Tires have good liquidity in used condition. After all, of all automotive consumables, they are the most expensive and last longer than others. In addition, most drivers have two sets of tires, and one is often kept when selling an old car – to sell separately. So there is both supply and demand. But as in any market there are some nuances.
When should you buy used tires?
First of all – when there is not enough money for a new set. Another reason: the old tires are worn to zero and the new set will not wear out long before the car is sold. Is it worth spending the full program if new tires don’t bring you extra money?
Another option is that you need one wheel to replace the damaged one. First, it will match the tread height with the rest, who have already traveled. Second, the sellers of new tires often refuse to take the sets apart and sell less than four units. It is illegal, but in practice it is not easy to achieve justice.
How to choose?
Tread wear is easy to assess visually. The height limit is indicated by special indicators.
Prestige summer tires often have two. One shows the minimum allowed balance. The second (slightly higher) indicates the degree of wear, after which the rubber noticeably loses its properties on wet asphalt compared to the new state.
Of course, the tread must be worn evenly. Hernias and cord defects usually only come out after mounting, pumping and checking the wheel on a balancing stand.
The seller-private trader can easily disappear immediately after the transaction. Companies that sell used tires usually provide warranty and are willing to take back defective goods. Usually they check the tires in advance and lower quality tires are not offered for sale.
They sell such things on private announcement sites. It costs several times cheaper than a new tire, but the meaning is not clear.
Is the saving big?
It all depends on the zeal of seeking and luck. In the current situation, the spread of prices has become very large. For example, you can only take new tires. Until February 24, the vast majority of sellers offered them at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. The other price was the exception. So, at the time of writing, a Pirelli Powergy tire in the dimensions 245/45 R18 cost from 12,365 to 16,915 rubles. Spread 37%! Despite the freshness of the model, one of the sites offered it already in used condition. The price is 8710 rubles per wheel. True, without photos and even an indication of the degree of wear.
On average, used tires with minimal wear cost about 20% less than new ones. The remaining resource is large, but the savings are small. In addition, many new tire sellers offer free tire fitting when you buy a set. These few thousand rubles reduce the advantage of buying “used”.
It is easy to find tires with treads worn almost to the limit. They sell them three to four times cheaper than new ones. But does it make sense to buy? These tires barely last a season. And for a tire installation you pay the same amount as for a new set.
A reasonable thrift is to find a set of tires 25-30% worn for half the price of a new one. And it’s very real.
Will the functions remain the same?
This is the most subtle moment. Each tire model loses properties as it wears out in different ways. Life cycle tests are very long and expensive and are therefore rarely performed. And it may turn out that very cool used tires will sacrifice in terms of performance to cheap, but new ones, bought for the same money.
Where to buy?
There is no civilized market for used tires. Brand salons of rubber manufacturers are not engaged in the sale of second-hand goods. Although they used to hold promotions under the conditional name “tire trade-in” (they accepted the old set at the cost of the new one). But the running wheels did not appear in their windows.
But all kinds of unofficial companies are a dime a dozen. Internet search engines will help you. Private listings teem with ad portals and buy-sell sections of auto forums. With regard to the latter, it is useful to look for already mounted wheels specific to your car model.
Is there a shortage?
Stocks of new tires in Russia are sufficient for a year or two of sales. They were imported to us 61 million pieces. Moreover, there is – certainly – some of the “grey” stocks hidden in the official statistics, although these have recently come under pressure with the introduction of mandatory labelling.
Since the new rubber market will not be without goods in the foreseeable future, no shocks are to be expected in the secondary market. Although, perhaps this spring, demand here will be higher than usual due to a significant increase in the price of new tires.
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