So number one son has found a set of alloys online to replace the standard steel jobs currently fitted to his pug 107 and we've agreed to buy them for him as his Christmas present.

He says he intends to get the tyres swapped from his old wheels onto the new ones ( tyres are reasonably new and mid range budget),I've advised him to save up and buy a new set of tyres and keep his originals as back up, personally I'm not keen on fitting second-hand tyres even as in this case those with a known history......any thoughts?

We've all got used tyres fitted to our cars!

I presume you're suggesting that the fitting process somehow damages the tyre?

Ha ha very good! I'm not suggesting anything as I simply don't know the answer that's why I've asked the question to be honest, does fitting and subsequent removal/refitting damage or stress the bead?

Depending on how worn the current set of tyres are would be the decider for me, to give you an idea of cost we just replaced the Uniroyal Rain Experts on the family Aygo with the same again, cost of the 4 tyres £144 delivered (Camskill).

Balance this against refitting charges which will apply regardless, we got them changed for £10 each half a mile from the house, but many places are now quoting about £15 for this service.

By the way those Rain Experts have never given a moment's cause for concern on the road, no slips at all and for a summer spec tyre are one of the best in the snow i've come across.

Removal and refitting only damages the bead if the operator is clueless, if you see him attempt either removal or refit without lubing the beads stop him and take your custom elsewhere, these 65 aspect tyre sizes present no fitting issues at all, very soft sidewalls, once the bead seal is broken you could remove and refit this size with a couple of desert spoons, just like we did with bicycle tyres as kids.

Edited by gordonbennet on 30/10/2018 at 08:57

On other thing to check before re-using the tyres and that is the age. On the sidewall there is a 4 digit code normally near the DOT details down near the rim. An example is 2513 which would translate as week 25 year 2013.

Some manufacturers say tyres should not be used after 6 years, others say 10 is OK. Personally I go with 10 years but I keep a close eye on them. Had a set of Michelins in about 2013 that had bad sidewall cracks after less than 3 years of summer mileage, they still had 5mm tread (Michelin kindly contributed £200 to a new set).

So if the tyres still look OK but have a date code prior to about 4008 I would not be re-fitting them even if they have good tread. Spending £40 on tyres that at best have a limited life would be bad economics at best, at worst it could be downright dangerous.