Tyre fitting and balancing — $35 a tyre, while you wait
Book a time online and drive in. We fit and balance any tyres, whether you bought them from us or not, at the same price, with the same 12-month workmanship guarantee. Old tyres taken away, new valves fitted, pressures and torque checked before you leave.
$35 a tyre fitted and balanced ($40 for 4WD and commercial sizes), or $15–$20 a tyre for fitting only. That price includes a new valve, the safety check and disposal of the old tyre. We are at 31 Station Road, Te Puke, Monday to Friday 8am–4:30pm and Saturday morning. Book a slot online — walk-ins depend on what is on the hoist.
On this page
Book your time online
The booking page shows our actual workshop diary — pick how many tyres, choose a day and a time, and the slot is yours. Buying tyres from us? Choose them there too, and the fitting comes with them at the same appointment.
Free to cancel or reschedule, always. Walk-ins get done when there is a gap on the hoist — booking is what guarantees the time.
What it costs
Four prices, all of them including GST. The number in the table is the number you pay — there is no shop fee, no environmental levy on top and no charge for taking the old tyres away.
| Service | Standard sizes | 4WD & commercial |
|---|---|---|
|
Fitting only Mounting, new valve, safety check, disposal |
$15–$20 per tyre | $20 per tyre |
|
Fitting + balancing Everything above, plus computer balancing |
$35 per tyre | $40 per tyre |
We fit any tyres, not just ours
Bought them somewhere else? Same price, same service, same 12-month workmanship guarantee. The only difference is that if you bought from Tyre Dispatch we also handle product warranty claims on your behalf — you deal with us rather than the manufacturer.
Should you pay the extra for balancing?
Almost always, yes. The gap is $15–$20 a tyre and it buys you the thing most people actually notice: no shimmy through the wheel at 90–100 km/h. An unbalanced wheel also scallops the tread as it hops, which takes life off a tyre you have only just paid for. We fit plenty of tyres unbalanced — trailers, spare wheels, a barrow tyre — but on anything that gets up to open-road speed, balance it.
Old tyres are recycled through the Tyrewise stewardship programme, which is funded by the levy already paid when the tyre was imported. That is why disposal is not a separate line on your bill.
What you get, every time
Six things happen to every wheel that comes off, whichever service you have chosen.
Old tyre off
Removed without levering damage, and the rim inspected for cracks, bends and corrosion around the bead seat while it is bare.
New tyre on
Machine-mounted, bead seated evenly, and the directional or asymmetric markings put on the correct side of the car.
Computer balancing
Weights placed where the machine calls for them, so the wheel spins true. Part of the fit-and-balance service.
New valve
A fresh rubber valve on every wheel. They perish, and a $3 part is the most common cause of a slow leak on an otherwise good tyre.
Safety check
Pressures set, wheel nuts torqued to spec, and a look over the fitment before the car comes off the hoist.
Old tyres away
Recycled through Tyrewise at no extra charge. Want to keep them? Say so and they go in the boot instead.
Got a TPMS sensor in the wheel? Tell us when you book. We take care around them, but the service kits (the valve core, seal and nut) are consumable and sometimes need replacing — we will show you before fitting anything.
How it works
Four steps, and only one of them needs you to do anything clever.
- Get the tyres
Order from us with free North Island delivery, pick up in store, or bring in tyres you have bought anywhere else. Not sure what size you need? The size guide reads it off your sidewall in about a minute.
- Book a slot
Use the online booking tool or ring (07) 573 9090. Book for the number of tyres you are having done, not the number on the car — a single tyre needs a much shorter slot than a set of four.
- Drive in and wait
31 Station Road, Te Puke, just off SH2, with parking on site. Around 15 minutes a tyre, so a set of four is about an hour. Most people wait; the main street is a two-minute walk if you would rather get a coffee.
- Checked, then away
Pressures, torque and fitment checked, and you leave with a 12-month workmanship guarantee. Re-torque after 50–100 km if you can — alloy wheels in particular settle after fitting.
Dropping wheels off rather than the whole car? That works well and is often quicker for everyone — bring the wheels off the vehicle and book for the number of tyres. Just make sure you can get them back on: bring your own jack and brace, or leave the car with us instead.
What a few grams actually costs you
A wheel and tyre assembly is never perfectly even. The tyre has a splice in it, the rim has a valve hole, and the pair of them almost never cancel out. Balancing finds the heavy spot and puts weight opposite it.
The imbalance you cannot feel standing still turns into a force that grows with the square of speed. That is why a wheel that feels fine around town starts drumming at 90 km/h and gets worse at 100 — you have not damaged anything between the two, you have simply doubled the speed and quadrupled the force.
