Edited highlights from an item in another forum.
"....... puncture the south of France the local Halfords type store there told me they only had a pair of michelins in, and their law is to fit matched pairs, at a cost of 250 euros."
Is this a law or a sales pitch. Mike - any comments.
I have added the later comments for interest :-(
" **** so i used the space saver for the rest of the week & all the way back ( to Cheshire) ... kept the speed sensible, below 60, it was fine. wouldn't do it again though,"
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Sure it's not tights, Henry?
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Translation of the relevant bit of their highway code
Since 1995, the Highway Code imposes the following rules:
It is forbidden to ride on motor vehicles and their trailers:
* tires of different structures, excluding the possible spare tire temporary use;
* different types of tires on an axle, whether single wheel or dual wheels;
* tires which are an index of carrying capacity or speed category symbol below the maximum capacity provided by the vehicle manufacturer.
When the Highway Code prohibits tires of different structures on the same axle it means that the tires must be both:
* same brand
* same size
* same class of use (eg road, snow, road)
* same structure: radial or diagonal
* same code rate
* same index of carrying capacity
The Highway Code also states that:
* "The wear indicator of 1.6 mm is the minimum legal height of gum."
* "The difference between the depth of the main grooves with two tires mounted on a single axle shall not exceed 5 mm.
Or original
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>> " **** so i used the space saver for the rest of the week &
>> all the way back ( to Cheshire) ... kept the speed sensible, below 60, it
>> was fine. wouldn't do it again though,"
>>
Blimey - I had to do 150 miles on a space save once and I reckon there wasn't much left in it afterwards. And presumeably the guy driving from Southern France was in a farly well loaded car.
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A good argument for adding a full-size spare to the Legacy before heading for the ferry next summer then!
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It is their interpretation of EU law which says that the same type of tyre must be fitted to each axle.Different countries interpret the word "type" in different ways.
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They were probably telling the truth about only having Michelins in stock. If you don't use a popular French size you have little chance of finding anything in stock anywhere and if you do it will be a top-price Michelin. And in France there is no chance of 'we'll have them here in an hour sir'.
The law says you must have the same make and construction on the same axle but it's another French law that is honoured in the breach, I think. If you are in need they have you by the short and curlies of course.
Having said that, when I brought the Prelude to France getting on for eight years ago it had four different makes of tyre on it and it passed the Controle Technique (MOT equivalent) without a problem.
Just out of interest, I drove 60 or 70 miles on the spacesaver a couple of months ago, when I suffered a blow-out on a very poor road in the middle of an isolated area on a Sunday. The car drove ok and the tyre doesn't show any sign of wear or distress.
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In France. Must buy tyres in pairs ?? - WillDeBeest
