Choosing new tyres after trouble on the M42? Copy the figures printed on the sidewall, decide how much tyre you want, and we fit them at Hopwood Park, a Solihull car park or your drive.
Plenty of M42 drivers only think about tyres when one lets them down near the NEC or on the climb from Bromsgrove. Others spot worn shoulders during a stop at Tamworth services and decide the pair should go before the next run to the M40. A fleet car heading to Solihull, a family car bound for the airport at J6: each needs the right size, load and speed rating, not whatever a garage happens to hold.
Send the sidewall code, for example 205/55 R16 91V, then pick the grade that matches your M42 mileage: budget, mid-range or premium. Tyre plus the callout up from Brent Cross comes to one figure, agreed on the phone. At the car we fit, balance and torque the new tyre, check the pressures, and take the old one away for disposal, whether you are parked at Ventura Park or at home in Knowle.
Tyres go on at Hopwood Park at J2, Shirley retail parks off J4, a Solihull or Knowle driveway via J5, or Ventura Park near J10. No M42 tyre goes on beside a live lane, on a slip road, or in the J3a to J7 emergency areas.
| Road | M42 Birmingham eastern orbital |
|---|---|
| Operator | National Highways |
About new tyres fitted nationwide → · New tyres fitted on the M42 page
Solihull and Shirley drivers on the M42 can read most of what we need straight off the rubber. The sidewall gives a size like 225/45 R17 followed by a code such as 94W, the load and the speed. An XL stamp marks a reinforced casing; a run-flat symbol decides which stock the van brings north. Two tyres on one axle ought to match, so one worn partner can turn a single into a pair. Locking key in the cupholder, car at a Knowle house via J5.
On the all-lane running section from J3a to J7, emergency areas are for getting out of traffic, not for tyre work. A deflated run-flat covers a limited distance at the speed your handbook gives, enough to reach Hopwood Park at J2 or Tamworth services at J10. The fitter then decides whether it can be saved, which many makers rule out once driven flat.
Size on the sidewall, car parked off the M42: ring for new tyres.