Balanced
- No shimmy through the wheel or the seat at open-road speed
- Even wear across the tread, so the tyre goes the distance you paid for
- Less work for wheel bearings, tie rod ends and shock absorbers
- Quieter — a lot of what people call "road noise" is a wheel hopping
Unbalanced
- Vibration that appears in a speed band and worsens above it
- Cupping — scalloped dips around the tread where the wheel bounced
- Once cupping starts, balancing stops fixing it; the tyre is now the problem
- Wear uneven enough to take thousands of kilometres off a good tyre
Vibration that balancing will not fix. If it shakes under braking rather than at a steady speed, that is usually warped discs, not wheels. If it appeared after a pothole, look for a bent rim. If the steering pulls to one side but does not shake, that is alignment — we do not do alignments, and no amount of balancing substitutes for one.
How much does tread condition change your stopping distance?The braking distance calculator puts numbers on the difference between new tread and worn, wet and dry, at the speeds you actually drive.
Open it →Drive times to the workshop
We are at 31 Station Road, Te Puke — off SH2, easy to find, parking on site. Most of our fitting customers are not from Te Puke.
| Coming from | Drive time | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Te Puke | Local | In town |
| Papamoa | ~15 min | SH2 direct |
| Tauranga CBD | ~20 min | SH2 via Baypark |
| Welcome Bay | ~20 min | Via Papamoa |
| Mount Maunganui | ~25 min | SH2 via Baypark |
| Katikati | ~35 min | SH2 north |
| Whakatāne | ~50 min | SH2 / SH30 |
| Rotorua | ~55 min | SH33 / SH36 |
Too far to drive?
We deliver free to most North Island urban addresses. Order the tyres online and have them sent straight to your own mechanic for fitting, or ask for a quote and we will price them delivered. Delivery terms.
What we stand behind
12-month workmanship guarantee
Vibration or a balance problem after we have fitted your tyres? Bring it back inside twelve months and we re-balance it free. This applies whether or not you bought the tyres from us.
Product warranties handled
Every brand carries its own manufacturing warranty. If you bought the tyres from us, we make the claim for you — you deal with us, not with an importer.
Free to cancel or move
No fee, ever. All we ask is as much notice as you can give, so the slot can go to someone else.
If something is wrong, tell us
We would far rather fix it than read about it. Ring the workshop, or use the feedback page.
What it does not cover
The workmanship guarantee covers our work: mounting, balancing, valves and the fitting itself. It does not cover damage that arrives afterwards — a kerbed rim, a puncture, or the cupping that a worn shock absorber causes. If we re-balance a wheel and the vibration comes straight back, the cause is usually somewhere else in the corner, and we will tell you where to look rather than keep adding weights.
Full terms: fitting and balancing terms and conditions.
Four things worth checking
None of these are difficult. All four have sent someone home again.
Bring the wheel lock key
Locking nuts need their key and we do not have one that fits yours. Without it the wheels stay on the car and we have to rebook you. It usually lives in the glovebox, the boot floor with the jack, or the centre console.
In store only
No mobile callouts — the balancer and tyre machine do not travel. Directions to 31 Station Road.
Workshop hours
Monday to Friday 8am–4:30pm, Saturday 9am–1pm, closed Sunday. The last slot of the day is set so the job finishes before we close, which is why late afternoons book out first.
Fitting and balancing only
We do not do puncture repairs or wheel alignments. Both are worth having done — just at a general garage rather than here.
What customers say about the fitting
Verified through Judge.me, an independent review platform. We do not filter or edit them.
Super happy with my purchase! My go-to place — I still save money travelling from the Mount and I love that they offer a tyre fitting and balance service. Team are awesome!!!
Good service and pricing. Bought tyres and was awesome to find out they fit and balance too — so had that done as well.
Awesome work at reasonable prices. Far cheaper to go up to Te Puke than buy tyres in Whakatane.
Fast and affordable. Staff on the day doing the job were well mannered and pleasant to deal with.
Very great service — was able to get tyres fitted straight away, no long queues.
Reasonably priced to our budget. Awesome service. Love that you put the tyre on to the vehicle now. Will definitely order from you again.
Highly recommended when you are shopping for tyres. Staff are great. Service is excellent. Will definitely purchase again from Tyre Dispatch Te Puke!
I got these put on about 3 weeks ago now and I've been off-road with them and they work like a dream. Best mud terrain tyres for price.
5.0★ on Google across 288+ reviews · 100% on Trade Me across 1,200+ sales · 5.0★ on Judge.me. Read them on Google, Trade Me or Judge.me.
Common questions about fitting
The ones we answer on the phone most days.
How much does tyre fitting cost?
Fitting only: $15–$20 a tyre, depending on size. Fitting and balancing: $35 a tyre for most sizes, or $40 for larger 4WD and commercial tyres. All prices include GST.
Every price on this page includes mounting, a new valve, the safety inspection and disposal of the old tyre. There is nothing added at the counter. The pricing table.
Can I bring tyres I bought somewhere else?
Yes — same price, same service, same guarantee. We fit any tyres regardless of where they came from, and we do not charge a premium for it.
