread depth.

It also won’t be able to provide usable traction when on snow. The TWI will allow you to monitor whether or not your tire has sufficient tread left.

Performance

As a standard all-season touring tire, Michelin X Tour A/S T+H is not designed for fast driving. That said, it has superior handling and cornering characteristics, excellent traction, and short braking distances and is very responsive as far as comfort-oriented tires go.

The X Tour A/S delivers outstanding performance on dry and wet, slippery, and snowy roads.

Frequently Asked Questions – Costco Michelin Tires

Here are several frequently asked questions that will help you decide if the Costco Michelin tires are for you:

Do Michelin Costco Tires Have the Same Quality?

Michelin Costco tires, including the Michelin X Tour A/S, have the same quality as the tires manufactured by the brand for other retailers. Costco’s X Tour A/S T+H tires share the same quality as the Defender T+H.

Do You Have to Be a Costco Member to Buy Tires?

Costco does not perform services on tires bought by non-members. They will only install tires that are authorized for a particular vehicle.

What Are the Benefits of Buying Tires at Costco?

Costco members enjoy lifetime services such as tire rotations, tire balancing, inflation pressure checks, and flat repairs.

How Much Does a Tire Rotation at Costco Cost?

Costco offers tire rotation service, along with tire balancing and nitrogen inflation, at about $21.99 for the whole vehicle. You need to be a Costco member and book an appointment to get this service.

How Much Does It Cost to Change Costco Winter Tires?

Whether you’re changing Costco winter tires or regular tires, the installation fee is $19.99 per tire. Remember, Costco will only install tires bought from them. Costco also offers a 5-year tire warranty when you buy from them.

Conclusion – Michelin Tires at Costco [Are They Good? Cheaper?]

You can save roughly $70 to $80 when you buy a set of tires from Costco. Costco’s offer on Michelin tires can save you $110, including the installation fee. This is almost twice the basic cost of a Costco membership saved in a single purchase.

Costco Michelin tire prices are much lower than other tire distributors, but that does not reflect the quality of the tires themselves. As one of the top tire manufacturers globally, Michelin knows how to produce top-of-the-line products even at minimal costs.

Also, as one of the largest retail chains in the world, Costco provides quality service that is worth way more than what its customers pay for. In their experience, reduced prices translate into maximized customer satisfaction.