2nd. Hand Tyres.

even more suspicious if somebody else chose to have them taken off and replaced, even though they had plenty of tread left.
 
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Tyres are the only things that glue you to the road.
For the sake of the other people in the car you are driving-ALWAYS buy new- and not cheap.
Second hand tyres are second hand for a reason.
Visual inspection is not a guide to go by.
Buy new- and not the cheapo tyres either.Your choice- your conscience.
Tyres dont glue you to the road, and further more, are not the only critical part to a car. Wishbones, hubs, shock absobers, steering racks and track rods, brake calipers, abs units, all things you would find available second hand.

As said, when you buy a new car, do you religiously change all the tyres before you drive it? no? your on second hand tyres. Nuff said.

Im a great advocate of god tyres, ive just shelled out for a full set of new A539's for the kitcar and put a pair of new Quatrac 3's on the 306 for winter last year, but its now on a pair of part worn Mich Energy's which where £20 a tyre with 5mm+ of tread. I selected and inspected them from a huge rack of tyres before they went on the rim, know what im looking for, and was very happy with that.


Daniel
 
Even more suspicious if somebody else chose to have them taken off and replaced, even though they had plenty of tread left.
I understand most of them are imported from Germany etc where it is a requirement to fit winter tyres for the cold season, and hence the summer tyres come off and are often not retained.

Willing to be proven wrong, but I would rather some had a quality part worn than a cheap new tyre.

Daniel
 
Usually because the vehicle has been written off, most cars now seem to be scrapped for things other than accidents but even if it was accident damaged its unlikely that all the tyres would be affected and any that are would probably be scrap anyway.

Peter
 
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Usually because the vehicle has been written off, most cars now seem to be scrapped for things other than accidents but even if it was accident damaged its unlikely that all the tyres would be affected and any that are would probably be scrap anyway.

Peter

That's exactly what I think. I've had part worns fitted several times. The only tyres that have failed have been brand new ones. One car tyre (can't remember the brand ) and two on my motorbike, (Continental and Dunlop).
I don't think it's any worse than buying a second hand car and driving on those tyres. At least if you're having the tyres fitted you can inspect them. If they come with the car you can't do anything other than an external check.
 
tyres have a shelf life of around five years, some tyres if not all have a date stamp on them, this will be worth looking at.

check inside condition for past punctures i think your allowed two maximum before its deemed to be significant weakness, for rubber dust like some else has said.

if its on a rim get them to inflate the tyre if they have facility to do so checking for cracked walls..these deteriate with sun light

bulges on any part of the tyres

splits and tears i think its 10 or 20 mm or used to be for larger vehciles im sure someone will advise

tread depth, tyre might look ok but has it got any flat spots with dry stearing harsh braking etc so check alround the depth for uneven wear.

tread seperation is any part of the tread moulting away from the tyre etc

and think about the price a rubbish tyre theyll say we can give yer this one cheaper ro somert to that affect a good tyre theyll ask there money for, last tyre i bought cost me the same as at the scrap yard both was new, so is it really a bargain to buy from them
 
Truck tyres are usually remoulded several times - the new band being wound on and then the tread is cut.
Granted they don't do the speed, but they sure do the weight! It shows, the technology is there.
John :)

that will be what i dodge all along the motorway then great big strips of truck tyre that have came undone
 
Once upon a time I used to buy part-worns. I had one fail quite badly so don't any more. You have no idea how they have been treated. If you are hard up you can buy a budget brand

Could You elaborate on how the tyre failed? was there something that you could have missed/done? e.g. inspect the tyre if you were allowed?


I went to a tyre fitter so hope that he'd know what to look for and was honest enough (gulp).
being forgetrful, I forgot to check inside the tyre for dust as suggested, but remember seeing inside and can't recolect any dust.. not sure if thered be a lot of it? but after these posts i carefully looked at the outside. couldn't see a puncture repair to it so hoping it hasn't been run on flat. (assuming valve was ok) the walls look mint, no cracks or damage, the tread is nearly new and can see a faint coloured band on the tread that new tyres have. the date code is 1112.

btw, is looking for rubber dust inside the tyre the only way of diagnosing if it's ran on the rims? i've carefully looked for the faintest sign of damage on the walls near the rim but nothing.
 
I the tyre has been run flat the inside will be full of rubber dust, and the carcass will feel rough and very thin....thats all you'll really see.
The tyre you've found seems fine, so long as it balances ok on the wheel.
John :)
 
the tyre man fitted and balanced it for me.
Yea I think it's a good buy. the other garage I went to pulled one ouy with hairline cracks in walls and I couldn't see the date code as it had been scrapped off with most likely kerb bashing..lol

good job I parked a few streets away then walked in incase of a sticky situation like that.. i made an excuse then buggered off . lol.. he's probably still waiting.. i'll not go back incase he chases me up the street waving a tyre in the air lol.

Actually it's a serious problem..
2nd. hand tyres trading would be ok in my view as long as an honest appraisal of the tyre's condition has been done. the 1st garage did concern me if they're willing to try n sell a tyre like that.
 
Its really a case of buyer beware, you really need to know what you are looking at, although there can be hidden faults, if you know what the tyre should look like you won't go far wrong. If in doubt check it against a known good one.

Peter
 
it really is a loaded question this one, and in times of austerity its hard to argue against the economic advantage...

personally, where possible i rotate all tyres for even wear and replace all 4 with new, known brand tyres. but if i was feeling the pinch a little, i cant say hand on heart I wouldnt chose the cheaper option to keep me on the road. If its something your going to do, then at least give the tyre a good visual check over before its fitted, and if in any doubt, reject it before its fitted and balanced.

saying that, on my old land rover with offroad tyres, I will always fit a retread tyre, as im much more likely to damage and rip the sidewall out. and they are half the price to replace. never had one fail, or suffered tread seperation, whih is where the main tread of the tyres becomes unstuck from the carcass and peels off like an orange.
 
Yesterday on the M1, I noticed the cars ahead bunching and warned my passenger and told her to watch them!

At the front was a Minibus with a woman driver and full of old people. It moved from middle lane to half onto the hard shoulder. As it slowed down a tyre came off and sped across all the lanes to end up inside the central reservation.

Luckily all the three cars managed to break so the tyre passed in front of them! In the case of the outside lane that was about two meters in front!

Whilst I had identified a potential problem well in advance, not all drivers are as careful and I was fearful that someone would react badly to the problem and do the wrong thing.

Tony
 
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