It is important to check your tyres regularly. They keep you on the road and if you look at the area in contact with the road it is a very small piece of rubber. Therefore,  it is very important that there is adequate tread and the tyres are in good condition.

We would encourage you to check the pressures once a week and keep them inflated to the recommended pressures.  The correct value will be listed in your owner’s handbook, and often on the door pillar or inside the petrol filler flap.

In addition, we recommend doing a visual inspection of the sidewalls, have a look at the treads and run your hands around the back of the tyre to check the inner sidewall as well. You are looking for foreign objects like screws, bolts and nails, and any bulges. You are also looking to make sure there is adequate tread depth not only to stay legal but also to ensure the tyres can shift water off the road to prevent aquaplaning.

Check the tread wear.  The tyre should be wearing evenly, if not it is worth booking in for an alignment check. Run your hands over the tread in the direction of travel and back the other way – the treads should be smooth and flat – sharp edges or raised areas can indicate alignment issues as well.

We can check and fix wheel alignment problems for you to help you get the most out of your tyres.

Winter tyres

Given where we are in North Wales we can have cold wet weather and often a good dump of snow.  Most cars have summer tyres.  There are not ideal in the winter.  The performance of summer tyres really falls off when temperatures drop below 6 degrees C.  Full winter tyres give you so much more grip in the winter.  It is worth looking at youtube for videos comparing summer and winter tyres in snow and ice.  A regular 2 wheel drive vehicle with winter tyres perform very well in snow. It is really amazing the difference it makes.

Here is a very interesting video comparing a 2 wheel drive car with winter tyres to a 4 wheel drive car with summer tyres at a Goodyear’s test facility in Northern Finland.

As an alternative, you can fit all season tyres.  These offer a good compromise in as much they are not as good as summer tyres in the summer but are better than summer tyres in winter, though not as good as a true winter tyre.

We are happy to talk to you about storing your winter or summer wheels and tyres if you are short on space, for a small rental fee. Alternatively, we can swap your summer and winter tyres for just £15 plus VAT per wheel.  This includes re-balancing.

We also offer a full range of tyres for cars, vans and 4 x 4’s. To keep our prices low we carry very little stock, yet can get them delivered quickly.  Please contact us to order the tyres you require.