I like to buy 'green' products whenever possible but I've heard that recycled tyres, in the form of remoulds, are unsafe for motorway use. Is this true? Can you advise?

Modern remoulded and retreaded tyres manufactured to British Standard AUl44e are capable of, and in many cases above, motorway speeds. However, if a high mileage is contemplated, the new generation of low energy absorption tyres offers an environmentally friendly alternative to remoulds in the form of fuel efficiency as opposed to recycling.

One of my tyres has worn the outside edge away. I expect a tracking problem to wear both front tyres unevenly. Could this be a faulty tyre?

Single tyre shoulder wear is unlikely to be a tyre fault. The most common cause is a slow speed, tight, regular turn into a drive or garage, often with a small slope involved. This effect can be multiplied by a small amount of mis-alignment, which can also effect the rear tyres. Planned tyre rotation can alleviate the problem.

I was told by my usual tyre distributor my punctured tyre could not be repaired as the damage was in the shoulder of the tyre. The tyre was almost new. I had to buy a new tyre. Was this really necessary and if so, why?

The parameters of the repair are defined in British Standard AU159f. Whilst punctures in the shoulder area are not allowed, using basic while-you-wait methods, they can be repaired using hot vulcanising. This may involve sending the tyre to a specialist repairer, so purchasing a replacement will depend on how long the process takes, in your locality.

I want to buy inexpensive tyres for my car, but I have been told that I must keep to the high speed rating that they now have, although it is not a high-speed car. Why is this and is there a way of solving the problem?

The rating on the tyre is not only about speed. The various designations also indicate load carrying capacities and, in some cases, tyres are tuned for specific cars. If inexpensive tyres are required it is much better to choose a correctly designated tyre from one of the better budget ranges than to risk changing the specification.

Why do you not offer Nitrogen Inflation?

See service bulletin courtesy of Continental Tyres.