Quick question about tyres

[ianj37]

Hello
Picked up my GTI Performance 3 weeks ago, purchased as pre reg (April) with 100 miles on the clock. All has been going well but when cleaning it today I noticed that the rear off side tyre is a Continental PremiumContact 6 and the others are Bridgestone Ponteza S001 - something the dealer never mentioned! All are 225 40 R18  Y92 and I'm assuming that the Bridgestones are the VW fit - if not then I really am worried!

I'm no expert on tyres but from the info on the internet it seems that manufacturers suggest that the tyres on each axle should be  exactly the same, some sites seem to suggest that it's illegal to have different tyres on the same axis but I really don't think the dealer would sell me an illegal car.
So do you think I should be worried? I'm going to contact the dealer to get them to set out that it is legal and also to explain to me why it was done (I've checked the spare and that and the tools show no signs of being used), but I thought it would be helpful to have some advice first.
Thanks for your help.

[Watts]

The Bridgestones are the usual 18" tyre. The dealer has clearly replaced one for whatever reason, you should not have odd tyres though, it is not safe! Go straight back and complain, I'd be wanting all the tyres the same.

[Guzzle]

New Golf's tend to come fitted with the Bridgestone's if it's on 18 inch wheels.

It's not illegal to have different tyre brands on the same axle, but ideally they'd all be the same. I'd just check that they're all the same size and speed rating.  The standard Bridgestone's are a Y rated tyre.

[Talk-torque]

It’s just not nice to have odd tyres on a very nearly new car, is it? You might want to have the wheel with the Conti on checked for damage, too. It’s not easy to wreck a tyre without doing something to the wheel. Why would anybody, who knows anything about cars, have a Conti put on anyway? Just as easy to fit a Bridgestone, and they’re usually cheaper too! Weird

[Ryan90GTI]

How strange. Maybe the original wheel was damaged and was swapped with another wheel that had a Continental tyre on. I'd check the tread depth on the Conti too to make sure it's a new tyre.

It's not illegal to run different tyres but it's advisable that you run the same.

[Rob_benton]

One argument that might help is check the date of the odd tyre. Hopefully it’s older.
Also find a quote online saying you shouldn’t have a mixed tyres on an axle. Especially on a performance car. I bet a manufacture or someone like kwikfit say that !
Also, is the tread depth different ?

[SRGTD]

@ianj37: Assume your wheels are 18” diamond cut Parkers if your tyre size is 225/40 R18. If the dealer fits a new matching tyre (as they indeed should IMO), check the wheel for damage carefully after they’ve fitted it, as diamond cut alloys are easily damaged by inexperienced tyre fitters, and a job like changing a tyre is probably given to the workshop trainee / apprentice technician.

It’s not unknown for dealers to damage your wheels when they change tyres. I had a couple of wheels replaced under warranty on my previous car, and it took a number of attempts by the dealer at getting two perfect wheels that I’d accept; admittedly some of the replacement wheels ordered by the dealer had manufacturing faults, but some were damaged by the dealer when fitting the tyres!

Forearmed is forewarned - ensure the wheel is clean and take some photos of it before the dealer changes the tyre - and get the dealer to agree the wheel is in perfect condition. That way, if they do damage it, it’s harder for them to deny causing the damage.

[barrym381]

The Bridgestones are the usual 18" tyre. The dealer has clearly replaced one for whatever reason, you should not have odd tyres though, it is not safe! Go straight back and complain, I'd be wanting all the tyres the same.

It's not safe away an stop talking nonsense it might not be recommended but it's far from being unsafe 

[Watts]

The Bridgestones are the usual 18" tyre. The dealer has clearly replaced one for whatever reason, you should not have odd tyres though, it is not safe! Go straight back and complain, I'd be wanting all the tyres the same.

It's not safe away an stop talking nonsense it might not be recommended but it's far from being unsafe 

I'm not 100% sure exactly what you mean by the first part of the above? As for far from being unsafe, I beg to differ.

https://www.asdatyres.co.uk/blog/if-youre-considering-mixing-tyres-across-the-same-axle-think-again/

As with many things in life that aren't recommended, you could be absolutely fine and have no issues until you encounter certain circumstances when it could contribute or even cause an accident. That is not safe.

[mcmaddy]

It's not illegal but not recommended either.