Car tyres - new or part-worn?

[dgsmith]

I've always been somewhat concious of how I spent money; when it comes to my cars in the past, I have always gone for part-worns (though the cars have never been that fantastic anyway).

 

Bit different now that I have a new model Fiesta, owned from new and need to replace the fronties. To get both new & fitted I am looking at around £110 for bridgestone/firestone/uniroyal type brand, though after something a teacher said, I am now seriously considering travelling to some scrap yards seeing if I can get a decent (min 6mm) part-worn.

 

Does anyone else do this and/or can recommend or advise of what to look out for? I must admit I am a little wary seeing as a car in a scrappie is usually there through damage of some sort, though the potential saving makes it worthwhile looking into.

[e_g_r]

forget the scrap yard, look for a tyre fitter who does part worn. I was always % new until I was recomended a part worn supplier. £ fitted and balanced

[MatthewL]

I buy new and don't buy top end I buy mid range which will do. I have 205/40/17 which are low profile 17's and I get Khumo's for around 55 a tyre with a little discount.

[Andrew_C]

When I came to change the fronts on my Saab, the cost was going to be £180 EACH! I checked the book and found there was a "more standard" profile, but would have to change them all. They only cost £35 ea. for Michelins from ATS, then they gave me 25% for buying 4. Cost bit for tracking and disposal and stuff, but I'd really not fart around with part used.

[tom_newton]

These 4 spots of rubber might be the last thing between you and fiery death. Personally this is one of the last places i'd look to save money.

[Chris_in_notts]

Like said above dont go to a scrap yard for them they will sell you any crap use a tyre fitter that supplies part worn, I always buy part worns the place I go in nottingham (happy tyre man) do half worn or nearly new as they call them and I pay £20 for nearly new, they are always great brands and nearly new lol

 

this is for 14 and 15's but they normally have stock of all sizes upto 22" in part worn

[featured_spectre]

Tyres - Cheap Tyres + Free Fitting at Home or Work UK Wide - etyres < Use them to get the tyres for the mrs, cheapest around (beating most of the breakers for part worn as well).

[HaleStorm]

i have bought cheaper partwordn tyres in the past for some of my sillyer cars and found them to give less than good grip, the only ones ive had recently are a set of Yoko's but even "part worn" they still had the chalk lines on them, id prefer to pay more for a tyre and know that im not going to start sliding going round a corner and end up sideways in a field/ditch/car/cow(yes the 4th one has happened to me)

mid range are normal the best you can get, because high end tyres are often a more grippy compound but that makes them softer and last a shorter time

[Chris-W-]

Tyres - Cheap Tyres + Free Fitting at Home or Work UK Wide - etyres < Use them to get the tyres for the mrs, cheapest around (beating most of the breakers for part worn as well).

 

They don't seem to be cheap at all! The cheapest they do for 165/65R13 is about £45 per tyre! My local dealer does £32 per tyre (new economy brand) and a two pounds fitting per tyre.

[featured_spectre]

you including the 40% discount you get as a council employee?

[Chris-W-]

you including the 40% discount you get as a council employee?

 

Nope, I didn't know there was a discount?

[AMLinington]

I'm with @tom_newton on this one - your tyres are the one thing between your car and the road. They directly impact stopping distances and don't forget that a part worn tyre may have an unseen weakness and you put yourself at an increased risk of blowout. Of course ALL tyres put you at risk of this if there is a fault, but if the fault exists in a part worn tyre then it has been under strain previously.

 

I'm afraid that when it comes to tyres and brakes, considering I do a fair few motorway miles travelling between home, my family and my partner and his family I tend to err on the side of caution considering I'm hurtling along a motorway in a tin can...

 

The price of a new tyre is never higher than my life is worth...

Edited August 4, 2011 by AMLinington
typo

[Oaktech]

personally i'd look for kumho, hankook or BF goodrich, which are at the budget end of mid range for your vehicle.

 

Tyres are not all created equal and this is what you pay for.

[broc]

I always buy new, I agree with the earlier posts that tyres are one area you should never scrimp on. Many years ago I bought a remould tyre when times were hard... big mistake... especially when the tread seperated from the tyre carcass. Since then I have always stuck to top brands, especially on the high performance cars I have owned. There are bargains to be had if you are prepared to do your homework. You need to be careful too about what your insurance company might do in the event of an accident, they can & do check that you have the appropriate size, speed & load rating on tyres fitted to your vehicle as well as how much tread is left.

 

Also, be aware that tyres have a manufacture date embossed on the side wall, it is normal to consider replacing tyres once they reach a certain age (varies according to load rating, type etc) but probably should not exceed 7 years....so make sure if you do buy part worn that these are not old tyres....

[andyturpie]

As AMLighfoot says - Buy new, the risk of going part worn is too great especially if your car transports your loved ones. Make tyres last longer by decreasing the number of car journeys of less than a mile or so, then the cost per annum average is less.

