PASSENGER CAR TYRES

The cost of new tyres will vary significantly by brand, size and performance level. At Tyre Dispatch, we bring in some brands from local suppliers whose prices change all the time. Currently, our personal stock goes up to $560 per tyre but some brands like continental can go above 1000 per tyre.

Ideal tyre pressure depends on your vehicle. You'll find the manufacturer's recommended tyre pressures on a sticker inside the driver's door jamb, on the fuel flap, or in your owner's manual. Check your tyre pressure at least once a month while the tyres are cold to maximise safety, fuel efficiency and tyre life.

We typically recommend going a couple of PSI higher than the placard says, as we often see signs of underinflation and vehicles in NZ tend to carry heavier loads than they were originally designed for.

Typically, the rule of thumb is between 10,000–12,500 km per 100 treadwear rating. So, if you have a treadwear rating of 200, your tyres should last around 20,000–25,000 km. There are trade-offs, though, and some customers may prefer a lower treadwear rating.

Check our Tyre Care Guide to learn how to maximise tyre life.

It depends on treadwear and how often you use your tyres. Most manufacturers recommend replacing tyres between 5-10 years, with most leaning towards 7 years as the maximum.

Touring tyres are typically designed for long-distance driving and standard vehicles, including SUVs and utes that don't need off-road tyres. However, not all passenger car tyres are touring tyres, and standard passenger tyres may be a better choice for many everyday drivers.

High-performance tyres are better suited to sporty cars and drivers who do a lot of turning. Both types usually offer similar wet grip, although performance tyres tend to have better dry grip.

High-performance tyres with higher speed ratings may be less suitable for short trips, as they may not have enough time to warm up. Touring tyres with mid-range speed ratings are generally better suited to shorter trips.

WOF minimum is 1.5mm across 75% of tread width around the full circumference. However, wet braking performance drops significantly before you hit this limit. Replacing closer to 3-4mm is recommended for real wet safety, especially in winter.

Show tyres have a minimum tread depth of 4mm. There is no minimum tread depth for tyre shoulders, but whether they're too worn is generally up to the inspector's judgement.

Most warranties on tyres require rotation every 5,000-10,000km. However, how you rotate your tyres depends on their tread pattern.

For example, symmetrical tyres can be rotated on the same rim. This involves removing the tyre from the rim, turning it around and refitting it to the same rim and wheel position on the car.

You can't do this with asymmetrical tyres (which have designated inside and outside sides) or directional tyres (which must face a specific direction). However, these tyres can still be rotated using different methods.

For more information on this, read our tread pattern guide.

Yes, you can have four completely different tyre brands and models on your car. However, the load ratings need to be within two rating steps of each other on the same axle, although they can differ more between the front and rear axles.

The tread pattern direction must also match on the same axle but can differ between the front and rear. Tyre size and construction generally need to match on each axle, although in some cases they can differ between the front and rear too.

We usually recommend having all four tyres the same, as many tyre designs are intended to work with a matching tyre on the opposite side. If that's not an option, try to find a tyre with similar ratings, tread pattern and groove count.

Your tyre size is printed on the sidewall (e.g. 205/55R16 91V). You can also check your driver's door placard or vehicle handbook.

However, because all vehicles in NZ are imported, they sometimes arrive with tyre sizes that aren't common here. When a car is more than 2–3 years old, it's very common for it to have a different tyre size from the original factory size, as other sizes may be more readily available.

For example, a new vehicle might come with 255/55R20 all-terrain tyres, which can be hard to find and expensive. However, 265/50R20 tyres are extremely common, will fit the vehicle and meet compliance requirements.

For this reason, checking the door placard or looking up the vehicle's original tyre size may not be the best approach, especially if your car is more than a few years old. We usually recommend checking the tyre sidewalls on all four wheels to confirm the sizes currently fitted.

Not always. It depends on the brand. Many brands offer tyres with low wet grip grades, which you can check on the EPREL database.

We don't recommend wet grip grades below C for passenger car (PC), high-performance (HP), ultra-high-performance (UHP) or highway terrain (HT) tyres. Ideally, we recommend an A or B rating. In our opinion, wet grip is the most important tyre rating for safety.

Most sizes in the Anchee range have a B wet grip rating, including all-terrain tyres, although some passenger car and all-terrain sizes have a C rating.

Predator is an American brand, so its tyres aren't rated through EPREL. However, they have the highest UTQG traction grade of AA, which is achieved by around 5% or fewer of tyres that receive UTQG ratings.