FAQ

• Car
• Van
• Motorcycles
• 4×4
• Agricultural vehicles
• Earthmover
• Caravan
• Etc.

We stock tyres for a whole range of vehicles – it’s actually difficult to find a type of vehicle we won’t source tyres for. We also have employees working in our branches who are specialists in changing/operating caravan safety bands.

We are stockist of all major tyre brands from Michelin, Continental, Goodyear and Pirelli to lesser known, mid-range and even budget tyres to suit all budgets.

If you have a particular set of tyres in mind for a specific vehicle, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and have a chat with a member of our skilled team as chances are, we are able to get them for you – otherwise our local tyre fitters will advise to the best of their ability.

• Seasonal
• Run-flats
• High-performance
• Vintage
• Plant
• Industrial

We are stockists of all major tyres, however we are able to source just about any type of tyre going – from vintage to industrial. Plus, we can get every tyre manufacturer that a customer could possibly want.

These tyres are also available as part of our 24 hour recovery service. Have a friendly chat with a member of the team today and we can discuss the optimum tyre for your needs.

• Tyre replacements
• Tyre repairs
• Brakes
• Oil change
• Filter changes
• Wheel alignment
• Wheel balancing
• Batteries
• Exhausts
• Etc.

Our skilled team are experienced in a multitude of auto servicing jobs, giving you peace of mind when you leave your vehicle with us. Please contact us today for advice or a quote if you require any of these services.

Tyre punctures always seem to happen at the most inconvenient of times, in the worst places imaginable. There’s no way you can continue with your journey, so chances are you’ll call for roadside assistance or an emergency mobile tyre replacement service – neither are ideal as you still have to wait a considerable amount of time and time has a tendency to slow down in these situations.

By having run-flat tyres fitted, you can avoid this inconvenient, and quite frankly, embarrassing situation. Run flats are designed to continue running following a puncture for approximately 40 miles, however this does depend on how fast you are travelling and on the nature of the injury. The speed and distance that run-flats can function up to following a puncture should be specified by your vehicle manufacturer.

Run flat tyres have a reinforced sidewall construction that continues to hold your vehicle’s weight following a puncture. The air in a vehicle’s set of tyres is what typically supports the vehicle, however run-flats are specially designed to remain functional irrespective of a loss of air pressure. GT Tyres stock a huge range of run-flats so contact us today if you are interested.

Advantages:

• You can continue to drive with a flat tyre.

• You don’t have to attempt to change the tyre yourself.

• You don’t have to call someone for assistance and pay call-out fees.

• Provides you with extra time to handle the situation which you otherwise wouldn’t have.

• Steering and handling remain normal reducing safety risks.

• More space in boot of the car.

Disadvantages:

• It’s critical to have a tyre pressure monitoring system installed otherwise it’s difficult to tell when they’re low on air.

• Less comfortable ride due to stiff sidewalls.

• Run-flats are generally more expensive in price.

• Blowouts are still possible if the driver does not notice the warning signs or drives beyond manufacturer recommendations.

Our run-flat tyres come in all major, big-name brands including Dunlop, Continental, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Michelin and Pirelli. We do offer run-flats in other ranges also to suit everyone.

If you think that having run-flat tyres installed may benefit you, it’s definitely worth having a discussion with one of our local tyre fitters first and we can weigh up the pros and cons to discover how important each of the factors are to you.

The main indicator that your tyres may need replacing is your vehicle’s driving performance. If handling has become increasingly difficult and break-stopping times have increased it might be time to start considering a new set of tyres. The best way to find out is to check the warning bar on your tyres or do the recognised 20p test.

Pay careful attention to how driving feels in wet conditions as poor driving conditions are highlighted greater. The purpose of the tread voids or tread grooves is to provide a space where water can escape when roads are wet to improve braking and stopping, which is why worn down tyres are more noticeable in damp conditions.

The legal minimum tread depth your tyres can be is 1.6mm and although this is the minimum requirement by law, this does not necessarily promote safe driving.

Our recommendation:

We recommend tyres should be changed when they reach 3mm to encourage safety on the road, however, when you get your tyres replaced is a choice that we leave completely up to the customer.

