Those attempting to discredit the op by picking holes in individual parts of it are in danger of suggesting that fitting part worns is at all times perfectly safe. The comparison with used cars & the tyres fitted to them is a red herring & nothing to do with the fitting of part worn tyres. If you want to argue about the safety of used cars, start another thread.
Is it safe to fit part worns? I'm sure those who seek to discredit the op are capable of going through the process of having part worns fitted knowing those tyres & the fitting thereof is fit for purpose.
However, the warnings are not aimed at them, they are aimed at car owners who have as little clue as they have money & it is these who would benefit from the knowledge that the part worns they are having fitted have a good chance of being unsafe.
Generalisations rarely help anyone.
The analogy of the second hand car purchase and not knowing the actual history of it is perfectly legitimate IMO
Ron/Michel8/Fixings etc whatever, you often make good points but by trying shout others down or dictating what should or shouldn't be in a thread end up self defeating your own arguments LOL
I am sure we all agree that those choosing to fit part worn tyres should do so with caution and hopefully with some knowledge to properly inspect them
most part worn tyres are imported from countries that have a higher standard, and most have 4mm of tread, that gives you 2mm of usable tyre.
it will get you through an mot but is it worth it, depends on the individuals circumstances
To dispute the veracity of the op information must be to dismiss the information contained in the links as downright lies.
Having worked in the recycling industry & having direct experience of the 'stock' collected by part worn tyre dealers I would be inclined to go with the op as general advice.
I have been using part worn tyres for years also used remould tyres too..... NEVER and I mean NEVER had problem with any of them.
However, I did buy a full set of pirelli tyres at over £120 each, and two of those expensive premium brand tyres failed throwing my car into the middle of a roundabout, at a speed of less than 30mph. Basically the sidewalls "fell off" pirelli blamed the tyre fitter, the tyre fitter blamed pirelli.
I drive a mazda6 estate now on crap roads with huge potholes. I could buy premium tyres for £250 a set, but then I would be cringing every time I went out. Instead I buy part worns, I inspect them before they are fitted and watch whilst the fitters are working on my car. At £25 each I dont worry too much about potholes and dont get upset if a tyre becomes damaged.
My boss drives a ford focus, his rear tyre has been flat for about 12 months, he doesnt do anything about it and I am sick of telling him about it. He takes his kids out in that car. He only buys NEW tyres, and yet he is at a MUCH higher risk of having a serious accident because of his apathy regarding tyre pressures.
Sweeping generalisations such as its people in old BMWs using part worns is a very narrow minded opinion.
Last weekend I was having some part worns fitted, in the queue was a bank manager, a white van man, a hair dresser, and me a manual worker. Thats quite a wide spread of society. One was driving a BMW about £10k worth, one driving a ford KA, and one a transit van.
It makes economic sense to use part worns, not to mention environmental sense to reuse then recycle.
------------- Never look down at anybody....
.....unless to offer a hand, to help them up
Even a shiny new premium tyre can become 'part worn' once its done a few hundred miles. Especially if it regularly gets kerbed by someone who cant judge distances when parking, or gets 'scrubbed' under a high powered engine.
I wouldnt buy them, but you cant claim any moral high ground if your new ones are mistreated either.
I think it was Fifth Gear that did a tyre feature comparing the handling and stopping ability of fuel saving, branded, budget and part worn tyres under various conditions and speeds. If I recall the part worn they chose was a particularly bad,but legal example,even having a small cut in it. It out performed the budget and fuel saving tyre.
I have used them in the past when funds were tight and never had any problems, I don't use them now as the type of tyre I require is never available. The wheels were always balanced and the valves replaced.I was also allowed to pick my own tyres and never saw any with bead damage or cuts being offered for sale. Ten years fitting and repairing agricultural, commercial and plant tyres means I can spot a duffer. By contrast the wife's car fitted with Bridgestone tyres, done less than 1200 mile has just had to have a tyre replaced.
The argument that the pleb trying to look flash on a shoestring needs protecting from the used tyre sharks is laughable. There are so many things they will be doing like ignoring speed limits, ignoring the basic need for things like MOT's, insurance or even a licence, not maintaining their vehicles in a safe and roadworthy manner that sticking a branded shiny new tyre on their car is hardly going to make an impact. How's that for a little generalisation?
Obviously the part worn tyre market cannot fail to be 'dodgy', its bottom of the market stuff. Inspection of they tyres is going to be by unskilled min wage teenagers & so on. I've worked in recycling, I've seen these people at work, I know what they are like.
The main source of stock for the UK part worn trade is of course tyres removed at Kwikfit etc. Scrap tyres are collected either by hand by tyre recyler's truck or could be by grab lorry. There is potential for damaging those scrap tyres during collection, damaging beads & so on.
The tyres are taken to recycling yard & dumped in a big heap ready to go into the shredder. Before this the used tyre boy will turn up covered in s**t from head to foot with only a worn out pair of gloves as protective gear, sort through the tyres at high speed & throw then into his clapped out Transit high top. He is looking for specific tyres, large car & light commercial, enough tread obvs but in his quest for the tyres he wants things like sidewall damage & bead damage tend to get overlooked, not that he knows anything about tyres anyway.
Why would a recycle centre allow a guy onto a site without protective workwear ??? no hi viz ?? no steel toecapped boots ?? or even hard hat ?? then they allow this said person to rifle through piles of tyres and allow them to be remove what ever they want? yeah right.
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Topic: Part worn tires
