Ford Focus Titanium X - Mismatching tyres on a Used car purchase - BSADen

I very much like a nearly new Focus Titanium X estate being sold at a local Motorpoint dealership. The car has the optional 18" wheels with low profile tyres.

Three of the tyres are good, Michelin. The fourth is a Vredenstein, same size, but glaringly diffrent (deeply grooved diaganol tread lines) tread.

Motorpoint assure me that this is quite normal and acceptable, but this goes against all I have heard, bearing in mind that thje car has ABS and traction control.

What is the true position please?

Ford Focus Titanium X - Mismatching tyres on a Used car purchase - RobJP

There is nothing illegal about it whatsoever.

Whilst it may be inadvisable, I'm absolutely certain there are millions of cars running around on the roads today with mismatched tyres, and carnage levels are at a minimum.

Ford Focus Titanium X - Mismatching tyres on a Used car purchase - Wackyracer

It's likely to be a very good price if your buying from motorpoint, even if you have to buy a new tyre to get a matching set for peace of mind it won't make much difference to the price your paying for the car in the grand scale of things.

I have an odd tyre on one of my cars as it was the spare and got put on the car. Can't say it feels or handles any differently to before.

Ford Focus Titanium X - Mismatching tyres on a Used car purchase - Cyd

I wouldn't worry about it unduly. Any differences in the tyre characteristics will be small and extremely unlikely to cause any issu in normal driving.

In this case though, I would put the two best matching tyres on the rear. The mismathced tyes will therefore wear out the quickest at the front and you can get two new tyres the same at the next purchase point (remembering to put the new tyres on the back of course).