The one difference is warranty. If you bought the tyres from us and one fails, we make the manufacturing claim for you. If you bought them elsewhere, that claim is between you and whoever sold them — we can tell you what we saw when we took the tyre off, but we cannot lodge it.
What is actually included in the service?
Old tyre off with the rim inspected while it is bare, new tyre machine-mounted with the markings on the correct side, a new rubber valve, pressures set and wheel nuts torqued to spec, and the old tyres recycled through Tyrewise. Fit-and-balance adds computer balancing on top. All six, in detail.
Do I need fitting, or just balancing?
Fitting is mounting a tyre onto a rim — you need it whenever the tyre itself is being changed. Balancing is adding small weights so the assembly spins evenly, and you need it when a new tyre goes on, or when an existing one starts vibrating at speed.
If you are having new tyres fitted, do both at once. Coming back later to balance means paying to have the wheels off a second time.
Do I need to book?
Book if you can. Walk-ins get done when there is a gap, and on a busy morning there may not be one for a couple of hours. The booking page shows the real diary, or ring (07) 573 9090.
How long does it take?
About 15 minutes a tyre, so a full set of four is around an hour. Most people wait — the main street is a two-minute walk. Low-profile tyres, run-flats and anything with a TPMS sensor take a little longer, so tell us when you book and we will give you a realistic time rather than an optimistic one.
Can I cancel or reschedule?
Yes, free, always. There is no cancellation fee and never has been. The only ask is notice, so the slot can go to someone else who wants it.
Is it worth driving over from Tauranga?
A lot of our fitting customers think so — Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa and Welcome Bay are all inside 25 minutes. At $35 a tyre fitted and balanced, on tyre prices that are already lower, most people are ahead by more than the fuel. Do the sum on your own set before you drive, not after. Drive times.
What about locking wheel nuts?
Bring the key. Locking nuts need the exact key that came with them, and universal removers damage the nut. Without it we cannot get the wheels off and will have to rebook you.
Not sure whether you have them? Look at one wheel: if a single nut has a different pattern from the other three or four, you have locks. The key is usually in the glovebox, under the boot floor with the jack, or in the centre console.
Can I drop the wheels off instead of the car?
Yes, and it is often faster for everyone. Bring the wheels off the vehicle and book for the number of tyres. Just be sure you can refit them properly — you will need a jack and a brace, and the nuts want to be torqued to spec rather than done up by feel. If you would rather not, leave the car with us and we will do the lot.
Do you do puncture repairs or wheel alignment?
No. We fit and balance, and that is deliberate — it is what the workshop is set up for. Punctures and alignments are worth having done, just at a general garage.
One thing worth knowing on punctures: a plug pushed in from the outside is not a legal repair in New Zealand. A proper repair means the tyre comes off the rim, gets inspected inside, and is patched from within. If someone offers to do it without removing the tyre, that is not a repair that should pass a WOF.
What warranty do I get?
A 12-month workmanship guarantee on everything we fit and balance. Vibration or a balance problem inside that year and we re-balance it free, whether or not you bought the tyres from us.
Tyre product warranties are a separate thing and vary by brand. If you bought from us, we handle those claims for you. What the guarantee does and does not cover.
Pick a time and drive in
Fitted, balanced, valved, checked and the old ones taken away — with twelve months behind the work.
(07) 573 9090 · 31 Station Road, Te Puke · Mon–Fri 8am–4:30pm, Sat 9am–1pm
Related pages & tools
Taylor Houghton
Manager, Tyre Dispatch · Warehouse Manager, Traction Tyres
Taylor Houghton has spent his working life in the tyre trade, beginning in his father's tyre business at the age of five and handling import containers through his school years. He developed Tyre Dispatch, the retail arm of Traction Tyres, and now manages it alongside the Traction Tyres warehouse in Te Puke, with responsibility for buying and brand selection. He holds no ownership interest in either business.
Both brands the company distributes exclusively in New Zealand, Anchee and Predator, were his selections, each assessed on factory accreditation, compound composition and independent test data rather than name recognition. More than 100,000 Anchee tyres have since been sold here, and both brands hold five star review averages.
The guides, calculators and tools on this site are his own work, as is the workshop dataset behind them, which covers 1,700+ documented tyre inspections and 45,000+ photographs and represents more than a thousand hours, the majority outside business hours. He is the petitioner to Parliament for mandatory tyre performance labelling and minimum wet-grip standards in New Zealand, and appeared in the launch video for Tyrewise, the national tyre stewardship scheme.
Photography, measurements and advice on this site are first-hand; where a figure comes from elsewhere, it is attributed.
Looking for tyre training data? The imagery and structured inspection dataset are available to licence. Contact email@tyredispatch.co.nz.
General guidance based on published standards and our own workshop data — reliable but hand-compiled and not guaranteed error-free. Spot something wrong? Email email@tyredispatch.co.nz and we'll fix it.