SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Car prices continue to rise in our supply-choked, high demand market. Shoppers may now also have to spend more than they would like on new tires.
ABC4 spoke with Nate Nickel, a manager at Big O Tires in Cottonwood Heights, UT.
Nickel says that tire prices have gone up “like everything else” in our current consumer market. He says that a mix of high inflation rates and supply chain issues are most likely to blame for the price increase.
Nickel says that consumers will find that a tire that “used to cost $200 now costs $300.” Furthermore, budget tires from over seas are simply not available to consumers right now, according to Nickel.
He continues that even worse, specialty sizes and types of tires are much harder to get, driving up prices even more.
High tire prices might have a uniquely big impact on Utahns who use different sets of tires for different seasons.
Nickel comments that while he and others “can’t sell tires they don’t have,” the problem is mostly on the consumer side of the transactions. Tires are often non-negotiable spending, and present a safety hazard for those who might delay buying new tires.
In any case, Nickel says that he doesn’t recommend that consumers wait to buy tires at a time when their prices are lower. “I don’t see prices going down,” he says.
