The Top 5 Questions to ask when buying new tyres

When many of us need a job done on our cars or to get new tyres, it’s often hard to know where to start. The first port of call might be to pick up the phone and call Dad or failing that, we’ll ask our friends. Dad will hopefully know a trustworthy garage in the area and if not, sure didn’t “Mick” get a new set of tyres there recently.

The problem comes when neither Dad nor Mick know who to call, you can’t remember the Ghostbusters number and you find yourself flicking through the Yellow Page or typing “Tyres Dublin” into Google.

The next issue we are faced with is choosing a garage that’s local and won’t charge you an arm and a leg. The advice from the tyre industry is that while price is important, buying a budget brand or a second hand tyre can prove a lot more costly in the long run and may not have that extra grip we need in the wet weather.

Eoin Farrell of Square Fit Finglas advises of the top 5 questions people should be asking any garage when calling around to find the best deal on offer.

These considerations are especially important coming into the winter when Ireland is due to have about as much rain as we have had this summer.

Top 5 Questions to ask when buying a tyre

When purchasing a new tyre there are 5 simple question each of us can ask our mechanic.

These are listed below and explained in more detail.

1. Price – Is it good value?
   Any of us will immediately think of price and like most things, you get what you pay for. We are not wrong to shop around as garages will charge different prices for the same tyre model and specification, but ensuring that any product or service is fit for purpose is just as important as not paying over the odds. As with buying a BMW or a Kia all brands will range in price and you can still be safe in the knowledge that you are buying a product that is fit for purpose and good value for your money. The same applies with tyres.
2. Quality – Is it good quality?
   There are more tyre brands on the Irish market than ever before, all with varying degrees of quality. Most people are aware of the premium brands but there are new brands appearing on the market on a regular basis. So while the majority of well known tyre brands will “drive well” there are many other tyre manufacturers entering the market whose product will not perform well on modern cars. Poor tyre quality can also mean tyres wear down faster and need to be replaced sooner than good quality tyres. A good tyre might cost €5 or €10 extra but should last for 30,000 kilometres where a poor quality tyre might save you €5 or €10 on the initial cost but only do 10,000 kilometres or 15,000 kilometres before it needs to be replaced.
3. Road Noise – How noisy is it?
   Many people have long daily commutes and the constant drum of loud tyres can get on your nerves and become distracting for the driver and occupants. Some tyres are louder than others and there will be a new EU wide tyre standard label that will be appearing on new tyres from November this year. Road Noise is one of the standards that this label will measure.
4. Fuel Consumption (Rolling Resistance) – Is it good on fuel?
   Most of us are familiar with the term ‘Resistance’. We are not talking about how well you can stand up to the invaders. We are talking about poor quality tyres causing more friction and resistance on road surfaces and as such making the cars engine have to work harder to cover the same distance. As such, an engine working harder consumes more fuel which means more trips to the petrol station for you!
5. Wet Weather Grip – Will it stop when I need to?
   As this recent summer has been testament to, and we all know what our winters can be like, it rains quite a bit in Ireland. Just as colder countries are more concerned with snow safe tyres, in Ireland we should ask about how our tyres will perform in wet conditions. Many of the aforementioned new and lesser known tyre brands entering the Irish market are not fit for wet Irish road conditions. Stopping distance is greatly increased in lesser quality tyres, even if those same tyres have the required thread depth. We have all experienced the need to break suddenly while driving – a good tyre will instil confidence and ensure that you stop when you need to.

So now you know the top 5 questions to ask your mechanic next time you need a new tyre.

When you do need those tyres and begin shopping around, a good place to start is to download the Irish app recently launched by Eoin Farrell of Square Fit Finglas. This app is a world and industry first in an industry where public price disclosure has never been common practice.

Mr. Farrell’s app is the first Vehicle Maintenance and Tyre Price Guide app and means you can now know the price of any maintenance or service work needed before even dialling the number to call your local mechanic. You can also compare the prices of different tyres available for your vehicle by entering the make and model into the app and selecting from a simple to use drop down menu.

This app was created by Eoin in an effort to make prices more freely available to the public at large and in so doing, make all local garages more approachable for anybody not familiar with vehicle maintenance. This Tyre and Service Superstore App is now available for free download on both the Apple and Android market places. You can also find the app and further information available on www.squarefit.ie.