Where to go for tyres?

Ok folks, read through the posts and am now wondering were be to go…

Looking to have 4 Pirelli P7’s put on. Also looking to get alignment balance checked/done as well. Was thinking Jax in Phillip, but someone has said that Jax in Fyshwick has the only place with ‘proper’ balancing. Putting safety before $$$ here, so dont mind paying a wee bit more (hence the P7’s) if it means I sleep easier 🙂

So folks; whatcha reckon?

Wouldn’t go back to Jaxquickfit Fyshwick, unfriendly service and I found I could’ve saved $50 each if I had gone to Bob Jane! My colleague said Jax’s Belco is not bad though.

I’d bought a set of mags (second hand), with tyres and one mag needed a scratch fixed. I went to a specialised wheel shop in Fyshwick who said, and I quote “I’ll re-paint the whole wheel. I’ll be able to spot the difference, but you won’t”. Returned several days later to pick the wheel up and from 20 metres I could tell it was a crap job. Didn’t matter though. The dicks had cracked the rim during tyre removal/fitting and it had a slow leak. I ended up getting two new rims from a mob in Sydney for an excellent price who managed to get my tyres on without breaking anything.

Jax in Tuggeranong has always been a painless experience for both my father and I with normal tyre purchases.

Hmmmn, thats right you should promote a business that works for u……. Jax’s Belco seems to do pretty good job, with the exception of being able to please jube:-)

Hmmmn, a lot of newbies promoting Jax…nice marketing guys.

Stay away from ACT Total Tyres/Fyshwick Tyre Service.

Needed one low-profile tyre last year to pass rego. The only place in Fyshwick with the right size tyre was ACT Total Tyres/Fyshwick Tyre Service. They charged me through the nose for a Chinese thing that I know shouldn’t have cost $250.

But what are you going to do when you need a tyre to pass rego?

They put it on while I waited and burred one of the wheel-nuts up, left four on the car and told me it’d be alright.

My cars first set of tyres came from Discount Tyre Service, as they were near to the dealer I bought the car from. I was happy with the first set, so I returned for replacement set. By this stage, the shop had changed to Goodyear. They couldnt stock the model of tyres Id had previously, and persuaded me into another brand. They also performed a wheel alignment. About 2 months later, I took the car in for other repairs (suspension, unrelated), and was advised that the wheel alignment was horribly wrong (+2/-2 for front and +4/-1 for rear), and that the tyres were almost half way through their life, despite me paying over $100/tyre 3 months earlier and $80 for a wheel alignment.

A short while after this, I heard about a case where ACCC was investigating Goodyear, for selling dodgy tyres (the model Id purchased). When the time came up for a new set, I again visited Goodyear and enquired about the ACCC judgement and previous dodgy work. They advised that the ACCC-ordered refunds for dodgy tyres and work, only applied to commercial customers, and as quite a bit of time had passed since these tyres were put on, I cut my losses and refused to go back to goodyear again.

On the plus side, I got tyres fitted at bob jane recently, they gave me a great deal and the fitter also offered me a set of factory alloys for $100/set which came off an identical car a few days earlier. Under $500 for a full set of wheels and tyres, and being All-rounders, they come with a road hazard warranty.

It’s worth remembering that different tyres work well for different cars. For example, I use Firestone TZ100s on the V8 (they feel measurably better than the bridgestone turanzas that were original equipment, especially in the wet), but the same tyres don’t work as well on small cars.

crazybear05 said :

jube_V8Fairlane_235kw – , What mob you taking bout? Jax’s Belconnen or Bob Janes Fyswick, cant quite make it out.

I was talking about Jax Belco.

Jax Quickfit in Mitchell

jube_V8Fairlane_235kw – , What mob you taking bout? Jax’s Belconnen or Bob Janes Fyswick, cant quite make it out.

xdave, choice is you believe it works for me or you call me a liar.

wishuwell said :

First step for me is contacting the web site of the manufacturer of my tyre choice and getting the best possible price (there are some real good deals to be had) then if happy I get the person who quoted lodge the order and make the appointment for me. With a Head Office order there is less stuff ups and instant results if something needs to be resolved.

