Winter Tyres - New or Part Worn??

alycat05

Hi There

Looking for a set of Winter Tyres for my Ford Focus, size 185/65R14

I’ve gotten quotes for new and part worn tyres. My question is, are the part worn tyres any use or would I be better off just biting the bullet and buying new ones??

Cheers

Atlantic Dawn

I woudn't put part used tyres or brakes on any car, anything else I would risk. You don't know the history of the tyres or the conditions they have been used in, best avoided.

niallam

New never know how old the other tires are, might have been part worn 5 years ago and sitting somewhere since...
http://www.camskill.co.uk/m94b0s713p0/Winter_-_Snow_-_Cold_Weather_-_Car_MPV_Tyres_-_14_inch_R14_inch_-_185_65_14_185_65_R_14

slimjimmc

niallam wrote: »

New never know how old the other tires are, might have been part worn 5 years ago and sitting somewhere since...
http://www.camskill.co.uk/m94b0s713p0/Winter_-_Snow_-_Cold_Weather_-_Car_MPV_Tyres_-_14_inch_R14_inch_-_185_65_14_185_65_R_14

Yes you do, tyres have the production date moulded into the sidewall. It doesn't matter when they were worn so long as they are not a old tyre.

http://www.rsa.ie/RSA/Vehicles-and-Legislation/Vehicle-Standards/E-mark-on-tyres/.

bazz26

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

I woudn't put part used tyres or brakes on any car, anything else I would risk. You don't know the history of the tyres or the conditions they have been used in, best avoided.

But used cars for sale comes with part worn tyres, etc. Who knows what sort of life they had either but in most cases they are not replaced as soon as the car is sold.

Pique

bazz26 wrote: »

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

I woudn't put part used tyres or brakes on any car, anything else I would risk. You don't know the history of the tyres or the conditions they have been used in, best avoided.

But used cars for sale comes with part worn tyres, etc. Who knows what sort of life they had either but in most cases they are not replaced as soon as the car is sold.

Well put!
I think that buying winter Tyres new is pretty pointless in Ireland considering they will never get used for anywhere close to their capacity in conditions or longevity before they 'expire' due to age.

I bought part worns last winter and still have them on. I do very little mileage on that car and buying summer Tyres along with winters was impractical. If you plan to change the car, it becomes more problematic to get wheels for the winters to fit the new car too.

I paid approx 25% of the price of new winters for approx 25% worn tyres, fitted. Using them during the summer did chew them up however and I'll be on the lookout for part worns again this year.

Esel

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

I woudn't put part used tyres or brakes on any car, anything else I would risk. You don't know the history of the tyres or the conditions they have been used in, best avoided.

Yeah, first thing I do when I buy a used car is have the brakes and tyres replaced.....

alycat05

Thanks for all the replies. I do need new tyres anyway so thought it would be most practical to get Winter ones because it was a nightmare last year for me in the snow. I don’t plan on changing them in the summer though, I do less than 10K a year so think I should be ok?? Im hoping if I leave them on all yeah they'll still be ok for next winter. If i get away with that ill be happy enough

IrishZeus

Where can you buy part worn's...?

Moanin

IrishZeus wrote: »

Where can you buy part worn's...?

Tyreland in Glasnevin

BigMoose

Car Clinic in Inchicore

Kategill

winter tyres are not snow tyres. WINTER tyres are designed to operate at an average temp of 7 deg or below... the have more "cuts" on them which offer more edges to grip road. the compound is also "softer" and lets the thread stay flexible and grip the road. Snow tyres are narrower and usually have metal studs to assist the tyre to break the top layer of ice and allow the tyre to grip the snow below the ice. Never buy second hand tyres... no history of what they have been through....

Anan1

Kategill wrote: »

Never buy second hand tyres... no history of what they have been through....

Do you replace the tyres immediately whenever you buy a used car?;)

polod

Kategill wrote: »

winter tyres are not snow tyres. WINTER tyres are designed to operate at an average temp of 7 deg or below... the have more "cuts" on them which offer more edges to grip road. the compound is also "softer" and lets the thread stay flexible and grip the road. Snow tyres are narrower and usually have metal studs to assist the tyre to break the top layer of ice and allow the tyre to grip the snow below the ice. Never buy second hand tyres... no history of what they have been through....

What tyre company do you work for ?

challengemaster

Anan1 wrote: »

Do you replace the tyres immediately whenever you buy a used car?;)

Considering all they've done since signing up is warn people against part-worns, I'm guessing they have a tyre business thats losing money because people are buying part worn instead of new.

Matt Simis

Part Worn been good to me so far, 20tyres later (4 cars).

• Get a tyre thread depth gauge.
• Learn to read DOT age codes (really easy, also LOL @ mysterious age comments above).

For Winters, try to get 6mm+ thread and 5years old max. Winter tyres come with 10mm thread, not 8mm like Summers and they do need the depth for snow driving.
Tyre age is a tricky issue, Ive talked to many tyre fitters. Most dont believe it matters, some say it matters more for no name brands than the big names and they would look at tyre quality in hand over the age. Personally I have seen a 11year old tyre crack to bits and fail to be mounted, same tyre looked virtually new but it was a sub-brand (Eurostar). 5years is a good normal max, but dont feel a 6 or 7year old tyre is going to disintegrate upon usage, it depends..

Thread Depth gauge on new Winters (note the angle of camera is blocking the "10"mm from being read, but you see its far greater than 5mm):

Kategill

Anan1 wrote: »

Do you replace the tyres immediately whenever you buy a used car?;)

... No if your happy with them and they are a brand you have at least heard of...why bother..

Kategill

polod wrote: »

What tyre company do you work for ?

None... but open to offers....

Esel

Kategill wrote: »

Never buy second hand tyres... no history of what they have been through....

Anan1 wrote: »

Do you replace the tyres immediately whenever you buy a used car?;)

Kategill wrote: »

... No if your happy with them and they are a brand you have at least heard of...why bother..

So, part-worn tyres are OK - glad we got that cleared up.

Bigcheeze

Is the buyng winter tyres thing a new phenomenon since last December ? A lot of people are going to waste a lot of money as that was a once in a generation event for the east coast at least. It might make some sense for people living in Ulster.

Padraig Mor

Just a note that I phoned a tyre place yesterday who said they sold part worn winter tyres. However, when I got there, it turns out that they are actually selling remoulds (from summer tyres according to the guy). I wonder how common this is?!

opinion guy

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Is the buyng winter tyres thing a new phenomenon since last December ? A lot of people are going to waste a lot of money as that was a once in a generation event for the east coast at least. It might make some sense for people living in Ulster.

Several reports on weather forum of snow in wicklow last night.

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Just a note that I phoned a tyre place yesterday who said they sold part worn winter tyres. However, when I got there, it turns out that they are actually selling remoulds (from summer tyres according to the guy). I wonder how common this is?!

Run away. Very fast.
Those tires sound lethal. Proper winters are made from a softer rubber compound than summers.

Esel

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Is the buyng winter tyres thing a new phenomenon since last December ? A lot of people are going to waste a lot of money as that was a once in a generation event for the east coast at least. It might make some sense for people living in Ulster.

Is that you, Michael Fish?

Do two events in one year (start and end of 2010) equate to four generations in your money? Did your grandfather have to sit a driving test? Could you teach your granny to suck eggs? :pac:

What is 'a lot of money' to you? In the same league as the cost of crashing / losing control / not getting to your destination safely / endangering yourself or any of your passengers / losing your NCB etc?:eek:

Do a search on this forum for threads with "winter tyres" in the title.