best place for part worn tyres

[kevin millar 1977]

where is the best place for part worn tyres to fit to my 17x8 fronts and 17x9.5 rears that I got from a Toyota supra mk4. which I am going to fit on to my mr2 to get rid off my 18in rims that I have on the motor at the moment??? any suggestions folks and what problems I might have fitting these on my mr2 cheers

[Peter Gidden]

what problems I might have fitting these on my mr2

ETs are going to useful if you want to check for fitting issues.

[CalMac]

You might get lucky but it doesn't really seem worth skimping on tyres for an MR2 - it's unlikely you'll find a set of 4 in staggered widths and you need the best you can get at this time of year

I wouldn't recommend Ebay for part worns though - I've tried twice and both times the tyres had chunks missing from the bead and several undisclosed punctures. This was on a Ford KA though so tyre choice wasn't such a big deal.

I suppose your local tyre fitter would be the best place to start, they should check and stamp approved part worn tyres.

If you're buying for skids then ignore everything I've just said

[kevin millar 1977]

what do you mean by ets peter cheers

[CalMac]

Wheel offset

[kevin millar 1977]

sorry bit new to all this yeh so might seem a bit thick with all this I need as much help as possible cheers

[kevin millar 1977]

I live in Edinburgh is there anybody near me that could help me with this at all cheers

[Peter Gidden]

what do you mean by ets peter cheers

Look inside the wheels. You'll most likely find an ET figure stamped or engraved.

Then Google ET offset and learn what it means. In a nutshell it'll tell you if those wheels will fit.

No one here can help you without knowing the ET figure for the wheels.

As for tyres? IMHO you're mad fitting part worns to a 250bhp, mid-engined, tail happy sports car. And if you can't afford new - save up.

[MR2O12]

i always buy part worn but then theres at least 10 tyre shops within walking distasnce from me. i get branded good tyres for so cheap you would be a mug to buy new

[craig]

I just can't understand putting part worns on cars, especially a turbocharged RWD sports car, or even an NA for that matter. There is an element of unknown. To me, considering they're what keep you on the road, it really isn't worth skimping on tyres.

[Race Idiot]

I just can't understand putting part worns on cars, especially a turbocharged RWD sports car, or even an NA for that matter. There is an element of unknown. To me, considering they're what keep you on the road, it really isn't worth skimping on tyres.

No m8 ur a right mug! Who cares about having any comeback if you have a problem with your tyres, or if theyve been banged against curbs or been on a car in an accident there well cheap innit!

[glen n]

As red says,in a performance car like the mr2 where grip is so important I think I'd always go for new tyres and good ones at that. Most folk like to spend a fortune on performance mods and upgrades so tyres should be no different. In the past I've had some part worms on a van and they were pretty poor,not saying all places are like that but you just never know what you are getting.

[Baker]

Recently picked up a pair of 19" T1S's for £120 off ebay.

7mm on both, and saved an absolute mint.

I say that's not dumb.

[ashley]

[mr2matt]

IMO, part worn tyres will always be a grey area for discussion, yes you can pick up bargains now and then where the tyres haven't been ragged to pieces. But on the other hand you are risking a lot based on the tyres being 'ok' there are plenty of other places and ways to save money that aren't going to affect your safety anywhere near as much as dodgy tyres will. I'm not fond of splashing out huge sums on brand new tyres either, but I'd much rather pay out for them, than have to pay out my insurance excess from sliding through a hedge (or worse) because my tyres lost grip/rapidly lost pressure/came off the tyres etc etc. Unless you get to visually inspect the part worns before you buy them or they have been professionally inspected and approved for re-use, then the only thing they're good for IMHO is fitting to a spare set of wheels for drifting and burnouts

[ashley]

I don’t think any of you are mugs, there’s just two differing points of view here.

On one hand you’ve got the idea that you can have expensive tyres, but without paying the new price…and what’s not to like about that? Bargain!

But, on the other hand, you have to accept that by purchasing second hand tyres with an unknown history, you are increasing your risk that they have been mistreated, and may have inherent issues not immediately obvious by eye.
How have they been stored? Have they been fully inflated, on a parked up car for the last 5 years, in temperatures up to -20, and in a puddle of oil? Have they been run flat? How many times have they been fitted, removed and refitted to rims? Were they stretched on their prior rims?

The problem with this on a car like the MR2 is that it is very sensitive to tyre choice and condition, couple this with potentially tricky handling and the potential for complete loss of control when the tyres do let go, and you have to accept that by increasing the risk that your 2nd hand tyre may have been compromised, you are directly increasing the risk that you will come unstuck at some point.

You will probably be fine, visual inspection will probably identify most of the potential issues, and you will probably have got a true bargain. But, for me- any increase in the risk of coming unstuck in my MR2 (which gets driven hard) is unacceptable…given the choice I would always spend a few more hundred quid to ensure that the small bits of rubber that keep me on the road are in the best condition they possibly can be.

On the other hand, it’s up to you- if a few hundred quid saved is more important than reducing the risk of binning you pride and joy then go for it!

[synXero]

Excellent post ashley.

[glen n]

Think that pretty much sums it up Ashley.

[Rob]

Who here has bought a second hand car?
Did you drive straight to the tyre shop and get them changed?

Who else here discards their tyres with plenty of legal tread left?

I used to be in the no way camp until the above was pointed out to me. So long as you check them visually when you get them they should be fine!

[Super_red]

I know I will be in the minority but I get tyres changed when I buy a car for all the above reasons. I buy old cars which generally come with total rubbish budget tyres which I will always change to a half decent Falken or similar. I hate mis matched tread patterns front and rear and have even bought cars with 4 different tyres on.

That said I did buy a part worn once when I had a 4x4, 7mm of tread left and 1 got a puncture to close to the tyre wall to be repaired. I was close to buying a tyre and having it shaved (cheaper than replacing all 4) but founf a part worn with exactly the right amount of tread.

I also change tyres at 3mm like the Germans, they might be legal below this but they are not as good as they should be so I treat myself early, its not like I buy a new set every year.