The odyssey of buying tires in Argentina: uncontrolled prices and a very limited supply

Changing tires in Argentina became an adventure

.

In the last quarter of 2022, it was a union conflict that led to a strong shortage, which made prices more expensive.

And now it is the economic crisis -inflation mix plus the volatility of the price of the dollar and the scarcity of foreign currency- the one that generates chaos: to the limited supply, there is added a dispersion in the values ​​that does not allow having clear references.

Thus,

According to a study carried out by the Focus Market consultancy together with the First Business Association of Freight Transport (PAETAC),

.

And the impact is even greater in the tour carried out by Clarín to look for prices in four of the most important tire sales companies in the Metropolitan Area of ​​Buenos Aires.

The pattern chosen was to try to change the tires of

: Fiat Cronos, Peugeot 208, Toyota Hilux, Toyota Etios, Volkswagen Amarok, Ford Ranger, Renault Kangoo, Chevrolet Tracker, Toyota Corolla Cross and Toyota Yaris .

To find the chosen product, you have to carry out an exhaustive search (walk, as Lita de Lázzari advised, or browse the web a lot), added to the fact that the same model can be found with more than $10,000 difference, depending on the store.

The supply of tires is not regular in the midst of the crisis.

Photo: Orlando Pelichotti/ Los Andes

There are paradigmatic cases: from

, and SUVs that, due to the shortage that the retail stores accuse, have to

.

And that applies to

, that is, without considering the surcharge that can be applied in installments because interest-free plans practically disappeared;

if payments are prorated, values ​​can go up 20 to 40 percent. 

The limited offer can be seen, above all, in

.

Some have between three and five models, while others do not have it enabled at the moment.

On the contrary, when approaching a store, the stock magically increases, since in this way the chances of the operation being cash increase.

In the same sense, availability also varies depending on the

model that is sought.

Cars have a greater variety of brands, while to get for pickups and SUVs you must do a thorough search.

Tires: prices for cars

The

, the best-selling model in Argentina, fits the 185/55 R15 tire size in its base version.

For them, spot prices per unit range from $57,000 to $114,000, depending on which Bridgestone model is chosen.

In between, the Fate Sentiva AR-360 82h can also be found for at least $73,500.

For the

, which run 205/45 R17, you can get different models from Pirelli, such as the Cinturato P7 P 88 V and 88V XL P7 CINT, which are priced between $131,380 and $176,384, respectively.

Fiat Chronos.

In turn, the

leaves the factory with 185/65 R15 tires.

The unit price for this measure can vary between $57,803 (Bridgestone Firehawk 900 88H) and $112,550 (Pirelli 92H XL P1 CINT K1).

For the

, which uses 205/40 R17 tires, the Bridgestone Firehawk 900 84V is priced at $89,260.

The

and the

wear the same tire size (185/60 R15).

The cheapest option for this type is the Bridgestone Ecopia EP150 88H ($57,037 per unit), while a Pirelli 88H XL P1 CINT is for $99,390.

An intermediate option would be the Fate MAXISPORT 84H, whose price per unit reaches $77,750.

The Life version of the

, generally used for urban use, is fitted with 185/65 R15 tyres.

For this measure, you can find the Bridgestone Firehawk 900 88H model for $57,800, while the Pirelli 92H XL P1 CINT (K1) goes up to $112,550.

In the case of the

, which fits 195/55 R16, Bridgestone Ecopia EP150 87V tires can be found for $82,848.

If, on the other hand, Goodyear is chosen for this type of measurement, the price shoots up to $162,000.

Tires: prices for pickups

In the case of the

, the size of the tires varies depending on the version.

But there are cases in which changing the four already exceeds a million pesos, depending on the used tire and the chosen brand.

For the entry-level Amaroks (245/70 R16 size) they can be found for prices ranging from $108,400 (Bridgestone HT684 III 111T ECOPIA), while the Continentals go for $250,000.

For a similar value to the Bridgestone, you can get a Pirelli Escorpión AT for $110,000 per unit.

Volkswagen Amarok.

In turn, the Comfortline version has 17-inch tires, whose prices range from $128,000 (Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo2 111T) to $275,000 (Michelin LTX FORCE).

In the case of the V6, with 20-inch tires, the stock is extremely limited: Bridgestone is only available at $241,000 per unit.

Other pickups like the

and

(both fit 265/65 R17) can find tires for $150,000 (Bridgestone Dueler MT 674 120/110T) or up to $208,624 (Pirelli 112S S-ATR KS) per unit.

The tire problem for SUVs

For their part, the 

best-selling

whose measurements have an extremely limited stock compared to the rest, especially through online sales channels.

According to the sellers of the leading stores, these types of models use "fashion tires" that are currently lacking in the country.

They are "practically inaccessible" measures, although the few available options can be obtained outside the Metropolitan Area.

Toyota Corolla Cross.

For example, for the

(215/60 R16) Bridgestone tires can be found for $185,000.

While for others like the

version , which fits 215/60 R17, Bridgestone HP Export ($225,000) and Continental Cross Contact LX2 ($243,000) are available.

Thus, the distortion is noticeable.

Because to change the four tires of these models involves an investment of more than 10 percent of the list price of the car.

In the case of the Tracker, you would have to pay $740,000 on a model whose base value is $6,381,900.

And in the Corolla Cross, which costs $8,690,000, for the tires it would be necessary to spend $900,000.

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