Services / Tyres, tracking and balancing
Tyres, tracking and wheel balancing in Cardiff
A tyre worn on one edge is telling you something about the car. We read that before we fit a new one, because a new tyre on bad tracking wears out exactly the same way.
What is included
- Tyres supplied and fitted, in the size, speed and load rating your car is built for
- Fitted by a Dunlop and Michelin trained tyre fitter
- Wheel balancing on every tyre we fit
- Tracking checked and adjusted
- Wear pattern read across the full width of each tyre, inside edge to outside
- Tread depth and tyre age checked on all four, and the spare where there is one
- Pressures set to the manufacturer figure for your car, and the pressure warning system reset
- Wheel nuts torqued to specification, not just done up tight
What it costs
Tyre prices depend on the size, the rating and the brand, so there is no honest single figure to give you here. Ring the workshop with the registration, or the size off the sidewall, and we will tell you what the options cost for your car before anything is ordered. Balancing is part of fitting, not an extra that appears on the invoice.
How long it takes
A pair of tyres fitted and balanced is usually under an hour once the tyres are here. Tracking adds a little on top. We order to your car rather than fit whatever happens to be on the rack, so ring ahead and we will tell you when they will be in.
Which makes
All makes. The German marques often run a different tyre size front and rear, run flat tyres, or a tyre carrying the manufacturer's own approval mark, and getting any of those wrong changes how the car drives. We fit what the car was specified with unless you ask us otherwise.
Ring the workshop with your registration and we will give you a price for your exact vehicle, not a range that turns into something else when you arrive.
Tyres, tracking and balancing, questions answered
My tyres are worn on the inside edge. Do I just need new tyres?
You need new tyres and you need to know why. Wear on the inside or the outside edge is an alignment problem rather than a tyre problem, so if the tracking is not put right the new tyre will wear out the same way. We check it before we fit, not after you come back.
What is the difference between tracking and balancing?
They are two different jobs that fix two different things. Tracking sets the angle the wheels point at, and it is what stops a tyre scrubbing itself away on one edge or the car pulling to one side. Balancing evens out the weight of the wheel and tyre, and it is what stops a vibration through the steering wheel at speed.
The steering wheel shakes at motorway speed. Is that the tyres?
Usually it is a wheel out of balance, which is a quick fix. If the shake comes on when you brake rather than at a steady speed, that points at the brake discs instead, and that is a different job. Tell us when it happens and we will know where to look first.
How do I know when my tyres need replacing?
The legal minimum tread is 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the tyre, but grip in the wet falls away well before that. Cracking in the sidewall, a bulge, or a tyre that is simply old all matter as much as tread. If you are not sure, call in and we will measure them and show you the reading.
Can I replace just one tyre?
Sometimes. On a two wheel drive car a single tyre is often fine if the one across the axle still has good tread. On four wheel drive cars a large difference in tread depth between tyres can strain the driveline, so it is worth asking us before you order one.
Do you keep my size in stock?
We order to your car, so ring ahead with the registration or the size on the sidewall. That way you get the right tyre rather than the nearest one we happened to have.
Related services
Brakes and suspension
Pads, discs, brake fluid changes, arms and bushes, with the worn parts kept back for you to look at.
MOT testing
Class 4 testing on site, with the repairs done in the same workshop if something needs putting right.
Differential and transfer case
The 4x4 driveline oil services almost every garage skips, until something expensive breaks.
Ring us about tyres, tracking and balancing
Tell us the registration and what it is doing. We will tell you what it needs, what it costs and when we can take it.
Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Drop the car at Cardiff Marine Village, Penarth Road.