Sounds like bullshit to me. What is the point in supply chain, wholesalers, distributors, stockists, etc. if everyone could just do this?
For instance, if you contact Bridgestone directly, do you think they’d be happy to do business with you (the one-off client purchasing only 2 maybe 4 tyres at any 1 time) rather then trying to steer you to one of their Bridgestone Tyre Centres?

So, is this just purely speculation? Or is this tested and proven?

I’ve also used Northwest tyres once but didn’t include it in my earlier list as they seem a bit of a “backyard” operation. They only used a trolley jack (out the front of their building) instead of a hydraulic lift (and didn’t chock the rear wheels or put stands underneath it, OH&S is optional there apparently), didn’t bother to look why the inside edge of the old tyre was scrubbed out, and left a lot of tyre seating lube on the sidewall.

Also I think they source used tyres from wreckers in the area rather just than “one season in Germany” etc as all the tyres on the rack in the size I needed were brands and patterns common in Aus – and the Bridgestone I got was Australian made.

Would use them again for a trailer or if I had one damaged tyre out of a full set, and they are priced similar to retreads (ugh!), but not for regular purchases.

Smudge said :

Here’s a second vote for Jax at Tuggeranong. Went in to get a slow leak fixed, they replaced a dodgy valve and charged me nix. Very polite to boot.

I rate Jax at Tuggers too. The bloke there really took the time to explain the various options, asked me a lot of questions about our ‘driving lifestyle’ and budget and he provided some good advice about which tyres to get (well, it seemed good to me, but really, how does one ever really know?). The service was really quick, friendly guys and the prices seemed quite reasonable. Highly recommended.

I can only HIGHLY recommend Jax @ Fyshwick. They have the only dedicated proper wheel balancing machine for rims/wheels that do not have a centre bore hole.

Also pricing is outstanding. Managed to pick up some 205/50/16 Bridgestones for $160 per corner – consider that the dedicated Bridgestone retail outlet around the corner wanted $235!

Ask for Mirrahn – tell em “The Peugeot Guy” sent you….. 🙂

I get my local mechanic to organise tyres for me rather than going to a dedicated tyre dealer: they know what the car needs, they know the best places to source tyres, and they get trade rates.

Pommy bastard said :

Jax Belconnen. They ahve always been good to me.

+1

Whereas I have had the total opposite experience with this mob – would never go there again. Dodgy upsells, poor service, car never ready within quoted times. They even tried to upsell once whilst my mechanic took my car there for a tyre (he doesn’t go there anymore either).

Went to Bob Janes Fyshwick a month ago & got Pirellis

Very happy with their service.

Jax Belconnen. They ahve always been good to me.

+1

First step for me is contacting the web site of the manufacturer of my tyre choice and getting the best possible price (there are some real good deals to be had) then if happy I get the person who quoted lodge the order and make the appointment for me. With a Head Office order there is less stuff ups and instant results if something needs to be resolved.

I haven’t had to buy new tyres for years (car keeps changing), but I have had to have a repair done quickly, and Tyrepower in Tuggeranong were fast, friendly and cheaper than expected.

Please don’t fit el-cheapo Chinese tyres or dodgy 2nd-hand imports!

Nothing personal against the Chinese but their tyre designs are not yet up to scratch. And 2nd-hand tyres belong on only one type of vehicle – your trailer.

Tyres are the only connection between you (and your family) and the road. Fitting top quality tyres will enhance your motoring safety, whole-of-life economy, smoothness and peace of mind.

I agree with other negative sentiments expressed re Northwest. It’s a crazy concept to import used tyres from the other side of the globe. I tried this establishment a couple of times but was not convinced to purchase. I think the place has a definite seedy air to it regarding both staff and product. I have a modest knowledge of tyres (having previously worked in this industry) and the speil I received at Northwest did not match what I know to be fact.

Among others, Reprobate in post #4 seems to offer good advice. I have bought from Pats in Fyshwick, purely though very competitive pricing (via ‘squeezing’ their quotes) but yes their service was not fantastic. Woden Tyre & Exhaust try hard. Speaking of quotes, I’ve always found Beaurepaires quite pricey.

