Tyres - madness

[JohnDeere]

The Fiesta needed new tyres.  Takes a suprisingly odd spec 175/65 R14 82H (high speed rating, no idea why) which can be hard to find.

 

After faffing around for ages, I found Michelin Energy Saver, same as OEM spec, at a good price on tyreleader.co.uk - much cheaper than elsewhere.  Ordered late on Monday night and just arrived.

 

Now.... it's a German company (according to the email), with a website that seems be in France.  The tyres were shipped by DPD from Best in the Netherlands.  They came via Oldbury and Peterborough. One of them is made in Germany, but one of them started off being made in the UK!

 

How on earth can that work out £20 a tyre cheaper than the best price I'd found locally?  We must be getting right royally ripped off on tyre prices in the UK if they can be so much cheaper despite an epic trip.

 

 

 

[Bren]

Have you had them fitted yet?

 

Some places will not fit tyres they have not supplied.

 

It is this that has stopped me going down the route you have taken.

[chaseracer]

Use a mobile fitter.

[skattrd]

I've yet to find a place refuse to fit tyres for me. I've had them done at kwk-fit, F1 and loads of back street type garages. I now use the local part worn tyre place, he charges me £5 a tyre to fit & balance them.

[Jim Bell]

I found the best online quote I could for decent tyres (blackcircles), then rang my local tyre place (Tynetyres) and asked them if they would match it. They said they could beat the Blackcircles quote by £20 fitted and ballanced.

 

So I popped round. Job jobbed.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I just bought four tyres from Tyreleader too. I ordered them on Tuesday last week and they arrived this Monday. My tyres were shipped from Germany though. 4x Hankook 185/80 r14 for £146 delivered. Then £25 to fit and balance. = £171. Nowhere in the UK could even come close - even the Wanlis were coming in at well over £200 fitted. 

[chaseracer]

No-brainer, really.

[JohnDeere]

Just had them done at Guyhirn tyres.  Ã‚£12 each to fit, valves, balance, disposal.   Probably paying a couple of quid extra given that he didn't supply, but no problems getting them put on.  Most of his business is at the budget Ditchfinder end of the market.  He had a look on his system and the equivalent price would have been nearly £50 more.

 

First time I've driven the Fiesta for ages.  I'd forgotten that it's surprisingly good fun - felt like a go kart after getting used to the Disco.  I even remembered what to do with the extra pedal and the sticky-up thing.

[JohnDeere]

By the way, the Michelins that just came off the front had done 49,500 - not bad going. The backs still have stacks of tread left. I think the extra ££ on the Michelins is worth it if you keep the car a long time.

[willswitchengage]

ATS Euromaster will do a fit and balance for about £7 a tyre, got some done a few years ago.

 

The tyres could be being dumped (sold below cost price for any reason), or just knocked off, you never know. It's bizarre that they're from different factories, mind

[lisbon_road]

I pay £5 each in cash whenever I buy on line or get secondhand.  A local respectable tyre place does them.  Part of a small chain, so they won't do them when the area manager is in.  I think they put it towards pizza at lunch when I come in, so they're always pleased to see me.

 

Crazy really, I am sure balancing has cost more than £5 before never mind the fitting and disposal.

[ruffgeezer]

What sort of Fiesta is it? We've a rather squashed one that is going for scrap soon, mk4b shape.

[AlabamaShrimp]

^^^was just going to ask that

[mat_the_cat]

Funnily enough I've just had a set of Dunlop Winter Response 2s arrive from Tyreleader for the Kangoo, £43 each including delivery from France. Thought I'd better get them now before (if) OMG snow chaos hits us... Around a fiver a tyre cheaper than anywhere else so it also had me puzzling how they can do it! My local mobile bloke will fit and balance them, including a new valve for £30 a set, or free if I do a bit of work on one of his vehicles.

[JohnDeere]

It's a mk7 (or 6) depending where you are - pre-Aston grill. Not quite shite yet, but give it a few more years in the other half's hands

[Hendry]

I'd never heard of them but just had a look after reading this and for 195/50/16 88V XL for my Clio they are hugely cheaper than even my tyres or black circles, Continental Premium Contacts for £67.