Remember, it’s your safety we’re talking about.

How we can help:

We try to encourage people to visit us at least once a month to get their tyre pressure checked, mainly for your own peace of mind. There are no charges for it, it is solely for your benefit and safety, so do pop into one of our branches and speak to one of our local tyre technicians today – we’ll make sure to pop the kettle on.

At GT Tyres, we have a mailshot system in place where we can schedule email reminders to be sent to you on a recommended basis to remind you to visit us for your free tyre check. That way you can feel comfortable knowing your tyres are above legal minimum and we can feel comfortable knowing our customers are driving safely.

Contact us today about setting up regular mail reminders and we can base the frequency of these reminders on your average driving miles per month with respect to your last tread depth reading.

Be tyresafe – visit us today for your free pressure tyre check, tyre tread check and tyre condition check.

The thought of having to spend a few extra bob to change your tyres in wintertime may seem like an unnecessary hassle, however battling the icy, winter roads without the appropriate safety measures in place is a much more unsettling thought – especially if you, or someone you know has been involved in a winter roads accident.

In certain countries across Europe, it is a legal requirement to have a set of seasonal tyres for summer and appropriate seasonal tyres for winter – but is this really necessary in the UK? It is not a legal requirement, so you may think ‘why should I splash out the extra cash with the most expensive season of the year looming on the horizon…?’

Our verdict:

At GT Tyres we believe everyone who lives in the Cumbria area should definitely invest in a good set of winter tyres. Driving in winter conditions in rural areas can be extremely dangerous, especially on winding Cumbrian roads that are less likely to be gritted – if at all.

We believe winter tyres are essential for safer handling. Handing is noticeably more problematic on wet roads in the summer, therefore extra measures should definitely be put in place when tackling the waterlogged roads in wintertime – and we all know Cumbrian roads do get a battering in winter.

Why?

Despite the fact that we generally don’t experience harsh blizzards or excessive amounts of snow in Cumbria during winter, we are still subject to cold temperatures. Although these temperatures don’t compare to the likes of Russian or Icelandic winters, we’re not shy at creeping into the minus temperatures.

Normal tyres stiffen up when the temperature drops and as a result, they become less flexible and provide less grip on the road. Winter tyres have a high silica content and a specially designed tread pattern to provide better handling and braking in temperatures below 7°C on wet, snowy and icy roads.

If anything, UK winter temperatures are actually worse when it comes to driving, as roads are generally not bad enough to cease driving completely and many employers won’t pay you for not being able to get into work due to weather conditions, making winter driving in the UK still essential!

Therefore, you need to make sure your vehicle is appropriately equipped for the winter roads to promote your safety. If anything, it makes more sense for winter tyres to be a legal requirement in the UK compared to others, as who event wants to attempt to drive in -15°C temperatures and heavy snow!

GT Tyres can help.

If you do decide to invest in some winter tyres, do bare in mind that you must have all four of your tyres replaced not to disturb the stability of the vehicle. Equip your vehicle with professional winter tyres to allow you to drive with confidence when you need it the most. We stock all the highest rated winter tyres based on their performance including Continental, Goodyear, Pirelli and Dunlop.

You can’t put a price on safety, so discuss seasonal tyres with our local tyre fitters today.

When it comes to needing your tyres replaced, choosing the right tyres can be a complex task, especially if your tyre knowledge is limited. We have so many well-known, reputable tyre brands thrown at us by different stockists and garages, but often they can come with a heftier price tag than the lesser known mid-range brand that will leave you with enough cash left over for a chippy tea on the way home.

Leading brand names such as Pirelli, Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop and Goodyear are widely recognised as some of the best tyre brands for cars and you can pick them up in just about every tyre stockist going, but is the larger price tag worth it for the performance you get out of them?

Our verdict:

To answer plain and simple, just like anything in life, you DO get what you pay for. If you splurge the extra cash and invest in a premium set of tyres you can expect a better performance. However, that is not to say that premium brand tyres are absolutely essential for your style of driving and should be your go-to when having new tyres fitted.

Mid-range tyres have also proven to perform to quality standards, all at a cheaper price. Equally, budget tyres are the perfect option for someone who can’t afford to spend as much on having their tyres replaced. The types of tyres that we would recommend for you are entirely dependent on multiple factors.

