Caution should be the watchword for buying tyres

Even after deciding the size of the new tyre, the next problem is which brand to choose, or which is better between imported or domestic tyres. And the most popular question for years has been, starting from the production date, how long should a tyre stand on the shelf before it is considered too old for safe use.

The tyre business in Thailand is rather complicated. Commercials not only tell the superiority of a particular product, but also the weakness of competitors. Although the messages are discreet, they are later blown up at the retail shops and cause problems later.

The problem concerns the lifespan of the tyres as retailers get information from the manufacturer concerning the age of the tyres. They hint that the tyres they manufacture are younger than those of competitors and try to say that their tyres are thus better.

Once this kind of information is widely accepted by the customers, this practice of purchasing only newly manufactured tyres starts to widen. So these days, tyres that are older than one year are usually considered as inferior and many refuse to purchase them.

But in reality, if the tyres are stored properly – in a cool dry place, not stacked over each other but vertically in rows and with the contact point moved often – then they can last as long as five years and are as good as brand-new tyres.

Apart from new tyres that come straight from the factory, used tyres are also widely available in Thailand. They usually come from new cars when the owner decides to change the wheels and tyres. This is the kind of used tyres that you can purchase and use safely.

There is another source of used tyres, and they come from overseas, usually Japan. They are usually the expensive brands and models popular among sports cars and teenagers. Actually these tyres come with imported alloy wheels rather than being directly imported.

When Thai merchants purchase used alloy wheels from Japan, they fear that the wheels will be scraped or damaged during delivery, so they import the wheels with the tyres, using the latter as protection. They then separate the wheels and tyres and sell them separately.

Although most of these tyres are of high specifications, no one is able to guarantee the rubber quality after so many years. Although in many cases the tyre tread is still rich, the rubber quality could deteriorate as they may be stacked up and piled outdoors.

Another type of used tyres is those that have been damaged and repaired. The original owner may not be confident with a punctured tyre and replaces it. Usually, if he has enough money, the owner would replace all four tyres in order to get the performance he wants. With this type of tyres, the retailer usually dresses up the puncture mark and it is usually very difficult to spot.

Once piled with three other tyres as a set, the buyer has little chance to find out with plain eyesight that there is a tyre that has been heavily damaged. If the tyre repair is not good enough, then there are chances of accidents. The new owner may also think that he has purchased tyres that have never been damaged and uses the tyres at its full performance and capacity.

There is also another type of used tyres which are called “reconditioned tyres”. These are tyres that are totally worn out but the retailers engrave new tread marks on them so they appear like new tyres. These are tyres that are highly dangerous and you should never get involved with.

As you can see there are many issues to consider when purchasing a new set of tyres. So the easy rule is to purchase only new tyres from retailers with warranty. Avoid purchasing used tyres unless you know the history of those tyres, perhaps they could be brand-new tyres that the previous owner had removed in order to purchase new wheels and tyres.