Cut in tyre wall (legal?)/tyre places in leeds/alloy restoration

anewman

I am relatively new to driving with only 3 months experience so far, so I know little about this sort of stuff yet - especially as noone in my immediate family drives.

I have a spare tyre, in addition to the boot spare, with a small (1cm) cut. Otherwise the tyre is nearly new, has lots of tread and holds pressure. Is this legal or can it be made legal?

Also are there any good tyre places in Leeds? I have often read bad stories about kwikfit etc on here so want to avoid those big companies. An interesting thing I have seen is https://www.mytyres.co.uk which sells you the tyres and they have a list of places that can fit the tyres for you (for a fee).

Finally, my car has alloy wheels (they could be steel, not 100% sure, but they are definitely the solid kind without hub caps). The lacquer coating is coming off some of these. I don't really care too much about the decorative appearance of the alloys as the car is only a 94 skoda favorit estate, and I'll probably only have it a year or two longer. However I am concerned about possible corrosion etc. Is there any places in leeds that could do this cheaply and do a decent job (i.e. not do a job I could do with a tin of paint from halfords). Or is it easy enough to do myself with the right materials?

Many thanks in advance.

Stephen_Leak

The tyre with the cut in the sidewall cannot be repaired - the sidewall flexes too much. Even though it still holds pressure, I wouldn't recommend using it either - my 34 years of driving has taught me that you don't get second chances with (and therefore don't **** around with) things like tyres, brakes and steering. Look on it as a blow-out waiting to happen.

On a more positive note, and in true MSE style, also try eTyres and blackcircles for discount online tyres. Also ring around the big local firms (National, KwikFit) for comparison - they might have special offers on, which beat the online suppliers.

I know nothing about alloy wheels, never having owned a car with them!

OK_Sauce

Yes definately DON'T drive a car with a tyre with a cut in it.

scbk

I did an order with etyres yesterday (over the phone) and a few hours after taking my money phoned me back to say they don't cover this area!! So ended up going to a local independant tyre depot, simillar tyre was the same price fitted and was nice to know my ££ was staying in the local area :cool:


As for the wheel, you can tell if it's steel or alloy by putting a magnet up to it;)

If it's alloy chances are it'll have been powder coated. You could get it coated again for my gues £40-£50 and it will come out looking VERY nice and will stay that way for a long time.

If it's steel then chances are it was painted, you could take it to a professional sprayer who could do it for you, or you could do it yourself. The proper wat to do it is take off the wheel, tyre, clean it all, mask off certain parts etc then prime/paint/laquer. The bodge way of doing it is spray it whilst it's still got the tyre on, and stick a bit of newspaper over the parts that you don't want painted

Sus1e

DON'T,whatever you do, use that tyre!!!

Its just not worth the risk of a blow out at 70mph in the outside lane of a motorway at rush hour!.

Its not just your life you will be putting at risk but those of everyone else in the car with you and sharing the same stretch of road.

(sorry if this sounds preachy, but as someone who uses the motorway everyday and can see the result of crashes, it really isn't worth the risk)

bestyman

I live in Leeds and just bought a tyre . Alba tyres was the cheapest . Have also bought from just tyres in the past .
If looks of the wheels are uninportant I wouldnt worry about them, they dont rust away to the extent they are dangerous (steel wheels) and alloy wheels dont rust at all, they just look tatty after a while.
Get the numbers off the tyre e.g 205/55/16 and quote this when ringing round for quotes, it sounds as if you know what you are talking about then rather than saying its a 94 skoda - possibly meaning you will get quoted a lower price.
When getting the tyre fitted be prepared to be told your tracking needs doing, brake pads need changing, shock absorbers are worn etc. Im not saying they are liars but I would always get a second opinion before having any further work done.
On your car ( no disrespect to skodas) the cheapest tyre will do, no need for pirrelli , michelin etc . I put some unbranded ones on my van 18 months ago and 18 k later still going strong.
lastly when comparing prices get a total price as some dont quote extras ( tyre disposal, balancing, valve vat )

End of essay .

Mark