Where to buy tyres from

[obi_waynne]

Where do you buy your tyres from? Do you get a discount? Do you buy them one at a time or as a full set?

Any tips on getting good deals on tyres?

Also do you buy a specific brand or see what they have in stock/recommend?

 

[pgarner]

occasionally get them at wholesaler normally alot less cheaper than most will supply them . downside however is they dont normally have much choice

what i found cheapest last time was tyre traders. what i did find out last time however was find out what garage fits them and give them a shout saying youve seen that they are the tyretraders garage what price can they do them for without going through the middle man /website in this case. garage could only save you a couple of pounds a tyre but it helps when your buying 4 at a time

 

[lutonmatt]

get mine from the wholesaler as well due to selling tyres as well as mots

but last ones i bought i got on ebay as they were much cheaper

 

[herb]

my last set of tyres i bought of ebay for £200 fitted and they are great in the dry but scary in the wet:amazed: but thats what you get for budget tyres!

but usually i go to my local tyre place and they have got to know me quite well over the last 7 years cause i use them for tyres and tracking (they managed to sort my tracking on my mk3 astra where most places wouldnt even touch it) and i take family and friends to them so i generally get good prices from them!!!

 

[HDi fun]

I get good results with the local independent fitter.

He's also about the best Hunter alignment machine specialist I've ever encountered.

Very thorough.

 

[pgarner]

thats the problem around here theres no decent place to get alignment done

 

[HDi fun]

thats the problem around here theres no decent place to get alignment done

It's the problem everywhere really.

I treasure Mr Brian Hennessey, along with Kevin and Nigel, of Buckingham Tyres, as truly skilled professionals in their field. Should they move the business elsewhere, then I'd be stuck, to be honest.

Proper wheel alignment requires accurately calibrated equipment; Even more importantly, it requires skilled and experienced technicians to carry out the alignment process.

I am an extremely fussy driver and if anyone can get a car four square and arrow straight on a flat road, these guys will do so.

Anyone around the MK postcode area take note - Buckingham Tyres is highly recommendedby me.

The only other alignment service I will use is Bathwick Tyres based in Bideford, North Devon (EX39 2PF).

Let's start giving some business back to independent and small operators, let's stop lining the pockets of shareholders in the big franchises.

 

[obi_waynne]

I agree with you HDI -i'd rather see my money go to the independents than the large corporations even if I have to travel further and spend a little more. You seem to get better service and you do feel that your money is staying in the local area rather than paying off some distant board and shareholders.

 

[SpeedyChic]

How about trying www.etyres.co.uk

 

[dpsubaru]

i always go to the smaller dealer for tyres - these larger places are useless and they need about half a day just to fit your tyres. I always use JK Tyres in Stirling, decent prices, and will usually do it straight away for you. Also, had something wrong with one of the tyres, no quibble, they just took it off changed it straight away.

 

[Skullion]

I always use Small Guys. A Tyre Fitter garge gets one of the biggest discounts because they only deal in tyres.

Big Company Garges, don't get as much discount and they have to make more profit as they have too many overheads to pay while the small tyre fitter garge only has his rent and his own wage to pay.

Online deals are great but remember you still have to pay to get them fitted

 

[HDi fun]

I find the small operators to be extremely good value as well.

One other option is Costco - they have fabulous prices on Michelin tyres.

 

[indiaman]

Four at a time preferably from one of the tyre company outlets, disadvantage is that you don't see other brands, advantages are free fitting, free alignment,and good discounts.

 

[HDi fun]

I'm wary of free alignments in the big places, especially Kwik-Fit here in the UK. The alignment equipment is usually poorly understood by the staff.

My local fitter knows I'm a very fussy driver and that even 0.1 degree of arc error on a rear wheel is enough to wind me up in a sensitive car. He's often used me as a 'field tester' for his alignment rig and operating prowess. If he knows Paul's happy then everyone else will be as well.

 

[HDi fun]

I'm wary of free alignments in the big places, especially Kwik-Fit here in the UK. The alignment equipment is usually poorly understood by the staff.

