Replacing Tyres in Pairs/Singly

Our pickup has worn front tyres, the tread wear indicators are just about level with the tread.
In the interest of help local business, instead of buying over the internet I enquired at our local garage.
The owner was adamant that the tyres must be replaced by the same size, aspect ratio, load rating and manufacturer. I.e. My Yokohama 265/65R17 -112 tyres must be replaced with 265/65R17-112 tyres made by Yokohama. If I want to fit Pirelli 265/65R17-112 tyres then I must purchase a set of four.
This sounds like a liad of Hogwash to me so I pressed him to explain. His reasoning is that manufacturers use different miukds and therefore one manufacturers tyres will ve a different diameter to another’s. Even more Hogwash, thought I. Manufacturers use factories in mire than one country and gave more than one moukd, each of which will have a degree if variation from the other. I also pointed out that as tyres wear the diameters change and wear front to back is rarely even. To stop ne oressing further he agreed to fitting anither brand but woukd mark the receipt to say that was what he had done.

It was all a but weird for me. I remembered that my brother-in-law suffered the same earlier this year. On a trip to the UK his car had a puncture, requiring tyre replacement. The garage did not have the exact brand and model of tyre available, refusing to do anything unless he buy a set of 4 tyres.

I do not believe my local garage is being underhand, I do think that he is working to rules or guidance handed down. I would like to know what that might be, anyone git any ideas? Especially those in the community that are garagistes…

Hi Martin,
This thread may be of interest to you…

Ha ha… just beat me to it… :blush:

Thanks for the link. Mark Rimmer provuded a translation in there of the Control Technique regs. His interpretation does say that same brand, size, load and speed rating shoukd be mounted on the same axle. So, in theory, we can mix brands, front to rear, but not size nor load, unless I misread it?

1 Like

I badly scuffed a rear tyre wall recently, and had to replace the rear pair on the advice of my local CT agent. I got a fair price for the two at my local garage, it is plainly accepted routine in France, and makes road safety sense to me.

I was also surprised and pleased to discover that my garage will arrange for sizeable repair and maintenance bills to be paid over four months, interest-free: a huge relief for pensioners on a limited income who rely on a car for transport in rural areas.

Worth looking at this from Travaux de normalisation des pneumatiques pour la France, aka TNPF.
"Main provisions

Mounting different types of tires:

On the same vehicle:

It is forbidden to fit tyres with different structures: Diagonal (D), crossed belt (B), Radial (R)

On the same axle (front and rear):

It is prohibited to fit tyres of different "types" (i.e. with different "E" approval numbers), except for temporary spare wheel use.

Remarks
Although the tyre tread pattern is not a component of the type and therefore 2 different tread pattern tyres may possibly have the same approval number, the profession recommends fitting strictly identical tyres for optimal vehicle performance."

https://www.tnpf.fr/partage/fiche-synthese-montage-des-pneus/

If it’s a 4x4 I whold not recommend having different tyres on it

Let me know if you have problems changing your Registration.

There is no centre differential on it, a Toyota Hilux with manual transmission. 4WD must only be used when the wheels are able to slip, else the transmission may be damaged.
On something that has constant computer monitoring of wheel speeds, used on all wheel drive systems, then that may be more important.
On mine, 4WD is only to be used when needed, much like the early Series I-III Land Rovers.
There are manufacturers recommendations to follow in the case of permanent 4wd vehicles, but I was more interested in the legal requirements. I was being pushed into buyong 4 tyres when 2 will be fine, I kniw of someone who was not as able to argue his point of view. He had to buy 4 new tyres for a puncture in one nearly new tyre. That was a normal 2WD car.
I like to think it is more a case of doggedly following summarised information than opportunism.

My (frustrating) experience is from Luxembourg.
The Automobile Club here is the ACL.LU
As a member they are very accessible for advise and guidance.
I have often in the past had them look at my winter or summer tyres, free of charge, before changing to ensure six months later a garage says the obvious “mate these tyres are shot you need 4 new winter/summer tyres”

My daughter has a Mini Cooper that she drives very hard and has more than her fair share of bumps etc etc.
Her last was a coming together with a kerb stone which destroyed one tyre.
As luck would have it the winter tyres were just about to be put on so she drove during this summer with 4 summer tyres.
At the end of Summer I persuaded her to go with her car, with me, and the good winter tyre to ACL and get an Experts advice about wether she needed one or two new tyres. The expert examined the tyre, reported it was in very good condition and said “you only need to buy one new tyre, just make sure it is on the same axle.”
A week later she was persuaded by an Expert in a garage to buy two new tyres.
I was of course furious, with the garage. There was still time to change the decision but I was then faced with taking the full responsibility on my own shoulders.
A few hours later I told my daughter to go ahead and at least now we know she has two good tyres, she is safe and the damb garage have got away with it again.