By Maria Famakinwa

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The increase in the cost of new tyres has created a boom in the fairly used and low-premium segment of the market. Despite the associated risk, findings revealed that sales of brand new tyres have dropped while demands for fairly used and low-premium variant popularly known as “Tokunbo” have lately peaked.

 Not even warnings against preference for used tyres by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is enough to discourage vehicle owners from patronizing used tyres’ merchants. For instance, statistics from the FRSC indicated that between 2012 and 2017, bad tyres were responsible for 5,562 vehicle road crashes in the country. Most of the avoidable deaths on the roads were also attributed to the use of fairly used tyres.

However, majorities of commercial drivers who spoke with The Hope revealed that they prefer fairly used tyres because it is pocket friendly.

An Uber driver, Mr Goke Temilade, hinted that the market size of used tyres will continue to expand, as new tyres are beyond the reach of many car owners who are confronted with high  cost of living.

He said: “Let me be sincere with you, no commercial driver can afford to buy new tyres for N50,000 and above depending on the brand when you can get Tokunbo of the same brand for between N7000 to N15, 000. The money I will use to buy one new tyre is what I will spend for four Tokunbo tyres and even collect balance. Though, many are scared of it’s safety but safety is of God because some new tyres can also develop faults. Even though I prefer new tyres but I am limited financially due to the harsh economic situation,” he lamented.

Another respondent based in Ore, Akanda Olujuni, stated, “I used to buy new tyres until around 2018 when the cost of living went high but my income stagnated. I was advised by a vulcaniser to go for used tyres if I couldn’t afford tyres from reputable brands from countries like Japan, France and Germany. Since then, I have made used tyres my choice.”

Also, Francis Akinsiku, a car owner, said, “In the early 2000s when the economy was still a bit good and the exchange rate was not that bad, I used to buy brand new tyres. Not anymore. The cost of living is much higher now but my income level remains the same. It is not wise to spend around N200,000 on four  tyres when I have to settle my children’s school fees and meet other existential needs.”

Sharing a similar view, a civil servant, who owns a car, Mrs Christy Adesola, said that she patronizes fairly used tyres not because she prefers it to the new ones but because she does not have the wherewithal to get the new ones. She added that the slide in the fortune of the nation’s economy has forced the price of various types of tyres to be on the rise and is adversely affecting the motoring public.

Her words: “With a minimum wage of N30,000, which has yet to be implemented in many states, it is not easy to spend N80,000 on new tyres since I can get the same brand of tyres cheaper in Tokunbo. I have other needs to attend to and I cannot concentrate on spending huge amount of money on new tyres.”

Regarding her safety, Adesola said: “God is my security. There have been cases where the so called brand new tyres burst on expressway. Or are you saying that new tyres don’t involve in road crashes? What the government should focus on is the condition of our roads. If our roads are fixed, accidents will be reduced to the barest minimum,” she said.

Also, Mr Collins Chidera, who sells tyres at old-garage, revealed that “Tokunbo” tyres are most preferred by vehicle owners because of its affordability. The man who argued that not all fairly used tyres are bad, added that it depends on how good the roads are.

His words: “Fairly used tyres are always in high demand because they are cheap. There are some fairly used tyres that are better than new ones because they are of different grades. Even if you buy brand new tyres, it will get to a time that you must change it. This is where I want to fault some vehicle owners who instead of changing their cars tyres when necessary will prefer to be managing them thus risking people’s lives. Though, most tyres don’t come with expiry dates but every tyre expire after four years or after travelling about 80,000km, but not many drivers are aware of this fact. Most drivers, including vulcanizers, don’t know how to identify the expiry date of tyres”.

On how to protect vehicle tyres, Mr Chidera, advised drivers to gauge the tyres correctly, watch the alignments, make sure that the vehicle is balanced after changing the tyres.

 While comparing Tokunbo and brand new tyres, Mr Sylvester Ugbo, who sells tyres in Akure said: “most people call them Tokunbo tyres, but I call them Nigerian-used tyres because importation of tyres is becoming increasingly difficult.

“Before, tyres bought from neighbouring countries like Benin Republic were called Tokunbo tyres. But due to the bad economy, when customers who buy new tyres want to change them, some people who sell Tokunbo tyres pick them up, rebrand and sell same as Tokunbo tyres.

“Used tyres can lose their footing long before they are worn out. The thread can give up a significant amount of grip when it’s still at the halfway point. They can be deadly on wet roads, where the grooves aren’t deep enough to channel water out from beneath the tread. Used vehicle tyres portend great danger to the motoring public because many of them are found to be substandard.

“However, safety is a major concern about the use of second-hand tyres. It’s as simple as that. If somebody has removed a set of tyres from his car, he has done so because he no longer consider them to be safe. If those tyres aren’t good enough for another driver, are they really good enough for you?” he asked.