Tyre Fitting in Modbury

Modbury is a small South Hams market town on the A379, with narrow streets, steep approaches and rural lanes in every direction. Tight turns and kerbs are part of daily driving here.

We are Automaster, at Longcombe Cross near Totnes. We fit new tyres, repair suitable punctures, and set alignment and balance. Here is what we would like Modbury drivers to know.

How do tight streets and kerbs affect tyres?

Turning in a narrow street often means scrubbing the tyre against the kerb, which can scuff or cut the sidewall. Steep approaches add braking load too.

Scuffs on the rim edge are one thing, but cuts and bulges are another. Anything beyond a surface mark deserves a closer look.

Steep approaches into town put a lot of braking load on the front tyres, which tend to wear first. Rotating or swapping tyres between axles depends on the car, so ask us rather than guess.

Wheel alignment is worth asking about if the car has taken a knock on a kerb in one of the tighter streets. Uneven wear on the inner or outer edge of a front tyre is the usual giveaway.

Will rural lanes cause punctures?

Hedge cuttings, flints and thorns are common in the lanes. They can sit in the tread for a while and let air out slowly. If a tyre keeps going soft, the wheel should come off for a proper look.

A tread puncture is often repairable, but not one in the sidewall.

Rural lanes in every direction mean that many Modbury drivers see more debris than town drivers do. After a lane journey, a glance at the tread is a good habit.

• Slow loss of pressure
• Object visible in the tread
• Warning light on the dash

When should I replace rather than repair?

Replace a tyre if it is cut in the sidewall, bulging, cracked with age or worn to the legal limit of 1.6 mm across the central three quarters of the tread. Replace it too if it has been driven flat and the inside is damaged.

If one tyre goes, we will check the one beside it on the same axle so they stay matched.

Fitting matching tyres on one axle keeps braking balanced on the steep approaches around the town.

Do you cover Modbury, and where is the garage?

Yes. We are at Longcombe Cross, Longcombe, Totnes TQ9 6PL, and drivers come to us from Modbury, Ermington, Ivybridge, Kingston and Kingsbridge.

Tell us what the car is doing and we will say what we would check first.

If you are not sure whether the noise or vibration you notice is from a tyre, say so. We would rather look at the whole wheel than assume.

What do I tell you for a quote?

Give us the registration, the tyre size on the sidewall, the number of tyres and any symptoms such as pulling or vibration. Speed and load rating, and any alignment or balancing, shape the quote.

Ask for a quote and we will take it from there.

Please include the make and model of the car. Small town cars and larger family cars or vans take very different tyres, and that shapes the quote.