Quality tyres deserve a quality wheel alignment. I’m reluctant to risk the ‘butcher job by totally inexperienced teenager’ from tyre retailers, and prefer a suspension specialist as there doesn’t seem too much difference in cost. Capital Steering & Suspension have been ok to me while Revell Fyshwick was a mixed experience.

As for a tyres I can genuinely recommend either Michelin Energy MX1+ (imported) and Bridgestone RE 592 (locally made). Both of these are regular passenger-car tyres of the latest high-tech design. I’m on my third set of Michelin MX1 which are nicely ‘grippey’ yet also progresive in feel and btw keep their balance and have lasted very well.

OpenYourMind2 said :

A bit off topic, but it’s amazing what a difference tyres can make to stopping distances. That stupid knock 5km/h off ad has it all wrong. The 5km/h only makes a difference if the reaction speed is completely exaggerated. The example given is only valid if the driver is practically asleep.

When tyres are tested (particularly in the wet), a good set of tyres can, all other things being equal, take metres off stopping distances.

It’s pretty easy to pick holes in a the majority of road safety ads to be honest.

Things might have changed at Northwest. I had my car booked in to a nearby place in fyshwick to get some suspension work done, so needed to get teh tyres on fast. Made a very vague booking with the northwest bloke, he didn’t need me to leave details or anything, ordered the new tyres on verbal agreement, and sure enough he had me tyred and out by 9am. While I was having a coffee waiting for my ride after dropping the car in for its day-long suspension work, I observed cars roaring up to northwest, and roaring out again at 30 minute intervals. Business is good, evidently.

I would also never go back to Jax Queanbeyan after my sister got stung with them. Bad service, didn’t get what she paid for, and then to top it off, she also had some mechanical work done, and when the car was returned it was running rougher than it was when she put it in. They claimed nothing was wrong it’s just the age of the car. I however found a spark plug lead not connected.

I use Pats in Fyshwick and can only praise them. I now only use them for both tyres and mechanical work. I wouldn’t use Pats in Queanbeyan however.

Went to Northwest tyres once and never again.

I’d be interested to hear why, given that they seem to have so many other happy customers. Not questioning the validity of your opinion, it’s just a bit light on explanation.

About 4 years ago I got tyres for my Commodore there and it took an hour and a half to get 2 tyres fitted( there were only 2 cars there at the time including mine). They also managed to mark the centre caps of my wheels and used the rattle gun to tighten up the wheels (alloy) so that it was nearly impossible to get the wheels off. Never had any trouble with Pats at fyshwick. got 145’s for my bug as well as 225’s for my commodore for reasonable prices and no fuss. got lectured by the guy at Bob Jane about what tyre to fit to the wife’s car. However they did say they would fit them if I signed a form that didn’t hold them liable (managed to contradict himself more that once).

OpenYourMind2 said :

A bit off topic, but it’s amazing what a difference tyres can make to stopping distances. That stupid knock 5km/h off ad has it all wrong. The 5km/h only makes a difference if the reaction speed is completely exaggerated. The example given is only valid if the driver is practically asleep.

When tyres are tested (particularly in the wet), a good set of tyres can, all other things being equal, take metres off stopping distances.

Very true. In the latest Wheels Mag tyre test, they did a round up of some of the best tyres available and the difference in the test was quite a bit. All good tyres, but in the dry, the Goodyear F1 Asyms stopped in 26.7m, the Sumitomo in 29.5. Gap widened in the wet with the a spread of 27m (Bridgestone) – 33m (Sumitomo). These are all very good tyres so one can only imagine what how the lower end ones will compare.

A bit off topic, but it’s amazing what a difference tyres can make to stopping distances. That stupid knock 5km/h off ad has it all wrong. The 5km/h only makes a difference if the reaction speed is completely exaggerated. The example given is only valid if the driver is practically asleep.

When tyres are tested (particularly in the wet), a good set of tyres can, all other things being equal, take metres off stopping distances.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Jax Queanbeyan are one to avoid. I’ve been there twice, they were cheap and stocked what I wanted, but they took ages, and the first time they snapped one of the studs on the hub (the wheel had never been off the car before!), and the second time they failed to tighten wheel nuts. Never been back.

