Part Worn Tyres??

In my lovely old market town, there are several 'hand car washes' which have popped up over the last few years (I have no problem with this at all) whilst driving through town the other week I noticed one of the sites had a big banner all printed up in bold writing 'part worn tyres for sale' well I couldn't believe my eyes! Part worn tyres??? For sale? To put on your car? I would never dream of putting used tyres on my car!
I've had a bit of a bee in my bonnet about this since I saw the banner, but managed to keep it quiet until this morning when I over heard (a man who should know better) telling his wife he was going to get some part worn tyres for his SON'S car, after quite a heated debate between his wife, me & his son he could see how silly he was being & has sent his son to buy some new tyres.
I don't want to start a debate nor do I want anyone to fall out but I'd really like your opinion on buying part worn tyres!

 

Hmmm, were I to decide to no longer drive one of my vehicles in the winter, I might decide to sell the winter tyres. Which I have used for approximately 1,000 kilometers. So, I don't think this would be wrong

 

Part worn tyres make sense if you have a car which you're only planning to drive for certain amount of time, for example: I had this 1997 Nissan Micra and there was no way on earth that this old lady would have gone through the MOT. And then I had a puncture . At that point I had already ordered my new car, which was supposed to be delivered in a few weeks time. I did get a cheap part worn tyre - not from the side of the road, but from my good old faithful mobile tyre exchange service (won't tell names). The tyre was from Germany, because like JWK quite rightly said, the Germans are a lot stricter with minimum treat depth than we are. There was no point spending lots of money on a new tyre which would have fitted my Micra, but not the new car, for the sake of a few weeks.

I wouldn't however buy a full set of part worn tyres for a new or new-ish car to drive on them on a permanent basis.

 

Lots of scrap yards are selling them, but by the time you pay them to change your tyres it's just as cheap to go to a tyre place and buy a new cheap tyre for around £30

 

Many new cars are supplied with a can of stuff to spray into a flat tyre and get you to the nearest garage for a replacement tyre, but this doesn't work with some types of punctures, nor damage from 'tyre slashers'.

So a second hand wheel+tyre can be a useful/cheaper alternative (I've got such a vehicle, but have both a 'spacesaver' spare + a full size spare - had 2 flats in a weekend disrupt my plans, never again).

Getting 'trade' prices from my local tyre garage for new tyres/punctures helps a lot, and it's close enough to take them in a wheelbarrow.

 

It's a minimum of 1.6mm isn't it?

If I only used my car for shopping trips - then I'd be fairly comfortable fitting part worn tyres.

The problem for these 2nd hand tyre sellers - is that you can buy a new tyre for £30.

I've a couple of BCT (Beijing Capital Tyres) on the back of my car - apart from speed ratings, the EU now require the specs for wet braking; noise and fuel economy to be advertised on tyres. The BCT match the Michellin tyes I used to buy - on speed rating, fuel economy and noise - and one car length behind when stopping in the wet. I can't tell any difference apart from the fact they are half the price.

If you drive like a maniac - then some day the 1 car extra stopping distance in the wet may make a difference - if you are silly (stupid?) enough to put yourself in a position where you need that extra stopping space.

Nowadays - made in China does not mean poor quality.

 

Don't know what it is, but I get them checked at my local tyre garage before a service/MOT, then tell them (the other places who want to sell me new tyres) that they've got it wrong and to sort things out after I'm wrongly told they're illegal when they're OK.

 

I bought part worns once. Utter disaster.

One might think, as I did at the time, that if the tread is good and they're the right size, then all is good. NO NO NO and then more nos beside.

You don't know their history. Perhaps they've done 30,000 miles while under inflated, the the walls have lost their structural integrity, so now the tyre flexes in new and creative ways the car manufacturer hadn't considered when setting up your suspension geometry. Perhaps they've done only a hundred miles, but have been sat in damp conditions for 3 years and the rubber has gone brittle. Worse, perhaps one tyre has one history and another entirely different, so now even with identical spec tyres, you actually have a serious and dangerous mismatch.

 

They have been selling part worn tyres since Henry Ford was a lad . It's not some shoddy new idea . It is an established and legitimate trade , so probably best not to get a bee in your bonnet . Now for me I prefer new tyres , I would not feel 100% using part worns . At one time you could also buy remolds or retread tyres, now I'm not sure if these are still legal ?

 

I totally agree that el cheapo would never be the way to go. My families' lives are at stake here. I don't think I've paid under a £100 for a tyre. I guess it comes down to checking the manufacturer/style, and physically measuring the amount of tread left.

 

I haven't seen remoulds for years - I suspect the so called 'economy' tyres have taken their slice of the market.