What the job includes
- Budget, mid-range and premium brands in your size
- Fitting and balancing at the car
- Valves checked and pressures set to the maker's figures
- Wheel nuts tightened with a torque wrench
- The old tyres taken away
New tyres fitted in Bicester
If your tyres are worn, damaged or due for a change, we bring the new ones to the car and fit them where it is parked. The fitter fits, balances and torques the wheels at the car.
Bicester is about 45 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2 (further by road). Call and we will tell you straight away whether we can take the job; if we can, the arrival time is given on the call.
New tyres
Is it time for new tyres?
The legal minimum tread depth for a car in the UK is 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters of the tread, all the way round. TyreSafe advises considering replacement before the legal limit, as wet grip falls as tread wears. Other reasons to replace a tyre include cuts or bulges in the sidewall, cracking with age, and a puncture that cannot be repaired.
New tyres
Choosing the tyre
The size, load index and speed rating on the sidewall tell us which tyres fit, and we explain the budget, mid-range and premium choices on the call. If the car came on run-flats and has no spare, keep to run-flats. Our tyres page, linked below, explains the sidewall markings, the load and speed ratings and the EU tyre label in full.
Common sizes are often on the van; other sizes are sourced for the job. When you book ahead, we agree a day and time once the tyres are ready.
Where we can work
Where we fit them
A drive or a residential street where the car is legally parked is the easiest place. Bicester Village's car parks are private, so ask the operator before booking a fitting there; the same applies to a workplace car park. Tell us where the car will be when you book.
Pricing
How the price is worked out
The price depends on the tyre size, the brand and how many tyres you need. We give it to you on the call before you book, and the price is the same at any hour.
Tyre sizes
How to read the size on the sidewall
The size is moulded into the sidewall as a line such as 205/55 R16 91V. Reading it out on the call, or sending a photo of it on WhatsApp, is the most useful thing you can do before the fitter sets off.
What each part means:
- 205 is the width of the tyre in millimetres
- 55 is the profile: the sidewall height as a percentage of the width
- R means radial construction, and 16 is the wheel diameter in inches
- 91 is the load index, the weight each tyre can carry (91 means 615 kg)
- V is the speed rating, the highest speed the tyre is built for
Elsewhere on the sidewall, at the end of the DOT code, is a four-digit date code such as 2423, which means the tyre was made in the 24th week of 2023. Tyres age even when they are not used, so an old spare is worth checking before it is relied on.
Tyre types
Run-flat tyres
Many newer cars, especially some BMW and MINI models, leave the factory on run-flat tyres and carry no spare wheel. The sidewall says so, with a marking such as RSC, ROF, SSR, ZP or RFT depending on the maker.
A car built for run-flats should stay on run-flats, because it has no spare to fall back on and its suspension is set up for their stiffer sidewalls. Tell us on the call if the car has them, so the right tyre is sourced.
Step by step
From your call to the finished job
→
Tell us what happened
Call or WhatsApp with where the car is, the registration and the tyre size from the sidewall.
→
Agree what happens next
You hear what the job involves and the options for your car. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
→
Work at the car
The fitter comes to your home, your workplace or a safe place to park, raises the car on a jack and does the job beside it.
Checked before the fitter leaves
Before the fitter leaves, the wheel is checked for security and the tyre pressure is set to the maker's figure.
Before the visit
Getting the car ready
Leave the locking wheel nut key somewhere easy to find, such as the driver's seat or the glovebox, and tell us if the car will be at work rather than at home.
You do not need to stay with the car for the whole job, but someone needs to hand over the keys and agree the work. If the car is in a residents' bay or a work car park, check the fitter can park close to it.
Not quite your situation?
Tread and age
When a tyre needs replacing
Most tyres have small raised bars in the main grooves, called tread wear indicators. When the tread is worn level with them, the tyre is at the legal limit. A 20p coin is a rough check: if the outer band of the coin shows when it is pushed into the main grooves, the tread may be close to the limit.
Grip in the wet falls away well before the limit, so many drivers replace tyres at around 3 mm. Age matters too: cracking in the sidewall or between the tread blocks means the rubber is perishing, even on a tyre with plenty of tread left.
★★★★★
“Had two tyres replaced and was really impressed. Friendly and efficient, job completed quickly. Highly recommend!”
PNPegah NourmandGoogle review
★★★★★
“Good communication, excellent work and takes the initiative. Happy to go the extra mile, highly recommended if you're in a tyre-related bit of bother!”
DFDavid FordhamGoogle review
★★★★★
“Good and reliable service in all conditions.”
LOLeo OduorGoogle review
Around the area
Neighbourhoods, roads and nearby towns
These are the neighbourhoods, postcode districts and main roads on record for this area. Whether we can take a particular job depends on the diary and the distance from our base, so the call always decides.
Neighbourhoods and villages
- Kingsmere
- Bure Park
- Langford Village
- Glory Farm
- Southwold
- Graven Hill
- Ambrosden
- Launton
- Chesterton
- Caversfield
Postcode districts
- OX25
- OX26
- OX27
Main roads
- M40 J9
- M40 J10
- A41
- A34
- A4421
Landmarks
- Graven Hill
- Pioneer Square
- Cherwell Valley services
The same service in nearby towns
Tyre types we fit
Questions
Questions and answers
Do I need to replace tyres in pairs?
Not always, but tyres on the same axle should be the same size and type, and ideally similar in tread. If one tyre is much more worn than the other, the fitter will tell you and you decide.
Can the fitter work in a hospital, station or retail park car park?
Yes, if the site allows it. Supermarket, retail park and station car parks are private ground, so the owner's permission comes first. Places of this kind in this area include:
- Bicester North station
Can I mix tyre brands on my car?
Yes, but keep the same brand and pattern across one axle, so the car brakes and corners evenly.
Should new tyres go on the front or the rear?
When only two are replaced, the newer pair generally goes on the rear axle, which helps keep the car stable in the wet.
What do the numbers after the size mean?
They are the load index and the speed rating, such as 91V. A load index of 91 means 615 kg per tyre and V means up to 149 mph; the new tyre should be rated at least as high on both.
Should I buy budget or premium tyres?
It depends on the car and how it is used. The tyre label's wet grip grade is a fair way to compare tyres in the same size.
Can you come to the motorway?
We never work on the carriageway of a motorway or main road, on a hard shoulder, in a smart motorway emergency area or on a slip road. If the car can be driven safely, leave at the next exit, stop away from traffic and then call.
How soon can the fitter get to me?
It depends on how far the car is from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2, and on the jobs already booked.
What should I have ready when I call?
The tyre size from the sidewall, the registration and the exact location of the car. If the car has locking wheel nuts, have the key ready.
Can you fit tyres at my workplace?
Yes, if the site is happy for the work to be done there and there is room around the wheel. Tell us the address and where the car is parked on site.
Helpful guides
Tyre advice worth reading
The tyre label explained: grip, fuel and noise
Every new tyre carries a label grading fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise. Here's how to read each rating and use it to buy a safer, cheaper tyre.
Tyre load index and speed rating explained, with full charts
The load index and speed rating on your tyre matter for safety and the law. Here's what those final numbers and letters mean, and why matching them is vital.
When to replace your tyres: 7 warning signs
Not sure if you need new tyres? Here are seven clear signs it's time to replace them, from low tread and cracking to bulges, vibration and age.
All tyre help here
Every tyre service, done at the car
Call to check we can take the job
Tell us where the car is
Send the size from the sidewall and where the car is parked, and the fitting is booked around you. The price is given on the call.