My wheels have been off lots, especially when I decided to pretty up the wheels which were peeling back to the yucky dirty black metal underneath, and sprayed on some wheel silver. Worked a treat but I had to take them all off, one after the other, to do it.

Wish I’d masked the tyres properly though. That wheel silver sticks to everything, even rubber. I have a criss-cross tool though, as single levers are no match for rattle-gun tightened nuts. I’ve stopped to help people trying to get their wheels off, I saw one bloke standing on his tyre lever once! Trying to shift the nut. Criss-cross thing did it.

Getting tyres for weird sizes is a pain. Mine are a weird size, 205 75r15, and luckily some makers are still making tyres in that size, but few in proper AT patterns. Seems the buyers of small 4WDs want nice smooth road tyres.

I was told by several shops that I could go wider to 215, and reduce the ratio to 70, and that gave a few more options (and fatter tyres are tuff). One “family owned” tyre place in fyshwick though, the lady on the phone said that was illegal. I’m pretty sure it’s not.

I’m just stoked at how much better my car is tracking on the road, the grip it has (tested in the sudden t-storm in civic last week), and how well it corners.

I’ve had the tyres from hell on for some years… I didn’t choose them. I chose some nice ones with a good pattern, dropped the car in to have them on, got car back and was told that the ones I’d chosen weren’t made any more, so they’d put these ones on, same brand… well what do you do? They were awful. Tried to kill me on ice, failed epically on snow, tracked poorly, had no grip in any conditions. what do you do? There’s a tyre shop I’ll never go back to, and when I grumbled on the ‘net, the owner rang me and threatened to sue me.

Tyre buying is such a lottery. But this time, I’m pleased with the result, and for a lower price. the thing at Northwest is, you can go and play with the tyres. You look, you choose, and you can pull it off the rack and go over it with a fine tooth comb. I like that.

Went to Northwest tyres once and never again.

I’d be interested to hear why, given that they seem to have so many other happy customers. Not questioning the validity of your opinion, it’s just a bit light on explanation.

This is a brilliantly timed story – I was actually just pondering posting exactly the same question today – thanks to everyone for the advice so far.

Buy good quality brands, and make sure the size is correct for your car and rim size. Know the size you need, and ask for options in that size.

Jax Queanbeyan are one to avoid. I’ve been there twice, they were cheap and stocked what I wanted, but they took ages, and the first time they snapped one of the studs on the hub (the wheel had never been off the car before!), and the second time they failed to tighten wheel nuts. Never been back.

Well, thats right Jax’s Tyres are great, try Jax’s at Belconnen there you will get a quote from a chick . There the only ones that have a female tyrefitter, thats right you read it correctly.

For professional quailty and reliable service see the team @ Jax Belconnen

Here’s a second vote for Jax at Tuggeranong. Went in to get a slow leak fixed, they replaced a dodgy valve and charged me nix. Very polite to boot.

wasn’t impressed with Goodyear (think its ex Discount Tyres) on Lonsdale St. Tried to upsell me to three new tyres when i only needed one.

Just goes to show what an odd world we live in. I’ve had good service from Bob Jane Fyshwick in the past and poor service/advice from Pat’s (especially Mitchell).

Pat’s Tyres in fyshwick. I don’t go anywhere else. I have some weird sized tyres on my car and they have no problems getting them for me and at a reasonable price. Plus they do the job without any issues or damage.

Went to Northwest tyres once and never again.

Bob Jane is just a joke.

It’s good to hear so many other happy Northwest customers. They were good to deal with, and it’s a nice pared-back operation. The bloke did what he said he’d do, and in the time frame. And knocked a bit off the original quote, too. I’ll use them again. Happily.

Worn and used tyres? I don’t know, seems like a huge risk to me. Side walls could be damaged, steel belts worn, a whole heaps of structural things under the surface and unless you check the age of the tyre (shown on the side), you could be driving on old ones that aren’t even legal anymore. You might be getting a bargain paying $80 but you may end up paying if a tyre fails doing 110km on the Hume Hwy.

Kmart Tyre and Auto Service, Manuka. Good service, good prices, bonus points for being within walking distance of my office.

Northwest Tyres!

