Tyre Fitting in Newton Abbot

Newton Abbot is a market town at the head of the Teign estuary, with a racecourse, a railway station and busy A380 and A382 junctions. It is a gateway to Dartmoor and Torbay, so many cars here cover regular commuting miles.

That mileage wears tyres steadily. At Automaster, near Totnes, we fit tyres, repair punctures and set up alignment and balancing.

Commuter mileage and tyre wear in Newton Abbot

Cars that do the same journey every day tend to wear the same tyres in the same way. Rotating where appropriate and watching pressures help, as does looking for wear on one shoulder.

Faster roads put more heat into tyres. Check pressures before longer runs, and look for bulges after any hard impact.

If your tyres are wearing on the inside edge only, that is a strong hint that alignment needs checking.

When is a tyre worn out?

The legal minimum is 1.6 mm across the central three quarters of the tread, around the whole tyre. Wet-road performance drops before that point, so many drivers replace sooner.

Check sidewalls for cuts and bulges, and look at the age code. A tyre can be legal on tread and still unsafe.

Driving through Newton Abbot's junctions means braking and accelerating hard, which suits neither tyres nor patience, so look at the shoulders as well as the centre.

• Bald patches
• Bulges
• Cracks
• Age code

Can a nail in the tread be repaired?

Usually, if it sits in the central tread and the tyre is otherwise sound. The tyre must come off the wheel so the inside can be inspected. A repair from outside only is not the same.

Sidewall damage, damage near the edge, or a tyre run flat cannot be repaired safely.

Dartmoor-bound drivers should look at their tyres before heading up, as stones and sharp edges on moorland roads can cut a tyre that is already near the limit.

Do I need tracking and balancing for Dartmoor-edge roads?

Rough surfaces, potholes and kerb hits can all disturb alignment. Signs include pulling, a crooked steering wheel and edge wear. Balance is the cure for vibration.

Fitting new tyres is a natural time to check both. Say what you notice when you ask for a quote.

Pulling when you brake is a different fault from pulling when driving steadily, and mentioning which one you notice speeds up finding the cause.

Do you cover Newton Abbot, and where do I go?

Yes. Drivers from Newton Abbot, Milber, Abbotskerswell, Bickington and Heathfield come to Automaster at Longcombe Cross, Longcombe, near Totnes, TQ9 6PL.

Send your registration, tyre size, number of tyres and anything the car is doing, and ask for a quote.

We are an independent garage, and tyre work can be arranged around other jobs on the car.