I usually like to go to my local tyre fitter to keep the business local and also to have some come back in the event of an issue. He won;t under any circumstances fit a tyre not supplied by him and I think that's OK. If there is an issue fitting a tyre and there is a problem with the tyre it's very hard to attribute responsibility. The tyre might have been defective or the fitter migth have made a balls of it.

However this time around I decided to chance an online retailer (Openeo) I just ordered 2 x 28/35/19 Continental Sport Contact 5P for €216 each, my local guy wanted €332 each. A local detailer has brand new tyre fitting equipment with the right attitude (I hope) and wants €20 + service VAT to fit, balance & dispose old tyres. So €664 versus €482, hard to justify €182 difference. However I am also conscious that I am taking on an element of risk with all of this, hopefully it is a low risk.

I have good time for my local tyre guy and will use him whenever the difference is not massive like the one above.