They source their tyres from Germany – Germans change their tyres every season, and export to a number of countries the million or so barely used ones.

They have excellent mid-range tyres for around half the price of the cheapest low-end range new tyres.

They also are really, really fast – on the spot tyre changes, but you may have to book for a wheel alignment. And never a leer or exploitative chick-extra in sight.

+1 for Northwest tyres
if you know what you want, you can get good rubber there. Around 5-15% worn, at a fraction of retail price. I got 2 16″ michelins @$80 ea fitted, they retail $350-400 ea

Reprobate said :

Bob Jane Fyshwick … pretty vanilla experience.

You were lucky. There was only one tyre place on my list to avoid this time around.

doesnt matter where you go in canberra, be prepared to get the lube ready.

well worth the drive to sydney to get a new set of tyres, the prices are that much cheaper.

Yet to find a tyre dealer in Canberra worth going back to time and again – these days I mostly shop on price once I’ve decided on what brand and model of tyre I want. However, I do keep using Woden Tyre and Exhaust for wheel alignments as I’ve yet to have a bad one from them – which is more than can be said of a certain suspension chain who are full of bull. However WTE don’t have the wide choice of tyres that say Bob Jane has.

As a general summary over the last 10 years or so:
Bob Jane Fyshwick and Belco, Jax Quickfit, Kmart Tyre and Auto – ok service, generally always good prices, pretty vanilla experience.
GoodYear Tyre and Auto (was Discount tyres) – push their preferred brands hard, don’t expect much variation from GoodYear/Dunlop/Sava/Blue Streak choices (btw all of these brands are now made offshore in cheap labour countries except for the top range GoodYears and Dunlops). Similar to Beurepaires.
Pats/Tyres and more – havn’t considered them since 1998 when I booked in for 4 new tyres, turned up and they had 1 in stock, had to ask if another branch had them to get them that day, then before I left for the other store the grunt fitter broke a wheel stud – had to replace it myself. Never again.
Bridgestone – good prices on their brands but ultimately limited choices, had a couple of instances of “other work needed immediately” that was just not so and ordinary alignments.
Tyrepower Tugg and Qbn – not bad service but not as slick as the big boys.

Have had numerous great experiences with Jax in Tuggeranong. Never been “chick quoted” there either- just professional, quick helpful service. Would not hesitate to recommend them.

Buying tyres is a total leap of faith. You can’t test them, often you can’t even SEE them before they’re on your car. Most of the people you deal with in the tyre places can tell you what’s available in your wheel size, how much it costs, and might even have a picture of the tread for you. But they can’t tell you how the tyre will perform ie will it bag out under hard cornering etc?

I bought my car’s 3rd set of tyres last week. I got 2 second hand ones, and 2 new chinese ones! Shocking. But you see, when I got my 2nd set, years ago, I did all the research and shopped around, and still got so badly burned I thought what the hell.

and the outcome? The set on now drives SO much better than the ones I got burned on. They grip, they corner. Perfect. Haven’t felt that in years. and they cost so much less.

I did a lot of phone shopping around, but in the end went with a recommendation to try Northwest tyres, in Wollongong st. (they have a website). It’s a funny operation, the bloke gets tyres imported from europe, asia and the middle east. Some are quite worn, others are in great condition. Two I got still have the little bristles on the side, $100 each for 4WD tyres.

But the thing is, the bloke invites you to come into the racks and actually look at the tyres, and choose the ones you want. They’re quick, and put the tyres on while you watch. And he sourced a couple of newies for me for the front, and I’m happy with them.

I was up for almost a grand to get the new retail normal tyres, got out of this for $500 (tyres, and disposal fee), and I’m very happy with what I’m driving on. Huge improvement.

In my experience, getting tyres fitted and having damage to the car is pot luck.

I have found the Beaurepaires in Braddon and Fyshwick to be okay though. Also the Goodyear place on Maryborough Street (if it is still there, and not to be confused with the ex-Discount Tyre Service outlets which now have Goodyear branding as well).

Actually, Goodyear might be having one of their 25% off sales at the moment. Or more strictly, 4 tyres for the price of 3.

What sort of car do you have, and what do you want from your tyres (ie. grip, long lasting etc).