Replacing four tyres: from €350 to €240 depending on where and how

Replacing four tyres: €350, or the art of scraping back €50

Four Dunlop SP Sport Fast Response tyres, fitting, balancing and a valve change, all with VAT included: **€350**. That is the starting point. And the first reaction is not to question the price of the rubber, but the price of the job: how much of those €350 is tyre and how much is labour? Because in the same conversation comes the alternative of renting a DIY garage bay for **€15 an hour**, balancing machine included, along with a calculation that makes you wince: if the garage charges around **€20 per wheel** for fitting, doing it yourself saves you about **€50**.

The problem is that the savings arithmetic crashes into the small print. In neighbourhood garages, fitting runs around **€8-10 per wheel**; at chains like Midas, Norauto or Aurgi, between **€15 and 20**. There the margin shrinks. And then there is the detail almost nobody looks at: balancing, valves and the recycling fee, which are not always included in the website price.

What does fitting a tyre really cost?

The range is wide and throws off any comparison. With four wheels, the difference between a neighbourhood garage and a chain can exceed **€40** in labour alone. On top of that, big-box offers — buy two tyres and fitting is included — usually leave out balancing and valves, which are paid separately.

The full calculation, with garage bay rental, petrol and materials, produces a result that surprises more than one person. The conclusion that wins the day in the conversation: between **€15-20** for the bay and **€8 per wheel** at a nearby garage, the real saving is smoke. You pay for it in sweat and in the risk of leaving a nut loose.

Dunlop, Falken or Continental: the brand is not everything

The choice of model generates more noise than the price. The Dunlop SP Sport Fast Response holds up as a **well-known, relatively cheap tyre with good grip**, with the drawback of wearing out quickly. A drawback that hardly matters here: the car does few kilometres and the tyres are replaced due to age, not wear. The current ones date from **2005**, with plenty of tread left but hardened and cracked.

The jump to Falken is justified with comparison charts from a tyre website. The enthusiasm is short-lived: the Ziex ZE-914 is actually an *eco* tyre, and accumulated experience with the brand is mixed, with cases of replacement at **20,000 kilometres**. The warning that settles the matter: within the same manufacturer there are good and bad ranges, and classifying by brand is a rookie mistake.

The final price: €325 and a mountain road

The outcome comes with some downward negotiation: **€325** for the four, fitting and balancing included. The first impression after picking up the car is good, with less road noise and grip that warns before letting go. The acid test, a mountain road at a brisk pace, ends in satisfaction.

The doubt remains as to whether €350 was too much. With common-size tyres, some people replace all four for **€240**, and others pay **€250 for two** Goodyears in a large size. The answer depends less on the garage than on the size and the range. And on whether you are willing to get your hands dirty for fifty euros that, sometimes, do not even exist.