Buying tyres during a recession
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by: motormouth
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Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 Time: 8:37 PM
Buying tyres during a recession
In the past, buying tyres simply involved driving your car down to your local high street speedy fit garage and having them fitted there. But prices at many of these fast fit outlets are at a premium and customers soon became aware of growing reputations of being poor value and in some cases being ripped off. During a recession, price is the overwhelming consideration for motorists and they are especially sensitive to getting a good deal on tyres and everything else they need for their vehicles.
Luckily things have moved on in recent years and there is now a lot more choice available for purchasing tyres for cars, vans, 4x4, motorcycles and other vehicles. Thanks largely to the Internet, customers now have more information than ever before and can shop around for the best tyres deal.
Shopping Online for tyres
The World Wide Web has made it simple to comparison shop - by simply using a search engine such as Google and entering some phrases such as ‘cheap tyres" or "buy tyres", or looking for specific tyre brands, the motorist is presented with a large selection of online tyre shops and retailers where you can select the right tyres for your car. Here you will find some recognised high street brands such as Kwik-Fit and National Tyres. Some of these tyre specialists such as Blackcircles.com will even arrange tyre fitting at your nearest garage after you've selected the right tyres for your car.
Other options include mail order delivery if you are happy to fit the tyres yourself or mobile tyre fitting where the tyre provider comes to your door with the tyres and fits them there and then.
One of the best things about shopping online for your tyres is that you have a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips. Not only can you compare prices but also service because there are now many customer review sites. If the tyre retailer you're looking at does not have good reviews (or any reviews) or details about the tyres that you are interested in buying, you are more likely to look elsewhere and a quick search online can give you alternatives and options for your purchase.
There is also now a wealth of additional information on these tyre retailer websites or on independent websites, which give motorists technical guidance on the performance of various tyre brands and models, or on road safety issues. Speed tests and tyre ratings can also be found online and there are tyre selection tools which can pinpoint the most suitable tyres for your car just by taking some basic details about your vehicle - make and model, even registration plate can be enough to find the best tyre for your car.
If motorists are still unsure at that point, they can always speak with some of these tyre experts. Reputable tyre retailers will provide expert advice over the phone for any potential customers and most will also provide an after sales service for existing or previous customers.
Buying cheap tyres
As a result of the increased competition and the number of online retailers now selling tyres, prices have come down considerably in recent years and there is now a wide range of tyre models and tyre prices - from premium tyres to budget tyres. During a recession, the appeal of budget tyres is growing and there are now more and more cheap tyres being imported from the Far East for example.
However, price should not be the only consideration for motorists when deciding on buying new tyres. A number of studies including one from Autocar magazine has found that budget tyre brands underperformed in wet road conditions when compared against a premium tyre brand such as Continental. It is also well known that budget tyres wear out faster than better quality tyres and will need to be replaced sooner and more often than premium tyres.
So while cheap tyres are attractive to motorists during these tough economic times, they can often be a false economy and road safety is something that everyone should consider before buying tyres. The good news is that the price of premium brand tyres such as Michelin, Goodyear, Dunlop, Bridgestone and others has also come down in recent years and there are some good deals to be had online for these popular brands.
In summary, when motorists need to have new tyres fitted now, they have many options available and a lot of information that can help them make good decisions. They can go online, do some research, ask some questions and they may be surprised at how much money they can save on their tyres.
About the Author
James Patrick is a motoring writer at leading UK tyres specialist Blackcircles.com where cheap tyres can be ordered online for cars, 4x4s, vans and motorbikes.
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