How much can you save on part-worns?

[tintin]

I've been thinking about this recently, as I prepare to swap back onto summers as the snow and cold weather finally recedes.

In my case, I've worked out that I've saved approximately £5,000 buying and using part-worns over the last two years - a not insignificant figure

How did I arrive at that figure?

Well, as follows: 2 of my three cars (My Model S and S8) have both winter and summer tyres - so that's four sets of five wheels, i.e. 20 tyres in total.

All 20 of the tyres for both these cars were bought as part worns (and all from DM Tyres in Oldham ) - at an average saving of £250 per tyre. so 20 x £250 = £5,000).

So thanks Ainar!, for alerting me to these guys . I must buy you a beer next time I see you!

[H-M3]

Good calculation

[27litres]

Why do you need 4 sets of 5, and not 4 sets of 4 with something like an all weather tyre as the spare?

My perspective of a spare is as an insurance policy. Use it when necessary and have the normal wheel or tyre repaired or replaced and put back on the car. Then chuck the spare back in the boot (renew the insurance policy!).
The spare wheel doesn't necessarily need to be the same as any on the car, or even the same size (provided the rolling diameter is correct). My A4 had a 15" standard alloy as spare, though it was sold with 17" BBS's from new.
In fact a lot of manufacturers supply a steel spare, even if it's "full size".

[Architex_mA8tey]

I agree with the gist of what you're saying but surely that's not an accurate comparison/saving because the "part worns" would have less tread on them than a new tyre and last less time so to compare the saving against a brand new tyres isnt quite right?

[tintin]

Originally Posted by 27litres

Why do you need 4 sets of 5, and not 4 sets of 4 with something like an all weather tyre as the spare?

My perspective of a spare is as an insurance policy. Use it when necessary and have the normal wheel or tyre repaired or replaced and put back on the car. Then chuck the spare back in the boot (renew the insurance policy!).
The spare wheel doesn't necessarily need to be the same as any on the car, or even the same size (provided the rolling diameter is correct). My A4 had a 15" standard alloy as spare, though it was sold with 17" BBS's from new.
In fact a lot of manufacturers supply a steel spare, even if it's "full size".

Simple reasons really - it costs about the same (using a part-worn and a second hand spare, about £200 all in for a fully matching spare), looks better, is easier to swap/you only have to swap it over once - not as soon as you're able to, and it can stay on the car, if it's of the same type/quality.

I'm very picky about my cars looking right, so wouldn't be happy with a non-matching spare - I did have a steel spare and tyre for my Model S, but sold that recently when I got a matching spare wheel and tyre

[snapdragon]

Architex_mA8tey makes an important point - the part worn probably has 4mm left (2mm useable) whereas a new tyre has 8mm (6mm useable) so you have to divide the figure by 3.

[tintin]

Originally Posted by Architex_mA8tey

I agree with the gist of what you're saying but surely that's not an accurate comparison/saving because the "part worns" would have less tread on them than a new tyre and last less time so to compare the saving against a brand new tyres isnt quite right?

That's a commonly applied logic, but not so - well not in my case at least: I only buy part worns with 7mm or more, so there's hardly any difference in the lifetime of them - maybe part-worns is a misnomer in my case.

In fact, as I'm swapping between winters and summers for the seasons, they both seem to last a lot longer, as they're used in the right conditions - e.g. I haven't had to buy any tyres at all for my S8 for about 3 years now.

[Conquistador]

I've got no problem fitting part worns on most cars I've had but I do give them a once over and look to see if any repairs have been done, even if it's just a mushroom plug.

I just can't justify paying over £250 each for a new premium brand tyre when you can get a perfectly good pair for under £200 with a good 6/7mm of tread depth on them.

[moltuae]

I used to buy part worn tyres for my bangers when I was younger but I don't buy them now. I like my tyres (and anything safety related) to be in perfect condition. Also, I used to find when I drove with part-worn/older tyres I picked up a lot more punctures. I don't know if it was just coincidental but it seems that a deeper tread is less prone to picking up nails. These days I usually buy a new set of summer and winter tyres every 2 or 3 years, regardless of the remaining tread or mileage (the car only does about 5K per year).

I'm actually due to order some new summer tyres soon (probably Michelin Pilot Sport 4 this time). My current set (of 4 x Super Sports), which are presently in storage at a local garage, will be coming off. My old tyres usually just get disposed of but if anyone here wants a set of 4 part-worn tyres, you're welcome to collect them. Not sure what the tread depth is but they about 2-3 years old, probably less than 10,000 miles and no punctures/repairs (that I'm aware of).

[tintin]

Originally Posted by Conquistador

I've got no problem fitting part worns on most cars I've had but I do give them a once over and look to see if any repairs have been done, even if it's just a mushroom plug.

I just can't justify paying over £250 each for a new premium brand tyre when you can get a perfectly good pair for under £200 with a good 6/7mm of tread depth on them.

Agreed - I completely trust this supplier on the quality of these tyres, and I'm paying around £40/£50 for my Michelin PA4 Winters/Michelin PS3/SS Summers, and slightly more for the same Michelins on my Tesla.