Part-worn tyres
A guide to buying secondhand rubber wisely and safely.
Part-worn tyres are an emotive subject. While budget-conscious motorists swear by them, safety campaigners pour scorn on their reputation, backed by tyre manufacturers and fast-fit centres, for whom the sale of new tyres is clearly a vested interest.
Here at Car Mechanics, we’re a little more open-minded. There’s no doubt that new tyres from a reputable supplier are a safer bet. If peace of mind is key, then it’s very hard to argue against buying the only part of your car that touches the road from a known source, with a guarantee, knowing they have been fitted by a trained professional.
But it’s not the only option – which is where part-worns come in, not least because a high-quality branded tyre bought secondhand is arguably a better option than a low-quality one bought new. It’s all down to the quality of the product and the trust you place in its supplier – much like any other consumer product.
According to statistics released by Kwik Fit in 2015, more than three million part-worn tyres are sold per year in the UK, with one in five motorists choosing secondhand rubber over new. It’s a big business, albeit one that isn’t as well regulated as it could be.
Here’s what you need to know in order to get a grip on the used tyre market and make an informed, unbiased decision.
Pros & cons
Car Mechanics is not saying that partworn tyres are any better or worse than new ones, but road safety charity Tyresafe takes a different view, suggesting that part-worn tyres pose a significant risk. Following a study in which Tyresafe
found 98% of part-worn tyres to be noncompliant with regulations, chairman Stuart Jackson says: “Not only are drivers putting their own lives at risk, but they are also endangering their passengers, which in many cases may be their children, and other road users.”
He makes a good point, because the condition of part-worn tyres sold outside of regulations cannot be guaranteed. However, there’s a counter-argument that suggests the mere act of buying a used car means you are buying four partworn tyres. Admittedly, this is different to buying a used tyre with no idea of its previous history, especially if there are receipts for the rubber in the car’s service history, but like all secondhand objects it will still be a case of ‘buyer beware’.
Bought properly, a part-worn tyre can offer the same peace of mind as a new one. Inspect it carefully and ask about its history, and you can be just as sure of its safety as a tyre fitted to a used car. This is especially true of tyres sold already on their rims from scrapyards or owners who may have fitted different or aftermarket wheels to their cars. This is a very different set of circumstances to buying a used tyre from a dodgy backstreet dealer, meaning it’s incumbent on the buyer and not the supplier to be vigilant when buying them.
Stuart Jackson says: “Before buying part-worn tyres, I would urge drivers to ask themselves if the risk of buying part-worn tyres is really worth it. Although a number of clear regulations exist which permit the sale of part-worn tyres, it’s obvious from our investigation that these are not being adhered to. Even if properly marked, it is impossible to know the history of a partworn tyre, which makes it extremely difficult to be sure about its internal condition and safety credentials.”
Tyresafe also argues that a part-worn tyre with less tread depth will have a longer stopping distance than a brandnew tyre, although this depends on more factors than simply how worn a tyre is.
In terms of benefits, a part-worn tyre is obviously a cheaper option, at least in the short term, which makes them especially attractive for buyers on a budget, as well as lower-end traders that are getting cars into a road-legal state for retail.
Where do part-worns come from?
The source of part-worn tyres is what drives the most passionate arguments in the safety debate, as there are a number of unscrupulous vendors out there. The key is to buy only from a reputable source and check the guidelines (see Regulations for part-worns) to ensure that any part-worn tyre you’re acquiring is being sold legally.
As a rule, the most likely sources for part-worn tyres are:
Online
There are loads of wheels and tyres for sale via online auction websites. While these are often temptingly cheap, you need to enquire carefully about their history. A lot of vendors get around partworn tyre legislation (see Regulations for part-worns) by selling used wheels ‘with tyres fitted for packaging reasons’, declaring in the small print that the tyres shouldn’t be used on the road. If you put them on your car, it isn’t technically illegal, but if the vendor has advised that they’re not for road use then the risk is entirely your own.
Breakers yards
Tyres sourced from breakers often come mounted on the rim and, provided you are aware of the vehicle they are sourced from, they’re often a relatively safe option. After all, it’s very unusual for a car to end up in a scrapyard just because it needed a set of tyres. Chances are these are fine, but check them carefully and reject any tyre that has signs of damage to it or the rim. Breakers have to adhere to the legislation about selling part-worn tyres if the tyre is to be used on the road.
Repaired tyres
Some retailers sell part-worns that have been repaired previously. While it’s legal to sell them on, any repairs should be both visible and declared. There are also very strict rules about where punctures can and can’t be repaired. Anything in the shoulder (outer 5mm) or sidewall of the tyre cannot be plugged safely, and the tyre must instead be destroyed.
Former fleets
Quite a few fleet remarketing companies have minimum tyre standards to which cars that are being remarketed must adhere. This is often 5mm or more, meaning that there are some perfectly legal, quality-branded tyres that are sold as part-worns via wholesalers. The final responsibility for their condition lies with the retailer, whose job it is to ensure they comply with part-worn tyre regulations.
Overseas
At present, the most common source of part-worn tyres in the UK – and often the most trustworthy – is from overseas markets. Wholesalers such as UK Part Worn Tyres (ukpartworntyres.
co.uk) source their stock from Germany, where the minimum tread depth is 3mm. The tyres are graded ‘High’ (more than 5.5mm), ‘Grade A’ (4.5-5.5mm) and ‘Grade B’ (3.5-4.5mm) and are pressure-tested, meaning they can be legally sold in the UK. Other wholesalers bring tyres in from Scandinavian markets, where the minimum legal tread depth for winter rubber is 4mm.