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ERIE (Erie News Now) – Winter may be on the way, but those winter tires are not.
Like many other industries, tire companies are feeling that pandemic pinch.
Here locally, Marty Kerr, owner of Kerr’s Tire Korner on East 10th Street told Erie News Now that availability on some winter tire sizes is tough, especially the 18 and 19 inch tires.
“We already got most of our shipment in and we have been informed this might be all we get,” Kerr said.
He said aside from just a supply shortage, people can see these tires going up in price between 10 and 25 percent from last year
“We’ve seen price increases like I’ve never seen before,” Kerr said. Basically I am paying now for the tires what I sold them for last year. It’s gone up that much and seems like every week we’re seeing an increase in them.”
He said the reason is tires are made out of bi-products of crude oil, so when you see gas prices going up, you can expect to see tire prices going up too.
Even though snow might not be top of mind, Kerr said people should start shopping for the best deals on tires, even if they don’t put them on yet.
He said people may even want to consider putting the snow tires on a lay-away program like what they offer at Kerr’s Tire Korner.
“All you gotta do is come in, put 10% down that way it freezes the price, freezes the tires for you,” Kerr said. “A month from now the same tire can cost you another 5, 10, 15 dollars for the same exact tire you have.”
Or the tire you need could just not be there at all which is not a good scenario in the midst of a snowy winter in our region.
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