Inflating Winter tyres in Summer

Goudy

baser999 said:

Always been intrigued by why people would buy part-worn tyres? They’ve been fitted previously, why did that owner take them off?  Because they were rubbish perhaps? 

I'm not defending the practise but winter tyres are mandatory in some countries or mandatory on specific roads or are mandatory because of specific weather conditions in certain areas.

That means there's lots of part used winter tyres floating around in spring and summer and a lot of them find there way onto our used tyre market.

Mildly_Miffed

baser999 said:

Always been intrigued by why people would buy part-worn tyres? They’ve been fitted previously, why did that owner take them off?  Because they were rubbish perhaps? 

In Germany and some other countries that mandate winter tyres through the winter months, they cease to be legally regarded as winter at about 4-5mm tread. So they get sold off to other countries...

They're rarely actually great value if you look at the price per usable mm of tread, even ignoring the fact that their poor-weather performance drops right off.

They also rarely go by the UK part-worn tyre legislation, with permanent markings to identify them as such... And if somebody's breaking the law on marking them, are they also breaking the law on the condition checks?
Commercial vehicle targetted, but the law's the same - https://movingon.blog.gov.uk/2022/12/07/buying-part-worn-tyres-what-operators-need-to-know/

Herzlos

I'd have been way about fitting different types of tyre on an axle because of the difference in grip, but if you're driving in London you're presumably averaging less than 20mph which means grip and fuel efficiency are going to be largely irrelevant.

Just stick with what you've got and when you need to replace them, get matching pairs on each axle and don't mix winter/summer/all-seasons at all.

molerat

Many years ago I had a brand new car which came with that old fashioned thing, a full size spare.  When the fronts wore out I did the usual thing of going to a tyre shop and buying one identical replacement, put the spare on the car and the best of the 2 old ones back in the boot.  The car pulled to one side.  Swapped the fronts left to right and the car pulled the other way.  Even with the same make and model tyre the difference in the make up over a few years made a difference to the handling.  Swapped them to the back where the immediate handling problems went away.

baser999

Goudy said:

baser999 said:

Always been intrigued by why people would buy part-worn tyres? They’ve been fitted previously, why did that owner take them off?  Because they were rubbish perhaps? 

I'm not defending the practise but winter tyres are mandatory in some countries or mandatory on specific roads or are mandatory because of specific weather conditions in certain areas.

That means there's lots of part used winter tyres floating around in spring and summer and a lot of them find there way onto our used tyre market.

But not sure the ‘part worns’ are ever reputable brands. Still OPs choice what they fit, hope I’m never on the same road as them 😏

sevenhills

chrisw said:

First time I've heard of part-new tyres! The difference in fuel consumption will be negligible compared to he other factors such as weather, air con use and traffic, particularly if you are primarily depriving around London. No two journeys are ever the same so comparisons will be difficult anyway.

I believe brand-new tyres will be better once they have been used and worn off some tread, these things are very marginal.

Goudy

sevenhills said:

I believe brand-new tyres will be better once they have been used and worn off some tread, these things are very marginal.

That comment just gave me a chill as it reminded me of getting my first set of new tyres on my first big sports bike many years ago.

I ignored the major warning signs, that the fitter asked me about having ridden on new tyres before and was only vaguely aware whole tyre shop was stood in the doorway watching as I set off.
I set off right across the road through a load of bushes, sideways.

Turns out the releasing agent on the new tyres makes them pretty slippery for the first few miles, it also turns underpants very brown.

Ermia

Thanks everyone! My original question was part-worn winter tyres vs. part-worn summer tyres

The discussion on part-worn tyres being economical is interesting. Here's my analysis:

Tread life:

• New tyres typically start with around 8mm of tread depth and can be legally driven down to 1.6mm.
• Part-worn tires I find usually have 4-5mm of tread remaining (let's say 4.5mm for this example), which is roughly half the life of a new tyre.
• However, this can sometimes be as high as 70% of a new tyre's usable tread, especially if you buy at the seasonal changeover (e.g. November or April) when part-worn tyres come in from countries like Germany with mandatory seasonal tyre swaps.

Price comparison:

• Part-worn tyres (£25) are significantly cheaper than even the most budget-friendly new tyres (around £56).
• Additionally, part-worns are often not even the cheapest brands. A comparable new tyre from a brand like Dunlop or Goodyear would likely cost £75-£100. So, you're essentially getting a partially used premium tyre for about 30% of the price.

Beyond tread depth:

• Age isn't the only factor affecting tyre lifespan. Here's why part-worns can sometimes be a better value:
  • Punctures: With my luck, I get a flat tyre every few months. Replacing a part-worn with another one is often roughly the same price as repairing a puncture, and you get some extra tread life in the bargain.
  • Curb damage: Parking in tight spaces, especially in London, can damage your tyres, particularly on the passenger's side. Part-worns allow you to replace just the damaged tyre without hurting your pocket.
  • Uneven wear: My car has a worn wheel bearing, causing uneven tyre wear. Fixing it might not be economical for an older vehicle. Part-worns allow me to replace just the excessively worn tyre.
• End-of-Life Value: As a firm believer in "Drive the Toyota until the wheels fall off" slogan, and with a car worth less than £1-2k, minor issues can lead to scrapping it. In such cases, you wouldn't get any use out of the remaining tread on new tyres. Part-worns minimize this wasted expense.

The Bottom Line:

While part-worns might not be for everyone, it works for me, especially considering my car's value and the likelihood of unexpected tyre issues.

sevenhills

Ermia said:

• New tyres typically start with around 8mm of tread depth and can be legally driven down to 1.6mm.
• Part-worn tires I find usually have 4-5mm of tread remaining (let's say 4.5mm for this example), which is roughly half the life of a new tyre.
• However, this can sometimes be as high as 70% of a new tyre's usable tread, especially if you buy at the seasonal changeover (e.g. November or April) when part-worn tyres come in from countries like Germany with mandatory seasonal tyre swaps.

Most would not change at 1.6 mm - you have 6 mm of usable tread with a new tyre. A second hand tyre would have 2/3 mm of use, where as a new tyre would have 6 mm of usable tread, so more than double a second hand tyre.

Brand new tyres start at around £45, so your part worns are not looking like good value, but ok if you are broke.

Ermia

sevenhills said:

Most would not change at 1.6 mm - you have 6 mm of usable tread with a new tyre. A second hand tyre would have 2/3 mm of use, where as a new tyre would have 6 mm of usable tread, so more than double a second hand tyre.

You're right, most people wouldn't wait until 1.6mm to change tyres. However, in my experience, it's less about the legal limit and more about damage. Punctures, kerbing, and age all play a role.

I've never used brand new tyres so can't compare, but honestly, does this look like less than half its life tread-wise?

sevenhills said:

Brand new tyres start at around £45, so your part worns are not looking like good value, but ok if you are broke.

Now that's a deal! £45 for brand new tyres fitted in London sounds too good to be true. I wouldn't have bothered with part-worns if I could find that. If you know of a legit website offering that price, please share the link! It would be a game-changer for many drivers.