Do you know what the Canadian tire installation cost is or what are the Canadian Tires and wheels packages? Well, you are at the perfect place to find the answer to such a question.
Canadian Tire is more than just a tire company and since its 1922 founding, they’ve morphed into a hardware, sports, and home decor retailer as well. At their core, they are still a tire store, but what do they charge for their tire services, especially installation?
At Canadian Tire, Installation costs per tire can range from $13 and $45 per tire. The disparity is due to different tire sizes, with much larger tires commanding a premium price. Winter tires can make a difference too, especially the larger ones.
Another reason for the large disparity in pricing is that it goes well beyond just winter tires. The amount you pay is based on the tire and Canadian Tire sells All-Season Tires, Winter Tires, Performance Tires, and All-Terrain Tires.
Table of Contents
Canadian Tire Charges for Mount, Balance, and Installation
The typical cost for mounting a brand new set of tires, installing, and balancing them is $20 to $30 per wheel. Once again, it’s entirely dependent on what kind of tires they are and what size they are.
Canadian Tire recommends that you get all of your tires balanced at least once per year and the cost for just the balance is anywhere between $8 and $12 per tire. Tires that aren’t properly balanced cost drivers in fuel consumption and can lead to uneven tread wear over time.
Uneven tread wear, if it gets bad enough, will eventually lead to a blowout but there will be signs and symptoms well before you reach that point, such as vibration at higher speeds.
Compared to their competition, Canadian Tires sits in the higher range for service costs, with Kal Tire, 1010Tires, and SimplyTire overtaking them for the most costly balance and mounting services across the industry.
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Changing Tires That are already Mounted
Tires that are already mounted on a wheel are going to cost less when it comes to balancing and rotation.
The average cost for changing tires that are already mounted, including a balance, is $75, which comes to $18.75 per tire.
CAA Mobile, SimplyTire, and BMW Dealerships have higher costs than Canadian Tire for this service, but it’s not by much.
What are the Factors that Affect the Overall Cost?
There are several things that go into the cost of tire services, so you will never get a ‘one price fits all’ answer.
- Appointments actually cost more than waiting in line
- What season you are purchasing or servicing tires in
- Type of mechanics and their experience and charge rates per hour
- Size of the vehicle and the tires that go on it
Setting an appointment to have your tires serviced or so you can purchase new ones will generally come with a stiffer price tag. It’s like a service fee for getting to avoid the lines and the wait times.
However, if you have plenty of patience, going and getting in line will often save you some change. It’s not a substantial difference but when it comes to tires, costs can add up rather quickly, especially if you are getting all four of them serviced or purchasing a set of four new tires.
Like everything we purchase, seasons have a direct effect on the cost. If you want winter tires and show up at Canadian Tire in February, you’re going to pay a premium on four brand-new winter tires. If you go during the spring and grab four, you will pay a vastly reduced cost.
The savings are great when tire stores are trying to get rid of their winter inventory to make room for summer season tires. You will also find that not all Canadian Tire retailers are the same, in terms of price, across Canada.
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Location often determines the hourly charge rate as the mechanics who are going to work on the vehicle in a big city usually have a higher cost of living and are less experienced because of attrition. Outside of the big cities, mechanics usually stay longer and command a lower price point.
Last but not least, the size of your car matters as well. It’s not because the mechanic has to lift or roll a larger tire that you get charged more. It’s simply that more material means a higher cost.
Most tire services are automated anyway, with both mounting and unmounting taking place on a machine.
Even the balancing portion is mostly automated. You’re simply paying because there is more rubber material in your big truck tires than you will find on tires for a Honda CR-V.
Canadian Tires has a Number of Packages
Another reason that it’s difficult to tabulate a singular cost is that there are so many packages, all with their own price tags. Canadian Tire is just like many other tire retailers in that they offer several packages, each with different tires, wheels, and ratings for those tires that affect the overall cost.
- Winter Tires
- All Season Tires
- Performance Tires
- All Terrain Tires
Winter Tires
Everyone who lives in Canada should have winter tires along with their all-terrain/performance/All-Season tires.
Winter tires are entirely designed for driving over icy conditions while giving you the best traction and grip that technology can provide.
Will winter tires keep you on the road if you hit black ice? Sadly, no tire can do that but what they will do, is reestablish grip much quicker than other tire categories as soon as the black ice is behind you.
Other tires might keep sliding if there is snow and ice on the road, even after it comes off black ice. Winter tires have special ingredients that go into the rubber. As the temperature outside drops, the molecules adjust in a positive way, especially where traction is concerned.
All Season Tires
All-Season tires may carry the moniker ‘all season’ but that doesn’t mean they are the best tires to drive around during the winter.
In fact, the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada does not recommend them and will not certify them for icy conditions during the winter.
All-season tires are really a jack of all trades master of none for spring, fall, and summer driving.
All Terrain Tires
All-terrain tires lack the sharp cornering grip of all-season tires but they can go places that all-season tires simply can’t go, like off-roading.
Their large tread blocks are designed for better traction in the mud and they work great for deep snow as well. All-Terrain tires should be high on the list of anyone who has a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
Performance Tires
Performance tires have a higher thread count than most and are designed with a wider and grippier surface.
The sidewalls are not as soft as they are in traditional tires and they’re great for cornering in all seasons except for winter.
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Canadian Tire and Wheels Packages within Packages
Once you choose one of the four above-listed groups of tires, Canada Tire takes you into size choice, which is according to what your vehicle’s manual calls for. This is where the price can change exponentially, depending on how big your tire is.
You will notice that grabbing tires for large trucks or SUVs, especially all-terrain options, are far more expensive than the more standard, all-season options for smaller vehicles.
Then, you have to take into account the manufacturer of your tire and if nitrogen is recommended in over-pressurized air.
An initial fill-up with nitrogen will cost around $30 per tire. After the first fill-up, however, it only costs about 6$ per tire. That’s because the first time filling a tire up with nitrogen requires multiple fills.
Multiple nitrogen fills expel all of the remaining oxygen in your tire. Since nitrogen fill-up costs around $6 and you have to do it multiple times on the first go-round, it’s simply more expensive.
Once you go with your tire size, you’ll get a list of all of the tires available in the chosen category and size.
The brand has a lot to do with the price differences here, as big-name tire manufacturers are almost always going to cost more than the ones that you’ve never heard of.
Overview of the Ratings and Checking Out
Once you’ve made all of the pertinent selections, you will see the overall ratings for the tire, represented in four categories that include Dry, Wet, Fuel Economy, and Confort ratings.
Of course, the higher-rated tires are generally going to call for a premium price but that’s not always the case.
Either way, you can either call Canadian Tire from this point or just show up at your local Canadian Tire and wait your turn.
If you are in the market for new tires, it’s always best to call ahead and make sure that they either stock your tires or can order some for your appointment.
All Things Considered
Getting tires installed at a Canadian Tire retailer, it’s going to cost anywhere between $13 and $45, depending on many of the factors mentioned above.
Canadian Tire generally charges more than the competition, though there are several competitors out there with much higher prices.
However, Canadian Tire is also a lot more than just a tire retailer, so you can spend some time shopping while your new tires are being installed.
References
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/automotive/tires-wheels/tires-wheels-packages.html
https://cansumer.ca/change-winter-tires-cost/
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