<< Readers please note, JohnF is risking peoples lives with his often given ill advised and dangerous advice. >>

Realistically, we are all risking people's lives (mostly our own) whenever we get in our cars and drive. Probabilities attach to anything we do, and I suppose JohnF's suggestion has a slightly higher risk than normal. Some people are more risk-averse (worried?) than others, and some hardly think about the risks. You may be trying to bait J-F, or the other way round, or both, but sometimes I think you try a bit too hard.

Whatever you decide its likely to be cheapest to buy online with fitting at one of their partners included

I have bought winter tyres fitted to new steel rims from MyTyres and they were ££££'s cheaper than buying from UK suppliers.

But

When i wanted 4 new tyres last year the prices using on line sites fully fitted were no lower than well known and respected local indepedents.

But I noted some issues buying like this:

The fitting partners for the on line sellers in our are mostly local scrap yards, I for one would not want such a place removing/fitting tyres to my expensive alloys.

If there is a problem with a tyre bought on line it would be the buyers responsibilty to get it removed and then send it back, both of which will cost money. What would the buyer do then with a tyre missing from the car, they would have to buy a replacement locally or leave the car on bricks. Ita ll too risky even if it saves a few pounds.

The tyres I bought were Uniroyals, from memory buying on line and using a propper tyre shop was just over £50 each, for the record a scrappy would have save me about £3 a tyre. My local indy quoted me £196 for 4 fully fitted inc disposal.

But when they came to fit them they discovered a problem. The wheels are racing alloys with the valves in a position that protects them from being damaged during any wheel to wheel contact, they are especially popular with oval racers. The valves need to be stubby ones but the valve seat in the alloy is thicker than normal and the valve needs a longer slim area to fit, these valves have been discontinued, the ones in the rims were fitted in 2008. They showed me that whilst an ordinary valve appears to fit OK once you move it about it will potentially fall into the wheel causing an instant loss of pressure. The only solution was bolt in alloy valves which their supplier had in stock and delivered within the hour. Obviously I had to pay a bit extra, cost me £2 a wheel.

I ask myself, how many tyre shops would be professional enough to recognise this issue and instead left me in a potentially dangerous car.

So buying locally actually saved me money and potentially saved my life, they are both a bargain.