Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives les schwab tires

Guys or Otherwise,
I need tires for a GMC 2500 diesel. My local Les Schwab has beyond awesome customer service, but I know nothing about their tires. Somebody please help an old redneck out here; any comments will be welcome.

I use them up here in north Idaho and I agree they are outstanding. I have their Wild Country Radial XTX Sport tires (LT285/70R17) on my 1999 F150 4X4 and they have been a very good tire. I have ~40k on them and guess there is another 10k to go. Good in snow and dirt with a fair bit of time on rock roads and remain pretty quiet if I stay on my rotation schedule. I am sure this tire has been changed to something else but I recommend them.

I've been running a tire Schwabs calls the Terramax AT. Cheap, but great in snow, fairly quiet. Just went in yesterday to buy another to replace a flat that had been sitting for at least a month. Only to find they discontinued it. Grrr. I still like Schwabs, though.

My buddy ruined a tire last week on his Tundra 4x4, other 3 tires are worn down about 30%, 18" load range E, I don't know the actual size...but anyway he went to Les Schwab, they had a matching new tire, 429 bucks out the door...I think they knew they had him by the balls with a tread match...and squeezed...hard. Around here they are locally owned and just a Schwab franchise, I have heard the Schwab corporate stores are a lot more customer oriented than the franchise stores. They have burned me and the wife 3 times, Costco or Discount Tire for us now.

When old man Schwab died, the new generation chose short term profit over long term customer loyalty. I used to spend over 10K a year there, between the farm vehicles and the semi trucks. They got a new manager after the old man management change, when I took my pickup in for a tire rotation. I asked them to look at the pads while the wheels were off and make sure there was enough left. They handed me a $80 “brake inspection” invoice.

We’ll use them these days, but only when they are the last choice.

3 times? Slow learner but you learned.

I just put a set of their newest Open Range AT Plus on my truck on Friday. Pulled in after work at about 5:15pm and the tires were installed and I was headed home by 5:50pm. You pay a little more at Les Schwab but their service is hard to beat. The fact they have shops all over the West is comforting too if you ever need service while traveling.

I bought a set of tires for my wife's car from Costco last year because their prices were good but it's a PITA getting in to get them rotated as appointments can be a month out. Schwab's always gets me right in and out.

A friend bought a new set of Toyo tires from a locally owned shop. A week later one tire had a problem, he took it back to check on warranty and it was a no for replacement. A half mile away was the Schwab locally owned tire shop. He went there to buy another tire since he would never again buy from the one he left. He showed the tire to the owner who told a worker to get a new Toyo tire, mount, balance, put spare underneath and new one on truck. He said he would return the tire to Oregon and no charge as it would be under warranty! You cannot beat that for service!

I've been buying all my tire's from Les Schwab since about 1990. Started with their recaps and on old chevy 1/2t got 80k out of one set. I have no problems with them!

My vote is Discount tires. Competitive prices and great service.

Schwab fan here, at least our local franchise has been fantastic. Maxxis RAZR 35x12.5-17's are holding up well on a 3/4 Cummins, pretty quiet for a mud tire if that matters to you at all, good performance in mud sand and light snow. Also tows well.

Nearest Discount Tire is 90 minutes away. There's three Schwab stores within 20 minutes.

Been very happy with their service and products here in Oregon. Pickup, car, and trailers.

Agreed the service has been remarkable. In parts of the Mountain West it has to be if the business is to survive and Les Schwab has survived and thrived. Frank Bruneel was a good tire man too. My experience with Les Schwab the man is limited to kibitizing one real estate deal where he maybe annoyed some people he didn't have to but his business has thrived so he's OK there.

For the Les Schwab labeled tires it seems to me a short line of the most popular applications with the broadest fit. My current tires on a Ford Lariat 20" from Les Schwab have done well. I see less coverage and higher prices for more specialized/limited application tires from other makers. I'm retired and my knees replaced so my rough terrain needs have changed. My next tires will be Michelins from Les Schwab even at a higher price but I'll take a quote from Discount Tire with me to Les Schwab and ask for something like chains at his cost to sweeten the deal.

I haven’t bought tires from Les Schwab in probably 20 years. Their service isn’t what it used to be and their prices are ridiculous.

As a comparison, Toyo MT in 315/70/17 which is the size on my wife’s Wrangler. $573 a tire at Les Schwab, $410 from Simple Tire or Amazon.

Almost $700 more for a set of Toyos at Les Schwab. But hey, they’ll run to your car and fix a flat for free lol

Les Schwab was like the Company store in Oregon logging country, Grew up in Sweet Home OR,

My brother and I were at a restuarant in Prineville OR, about 1982, home of Les Schwab, HQ most of the employees had to wear White Walls no hair below the ears! Told my brother it was a redneck town!

About then a long hair walked in and 3 of the local PD had him down on the ground with a shotgun to the back of his head! And I said see I told you it was a redneck town!

Les Schwab tires were good but every time you changed tires Les Schwab, claimed you needed front end work or new brakes.

No more Schwab for me, tires were ok, brake job they claimed I needed at 63,000 mi turned into a break job and nearly killed two of us when the peddle went to the floor.
So that's what they meant when handing me the keys "The air will work out with a little driving". Lucky some folks helped us out of the ditch, then gave us a ride.
There are many better places to go for far less money that are competent and honest.
Oh I have other horror stories but this was the final straw.

Two new stores are about to open locally, one in Sidney and the other in Williston. Sidney already has 2 or 3 tire stores already and I’m sure Williston has more.

Where are all the techs going to come from? Nobody wants to work anymore…..

Most all of the qualified experienced automotive
technicians I've worked with in years past have
moved away from the now corporate owned places
because of the management trying to cut pay and
bring in unqualified untrained help to work, but
never passed any savings on to the customers
and never cut labor rates and only looked at the
bottom line and never try to cultivate repeat
business, only work towards cut the big piece
of pie right here right now, never mind about any
pie for the next day.
I know several senior master technicians that
opened their own business, or left the automotive
field entirely or just up and retired instead of
trying to wade through the daily bs

Viking

Schwartz is also opening a store in Mile.

Hal