 

However I do notice in that size they have 2 different listings for a Hankook Ventus Prime K115 at a couple of quid of a difference, one says "DOT 2011" so I'm assuming this means they were made in 2011 and been lying about for 3 years, could this have something to do with the cheapness, they are "old" tyres.

 

Another thing, its ridiculous how much of a mark up garages make on tyres, sure they are a business there to make money but surely if they were cheaper more folk would use them thus more profit, even at a cheaper per unit price, I mean the likes of Shit-Fit, ATS and National were £180 for a Continental Sport Contact 2 for my car, whereas when I got a new 1 fitted at the place refurbing my alloys, they got their tyres from Micheldever and charged cost price plus vat, fitting, valve and balance and the same tyre was only £100. Barum Bravuris 2 was £81 at National whereas even the local Renault dealer would do it for £50. And when I worked at Arnold Clark and always had 17" alloys on any car I had with 205/40/17 tyres, retail to customer was £95 for a Hankook Ventus V12 Evo whereas staff price (cost + 10%, + vat, balance, fitting) was £50 so half the price.

 

They must be 1 of if not the most profitable motor related items available/the biggest mark up to be made. And to think so many people are duped into going to the big fast fit chains assuming they buy in more bulk so can sell cheaper in the same way Tesco/Asda is cheaper than the local corner shop.

[JohnDeere]

I wondered whether they were old stock ... but the fitters had a look at the date codes - oldest one was late 2013.  So not brand new but not necessarily any older than other stock kicking around tyre places.

 

I was thinking a bit more why prices are high - tyres are a distress purchase for most people - they've just got a puncture/failed an MoT/been given advisory so they head off to Kwikfit with only a vague idea of brands and prices.  Easy prey.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Just another UK rip off story

 

Same with bike tyres, you should check Pirelli prices in France vs UK

 

Postage is laughable as well - I've had parts for various cars and bikes from Germany, Poland and Czech Republic all cost less in postage compared to getting stuff within UK and only a day or so longer to wait

[cobblers]

Yeah, my local tyre place can't buy stuff off their suppliers for what camskill/mytyres can do most of the time. I dunno why they don't use camskill instead of their suppliers tbh, but they have their reasons. They will do free fitting and disposal on their own tyres so sometimes it works out cheaper going through them vs paying £6 a wheel and taking my old tyres away to throw in the canal.

[mat_the_cat]

I wondered whether they were old stock ... but the fitters had a look at the date codes - oldest one was late 2013.

 

Just checked mine - all week 34 this year. Not that buying tyres which are a few years old bothers me, assuming they've been stored correctly. I tend to do a reasonable mileage so wear them out long before age becomes an issue!

[Micrashed]

Very good prices, the tyres for the C8 are 215/60/16 99H (XL) because its  a heavy bitch and normally unless you buy "triangle" tyres you get bum raped at least £100 a corner for anything decent.

 

Ive bookmarked that site as the C8 is going to need rubber on the rear next service / MOT - the Goodyears have done about 14,000 and are getting low. The Michelins are a lot harder wearing. 

 

Are Falken tyres any cop?

[skattrd]

Are Falken tyres any cop?

 

I've had Falkens on my Alfa & one of my Avanzatos and quite liked them. One of the better cheaper brands I think.

[Micrashed]

There is only £4 in it between Falken and the Michelins for the C8 so I'll plump for the Mitchys then given their track record so far on the bus.

[Largactil]

Used them several times - Both for my modern and also for whatever shite I happen to own at the time.

 

On the website, there's an option to have the tyres delivered to a 'fitting centre' nearby you - I guess Tyre leader have gained prior agreement with these places. (The website gives an estimated fitting price).

 

You call them yourself to arrange a time, and you pay the fitting centre direct - Simples.

 

Camskill prices aren't massively different (in some cases slightly cheaper), but the idea of having your tyres delivered to a place that'll fit them at a reasonable price without moaning is appealing to me.