You could do worse than make a note of the size, profile, speed rating eg 235/60/18 V (my car not yours!) and check out mytyres dot co dot uk or camskill dot co dot uk and see what a lot of people pay. You'll see the tyre ratings for wet weather, noise, economy and links to owner reviews. You'd need to find a local fitter to pay around £40 to fit them or you could take the price to Kwik Fit and see if they'll get close. Kwik Fit's first price won't be very competitive so I'd be reluctant to take it without a modicum of haggling.

What size?

I've had Goodyear Eagle F1s (old directional design) on a previous car, then Conti Sport Contacts on present car which I then changed for F1s again (new assymetric design).

The F1s are SUPERB. Check out tyre reviews - they are always in the top few.
They can be had in standard or extra load (I've gone for standard to keep the ride sensible on our potholed roads at the expense of a tiny bit of steering precision). They grip like the proverbial, are comfortable and quiet. Wear rate is fair for a performance tyre.

I need another set in th enew year and shall be getting F1s again.

Try Blackcircles for a price. They usually have good deals.

Hi there Angela e - I have always found Kwik Fit in Southend-on-Sea to be excellent value for money for exhaust systems but have always taken my cars to National Tyres Centre in Hadleigh for tyre changes and puncture repairs. Once you find a well managed local dealer - stick with them and take your boyfriend/dad/brother along to avoid being taken for a ride!

In summary is IS safe to use Kwik Fit given the above provisos.

I had an irreparable puncture this week (pothole again, Oxfordshire again - and the useless council never compensate you). It was a Continental winter tyre and despite the best efforts of my local ATS at Wincanton nobody could supply a replacement. I will never buy a Continental tyre again, through their hopeless lack of desire to sell.

I've no doubt that there has been a lot of demand for winter tyres, but that is no help if you have a puncture. Winter comes round regularly once a year, and if it takes Continental by surprise they don't deserve to be in business.

I wasn't inclined to have one tyre of a different make from the others, so had to buy two new ones - Kleber Quadraxer all-weather tyres which are much cheaper and were so good on my previous Octavia - and delivered the next morning. At least I have one spare, newish Continental in case it should happen again or when the time comes for replacement..