When buying tyres you are often asked what sort you want. Some people know what brand of tyre they like and will always stick to the same one, other people may go with the cheapest option. Tyres are split into groups often referred to as budget, mid-range and premium branded tyres.

Trying to work out which tyres you need dependent on the make and model of your car, mileage and driving style can be confusing and often people buy tyres that are not really the most suitable for what they need.

Some people always go for premium brands, believing that they must be better due to the price, but this is not always the case as some mid-range tyres actually offer better performance.

When deciding on what tyre you need to buy, look online for reviews and also to compare the statistics such as grip in wet and dry, fuel economy and road noise.

Part worn tyres are a great way to save money. They allow you to replacing your tyres with ones that are above the legal limit for often less than half the price of new ones. Often you will not be able to get four of the same branded tyres, but as long as they are compatible and of a same sort of quality, this should not matter.

Always remember to check the tyre on your space wheel, as there is nothing worse than having a puncture and coming to replace the wheel to find that they tyre on it is bald and not legal. The legal limit for tyres depth is 1.6mm in a continuous band around the central three quarters of the tyre in a continuous band around the central three quarters of the tyre. Part worn tyres are sold with a minimum of 3mm. Not all tyre garages offer part worn tyres, so it is worth shopping around to find the best place.

If you have your tyre replaced by a garage then usually the garage will dispose of your old ones for no extra cost, however some tyre companies that come out to you to fit new tyres may charge a fee for taking the old ones aware, some won’t offer this service at all and will state that you must dispose of them.

Most recycling places will now accept tyres but they usually limit the amount of tyres that they will take or they may charge a fee for disposal. The reason for this is that tyres are actually quite hard to recycle, they can be reused in some types of road surfaces or for some building work but on the whole they are not easy to break down.

More and more people are finding more inventive things to do with their old tyres such as create planters with them or use them in children’s play areas for climbing bumps and swings.

Either way if you need to dispose of your tyres always do it responsibly and NEVER attempt to burn them.

While you might not be too concerned with the information on your tyres sidewall, there are a few things worth paying attention to. A common mistake many motorists make when checking their tyre pressures is to look at the pressure written on the sidewall. The pressure given here is the maximum pressure at the given load, however, and is not the pressure you want while driving!

The large code (195/65 R 15, for example) gives information about size, construction and capabilities. This information is needed when replacing tyres but of special note is the letter (R in our example) which indicates the construction of the tyre. Mixing different tyre constructions on the same axle is illegal and different constructions can damage some four wheel drive systems.

Tyres carry a DOT code, which shows that they comply with regulations and indicates the place and date of manufacture. The last four digits show the week and year of manufacture which is important as tyres become deemed unsafe after a set time as the rubber compound begins to degrade.

Rotating your tyres is a simple way to increase their lifespan as it combats uneven wear. If your tyres show signs of extreme uneven wear then this could be a sign of misaligned wheels or suspension and should be looked into by a professional. Before you consider rotating your tyres, you need to check their construction. There are two main types of construction: cross ply and radial. It is illegal to mix cross ply and radial tyres on the same axle or to have cross ply tyres on the rear with radial tyres on the front as this adversely affects the cars handling.

For front wheel drive cars you should move the fronts to the rear, keeping them on the same side, while moving the rears forward, swapping sides. Rear wheel drive cars need the rears moving forward on the same sides with the fronts moving to the rear, swapping sides. For four wheel drive vehicles tyres should all be swapped diagonally. If you have directional tyres, you should swap front to back but keep tyres on the same side.