[Gibbo]

These 4 spots of rubber might be the last thing between you and fiery death. Personally this is one of the last places i'd look to save money.

 

So every time you buy a new (to you) car I assume you replace all four tyres, since they're technically part worn?

[plexer]

Looking at etyres the same tyres I currently have on my car are £92 with the 40% discount it brings them down to the price I currently pay at my local tyre place.

 

Ben

[Chris_in_notts]

If the tyres are a good brand with plenty of tread, no sidewall damage and not remoulds im happy as Gibbo says you wouldnt buy a used car and immediately replace all the tyres if they all have good tread them them surely?

 

you can buy top end tyres and have them fail, I had 22" continental on a range once cost £205 and that failed after 300 miles, so new tyres wont keep your family safe lol

[tom_newton]

So every time you buy a new (to you) car I assume you replace all four tyres, since they're technically part worn?

 

Hardly the same - given at this point we're talking about replacing tyres, and there's a direct choice between new and used. There is no "do nothing" option. With a second hand car (our last 2 have been new, the wife is a petrolhead and very demanding ) I would certainly consider replacing all four feet, or asking the vendor to do so.

[broc]

I take my tyres very seriously. Last year I walked away from a nearly new Mercedes C-Class with 11k miles on the clock because the main dealer had re-shod it with cheap imported tyres.

 

When you have had a tyre break up, or had a blow-out at speed as I have done you look at these things differently. Our current car tyres will be changed well before they are legally worn.. Our Motorhome tyres (all 5, inc spare) will be changed at 5 years (tyre age) regardless of how much tread is left.

[Theblacksheep]

Last time I purchased a car of any value (97 nissan 200sx) I did change all the tyres within 2 months. My current car I left until they needed replacing, but I wouldn't change old tyres for part worns.

 

Many part worns are legal, but have had puncture repairs or been removed from a written off car. They have been taken off another car for a reason. How often do you take good tyres off a car and replace with another?

 

New tyres come with 8mm, part worns around 5mm (unknown consistency) and the legal limit 1.6mm. Work out the £ per mm.

[AMLinington]

@Theblacksheep raises a good point - I was thinking about that earlier actually - ultimately, a part-worn tyre may end up as a 'false economy' in that they might cost 1/3 less but you replace them twice as often.

 

Another thing to consider is the grade of rubber you buy. Luckily for me my other half works in the service department at a well known dealership chain in Hampshire so he knows what's what. A cheaper, budget tyre is likely to be a softer rubber which gives a nice soft ride with little road noise but wears faster. You can get softer 'high end' tyres but you would have to specifically choose these for the 'driving experience' and in those circumstances I can't imagine money is much of a worry. A harder compound tyre tends to wear slightly slower but the trade-off is road noise. I tend to choose the harder compounds for my car (2001 Model 2.2l Vectra) - If the road is noisy I turn up the radio! lol Radio is free - tyres are not!

 

Have a chat with someone in a proper tyre centre, not Quik-fit as they will be able to tell you which are harder, which are softer and which are in the middle - sometimes a more expensive tyre with a harder compound will last longer so you get more miles for your money.

 

Another tip is to make sure you service your tyres regularly - keep them appropriately inflated, check them for nails, stones, bits of glass, bulges etc etc. Also make sure your tracking and balancing is checked regularly as diffy tracking or an unbalanced wheel will affect the life of the tyre. I'm pretty sure you can get free or very cheap tracking and balancing checks done - I know F1 near where my parents live tends to be quite helpful. My Dad is quite cheeky - he takes his car down for a check and gets a quote from them then my other half sources them for him from his contacts in the trade. I'd feel bad about it except if F1 tyres weren't so overpriced they'd get the custom. So it's their own fault really.

[dgsmith]

Alot more responses than I expected so thanks for that. Seems quite unanimous that most folk just won't entertain part-worns. I'm wondering though if this is because they really aren't worth it or if it's because of a single bad experience? Admittedly I can't disgaree with the comment about scrap yards not necessarily knowing if the tyres are 100% undamaged (or previously "repaired").

 

FTR, when I mention part-worn I mean specifically where the wear is fractional and has at least 6mm remaining - the false economy statement is certainly true for say 5mm and below.

[pcstru]

I've used part worn tyres from a local dealer for the last 7/8 years, first on a BMW 323 (2.5litre), then on a Polo. I don't expect them to last as long as new tyres but I do expect them to generally be better quality than some of the cheap tyres you can find. You need to inspect them critically and if you don't like the look of them (marks on sidewall, cuts etc) then just ask for another. The savings over new tyres can be huge (used to be £800 for new tyres for the BMW, as opposed to about £130 for a full set of part worn). Most of the tyres I've picked up look to me like they have had less than 1000 miles on them.

[synaesthesia]

Silly silly - part worns are NOT advisable. If new ones go wrong, you have a guarantee... if you live to claim it.

The 17s on my Accord only cost £180 for a set - just avoid some of the daft names like Michelin, Pirelli etc. I usually plump for Hankooks.