My local fitter knows I'm a very fussy driver and that even 0.1 degree of arc error on a rear wheel is enough to wind me up in a sensitive car. He's often used me as a 'field tester' for his alignment rig and operating prowess. If he knows Paul's happy then everyone else will be as well.

 

[pikey motorsports]

I have a very good mate who has his own mobile tyre fitting service, gets me whatever tyres i want at mega discounted prices, and fits em for a brew. always there when i need him, and if im short of cash he quite happy to put em on the tab

 

[jarrus]

I've been told that costco fill your tyres with nitrogen instead of air..... how anal is that?

 

[HDi fun]

I've been told that costco fill your tyres with nitrogen instead of air..... how anal is that?

It's getting quite common. Nitrogen inflation supposedly reduces gradual pressure loss.

 

[Skullion]

It's getting quite common. Nitrogen inflation supposedly reduces gradual pressure loss.

It's crap lol well at the moment

You get your Tyres filled with Nitrogen from Kwit Fit aswel,....but if you mix it with normal Air then you'll lose Pressure Rapid so if your wanting to refill on Nitrogen you have to pay a company like kwit fit £10 to refill all your tyres

Cant beat Normal Air haha unless they bring Nitrogen at Fuel Pumps at 30p a minute lol

 

[HDi fun]

It's crap lol well at the moment

You get your Tyres filled with Nitrogen from Kwit Fit aswel,....but if you mix it with normal Air then you'll lose Pressure Rapid so if your wanting to refill on Nitrogen you have to pay a company like kwit fit £10 to refill all your tyres

Cant beat Normal Air haha unless they bring Nitrogen at Fuel Pumps at 30p a minute lol

I only said supposedly. I think it's a bad idea as it means most people will look over their tyres even less frequently, thus potentially overlooking tread or sidewall damage.

One product that does stop porosity is Ultraseal.

See here:

http://www.ultrasealuk.biz/home1.htm#currentPageTarget

I actually used to use it for a couple of years but rebalancing tyres part way through their lives proved very very difficult. You should still, however, inspect tyres regularly.

 

[Skullion]

Yes I do Agree with you HDI, at this present time, I don't think much of it, but it is becoming more popular but the question is to everyone

"Why would you pay £10 to refill you tyres rather then put Air in them for Free?"

Thanks for Letting us know about Ultraseal, I'll have a wee nosie through their website

 

[HDi fun]

That's exactly it, I wouldn't.

 

[indiaman]

I've been told that costco fill your tyres with nitrogen instead of air..... how anal is that?

Nitrogen filling for car tyres is one big scam, what you need in your car tyres is DRY(moisture free) air, Nitrogen is used in aircraft tyres solely for the reason that in case of a wheel fire,there is no oxygen in tyres to support combustion. Also, there is a lot of volume in an aircraft tyre inflated to 200PSI.
Nitrogen filling was legislated for modern aircraft in the 1960's.

 

[HDi fun]

Nitrogen filling for car tyres is one big scam, what you need in your car tyres is DRY(moisture free) air, Nitrogen is used in aircraft tyres solely for the reason that in case of a wheel fire,there is no oxygen in tyres to support combustion. Also, there is a lot of volume in an aircraft tyre inflated to 200PSI.
Nitrogen filling was legislated for modern aircraft in the 1960's.

That sounds pretty plausible. In fairness, despite the fact that I, too, think it's a scam, nitrogen molecules are much bigger hydrogen ones, for example. So they're less likely to leak out. But hydrogen does not make up a very big percentage of the atmosphere. It's about 80% nitrogen anyway.

I can understand the dry air totally, it's the water vapour which accelerates the deterioration of the tyre's carcass.

 

[jarrus]

I can go with that, plus water does really like being compressed ethier so I guess that larger droplets can form, however I dare say theres a minuet amount of water in your tyres air anyway...

I thought Nitrogen was used because when the tyres heat up the pressure of the tyres don't change as much as normal air thus useful for track days so you don't have to let some pressure out after a couple of laps (well, maybe not as much), Nissan GTR's have nitrogen in there tyres as standard,

and i agree that I wouldn't fill my tyres with nitrogen just because I can't inflate them with more nitrogen if I need to, I got a trusty electric pump in my garage and it's served me well