2nd hand winter tyres

RavingMad

Just wondering if anyone has bought part worn winter tyres off ebay? £120ish seems quite reasonable but would 4/5mm tread be fine in the snow?

I've been on Kwik Fit and get some for £320 but a) it's too early for winter tyres and b) it's twice the cost for a lesser known brand

Your opinions welcomed

the_bandit

Winter Tyres are considered beyond their best at 4mm and Europeans will change them at this level. Then they end up over here and people buy them!

If you intend to keep your car for a few more years you should buy new and will be cheaper and safer in the long run than buying part worn from EBAY.

movilogo

You may buy all season tyres instead (unless you really need winter tyres).

Lum

Thing to bear in mind is, unless you normally run Linglong Ditchfinders, any winter tyres you buy will likely cost around the same price as your summer tyres. In my case the winter tyres are actually cheaper than the summers!

All the time you are driving around on the winter tyres you are not wearing out your summer tyres, so in reality it doesn't actually cost you anything. Providing you can deal with the cash flow hit and have somewhere to store the unused set of tyres, don't think of it as an extra cost as it really isn't.

And when they hit 5mm, throw them on eBay as your shipping costs will be lower than that of all the used German ones!

jase1

Linglong ditchfinder winters are the same price as their summers!

And no, 4mm is not enough for winter tyres. Better off buying budget or remould winters if you want to spend £120 -- they're £40 each at mytyres.

Wh05apk

New tyres come with about 8mm, so someone else has used about 4mm for £200, you have got the last 2 mm (which are probably the least effective 2mm) for £120, and are unsure of the history, any repairs, were they treated well/stored properly/kerbed/damaged?

Doesn't seem too good a deal to me?

Lum

jase1 wrote: »

Linglong ditchfinder winters are the same price as their summers!

Probably the same tread pattern and rubber compound too!

But what I meant was unless the OP was looking a decent winter tyres, but runs ditchfinders for the rest of the year, the winter tyres won't actually be costing them any more.

[Deleted User]

Nothing wrong with Ditchfinders, I have 2 summer ones on the front of my car. I never had any problems last winter with them. Just drive to the conditions.

I got mid range Kumho on the rear though.

Lum

Only people who say "just drive to the conditions" are those who have never tried winter tyres and have been lucky enough to get away with it so far. I guess the likelihood of getting away with it depends a lot on where you live

What happens when "the conditions" are that you simply cannot get traction?

[Deleted User]

You are right, I've never used winter tyres. If the weather is so bad I simply don't drive any where that I know will need the assistance of winter tyre traction.

Work is only 5 miles away and is on a bus route if push comes to shove.

Lum

You're lucky then

I live half way up a steep hill, nearest bus route is down said hill and my partner needs a wheelchair to get much further than our driveway, I wouldn't fancy her chances making it to the bus stop in the snow, hell I wouldn't fancy my own chances walking to the bus stop in the snow. I've also had to do a few late night A&E trips recently.

So come late November, the winter tyres are going on both cars ready for any snow that might happen.

I don't really care if I can't get into work. I can work from home, get more done, spend less on commuting and still get paid.