It’s hard to come to a firm conclusion for this question without having a discussion with the customer first, which is why you should always seek advice from a skilled tyre technician before purchase. Premium tyres may only be worth it if you are an avid driver and/or drive regularly for long distances.

Why?

To help people understand whether or not premium range tyres are worth the extra money, it is first worth noting the key differences between the ranges. The main benefits of different ranges of tyres are:

• Grip

• Noise

• Fuel consumption

Therefore, to help you decide which range tyre would be best for you, you should take into account how important each of these benefits are to you when driving. The tyre grip and fuel consumption of your vehicle are likely to be more or less important to you depending on the types of road you usually drive on and how often you are required to drive – either for work or leisure.

With regards to noise emission, this may be less important to you when choosing what tyres to have. Although premium tyres do produce less noise when driving compared to mid-range, the difference is minimal. We generally find that people can’t necessarily tell the difference unless the driver is a professional. Additionally, the extra price between the two types of tyre may not be worth it to warrant a small benefit.

There is always the case as well that higher priced tyres do not always necessarily last longer than cheaper tyres. We cannot always guarantee that purchasing a more expensive tyre will make it more durable.

The benefits of premium tyres can also depend on the specifications of your vehicle. A set of car tyres fitted on a larger car with low profile wheels may perform poorly and wear down quicker than the same set of car tyres fitted on the same model just with different wheels that aren’t as low profile.

Our recommendations:

Realistically, if you are going to cover more mileage on a regular basis we would suggest a premium range tyre like Michelin or Pirelli. If you rely on your vehicle and rely on getting around, since the tyres and the only thing between you and the road, ideally you should enhance your safety with higher quality tyres.

If, however, you perhaps don’t require your vehicle as often and don’t cover large distances on your daily commute, we would recommend one of our partner brands, Jinyu, Evergreen and Maxxis. Jinyu are our most popular brand and we chose them as they were the highest rated. These are the best quality car tyre that you will get for the most reasonable price and have been found to outperform their competitor brands.

These car tyres provide good mileage, are safety conscious, affordable and good quality. Not to mention, by purchasing a set of our partner brand tyres, you will be covered by our lifetime guarantee where we promise to repair them at no additional cost, or replace the tyre, only charging for the percentage of rubber used off the new tyre with respect to the puncture size of the old one – this can save you £12.50 on puncture repairs straight away.

It is difficult for us to recommend one brand of tyres without knowing anything about your vehicle, typical mileage and the roads of which you will be driving on which is why it is so important for you to have a friendly chat with one of our expert tyre technicians first.

If we do not have the tyres you need in our warehouse there and then, we can get them to one of our branches for you the same day if you call before 11:30am. If you call later on in the day, we will have them for you the following day. This applies to all big brand tyres including Dunlop, Continental and Michelin etc. and is applicable for car tyres, van tyres and so on. Please contact us if you have any queries.

No, the price you pay is solely for the tyres that you have fitted. The only additional cost we charge for is for our top of the range 4 wheel alignment which would only be recommended if we thought your alignment was out. Alignment checks are free of charge.

Yes, we offer free tyre checks, free pressure checks and free fleet checks. We would rather people are safe than sorry, so we only charge if you then require a service following the free check. Our local tyre fitters check car tyres, van tyres, motorcycle tyres and so on, so bring your vehicle in to either our Carlisle or Maryport branch.

Yes, we offer a 24 hour mobile tyre fitting service that covers Cumbria and South West Scotland. The service runs 365 days a year and is available for car tyres, commercial tyres and agricultural tyres.

The charge of the call out fee is dependent on your geographical location.

We have card payment facilities on the 24 hour mobile tyre fitting vehicles for your convenience. We are a proud member of the ITDN to which provides national breakdown cover.

Our 24 hour recovery service is ideal if you endure a flat tyre while out on the road. We also extend this service to coach companies if they happen to break down in the area. Our fleet of mobile tyre fitting vans offer a 24 hour rapid response for Carlisle, West Cumbria and Penrith.

For emergency callouts please call 07355031897.