The Origins Of Used Tyres And Why They Are a Good Deal - AllCarIndex

The Origins Of Used Tyres And Why They Are a Good Deal

May 30, 2025

While it is usually our urge to buy anything we can in brand new condition, there is one area where buying used is actually more common than buying new, and that is the automotive industry. Only the wealthiest among us can afford to buy a new car fresh from the factory these days, so most of us settle for used cars that are almost as good if we are lucky, and cost a whole lot less!

It's not just the entire car that we like to buy used, it's also certain parts, especially the tyres. Why shell out major money for a brand new set when you can pick up some cheap tyres for a fraction of the price that are good enough to last a few years, at least? Sure, they aren't perfect, but neither is the used car we are putting them on, or for that matter, life!

Just like a decent quality used car, a set of used tyres can still be in really good condition. Most used tyres for sale still have 50% to 70% of their tread intact, which can give you a pretty high amount of mileage for the low price you are paying.

The following are some of the common reasons why the used tyres for sale are in such good condition:

Fast talking manufacturers are able to convince drivers into buying a set of new tyres even before their current tyres are actually worn out. This causes the unwary to lose a few years of good use from the old ones so they can have shiny new tyres.

There are a number of unethical repair shops that recommend to their unwitting customers that their current set are far more worn out than they actually are and that they need to buy new ones. This causes the customer to change out their tyres prematurely while they are still in relatively good condition. The dastardly shop owner then sells them a set of new tyres, charges them a disposal fee, then makes more money by reselling the tyres as used! Buyer beware!

Sadly, auto accidents happen every single day of the year, resulting in thousands of perfectly good tyres being removed from cars that were otherwise totalled. Tyres are quite robust because they are designed to take the worst the road can throw at them, so they often come out of the car wreck unscathed.

Another source of used tyres also depends on calamity. Every year a large number of cars are destroyed by floods. Water wreaks havoc on all of the car's components except the tyres, which are made of rubber and immune to the water damage caused by flooding.

Most people don't realise it, but when you buy used tyres, you are actually doing a good deed because it's really a kind of tyre recycling that subtracts from the huge number of old tyres that end up in the rubbish! Millions of used tyres are sold every year in Australia, which saves them from being tossed in landfills where they slowly degrade into harmful chemicals that pollute the environment. 

Used tyres can save you a lot of money, but please do buy them from ethical tyre shops!