Skins on Rims – a tyre service you can trust
27/03/2025
For prompt, professional, dependable and value-added tyre fitting and repair services covering the full spectrum of vehicles, look no further than the brilliantly-named Skins on Rims in Foxford, County Mayo – an exceptional family-run company that consistently delivers unbeatable levels of customer (and vehicle!) care.
Mobile tyre fitting specialist Skins on Rims is fronted by former lorry driver Joe Pye, who boasts over 40 years’ experience working in the truck and tyre industries both in Ireland and the UK.
Covering County Mayo and oftentimes further afield from its base in Foxford, this highly-regarded family-owned and –operated business provides fast and efficient tyre fitting services to a comprehensive range of vehicles including trucks, trailers, vans, buses and coaches, tractors, agricultural machinery and everything and anything in between.
Joe, his son Shea, and the rest of the trusty Skins on Rims crew leave no stone uncovered in the pursuit of complete customer satisfaction, with the emphasis always on rapid turnarounds, value for money, sound advice, reliability, performance and of course safety. From fleets of trucks and commercial vehicles to passenger cars and the biggest pieces of plant and machinery, high quality tyres are supplied and fitted to suit every possible requirement.
The origins of Skins on Rims goes back to January 1st, 1990, when Joe, who ran his own fleet of lorries, started a company under the same name in Manchester. The current company was established in Mayo in 2012 and has built up an excellent reputation for looking after customers and their vehicles.
As well as the best tyre replacement and tyre breakdown service that money can buy, Skins on Rims is also No.1 in the west for puncture repairs, wheel alignment and balancing services, stocking a vast selection of new tyres, steel and alloy wheels and with three mobile tyre units on the road.
“Business is good,” confirms Joe, who started out literally working from the side of the house before recently relocating to commercial premises at Shraheen on the Foxford – Ballina Road, with a new workshop and warehouse to supplement the mobile service units.
The hands-on owner of the business attributes the secret of Skins on Rims’ success and growth to looking after people. When you do this, customers are more likely to return and also to tell others about their positive experience: “We give a good service and we don’t leave people standing. We get out to them as soon as we can and we do quality work at a fair price. We try our best to help people out.”
Skins on Rims carries a vast stock of tyres, from premier to budget, and is main dealer for Westlake commercial tyres and Tianli agri tyres but also carry all other brands including BKT, Alliance, Agrimax, Michelin, etc.
Via the fully-kitted-out mobile units – including a new van purchased in 2023 and given a complete makeover in 2024 - Skins on Rims are always on call, be it for scheduled call-outs or 24-/7 emergency breakdowns. “The phone is never switched off and if it’s our customer we will travel as far as we have to in order to get them going. You have to look after your customers wherever they are and if we’ve got to go, we’ve got to go…”
Joe has worked with trucks for 45 years and has invaluable experience of fitting and fixing commercial vehicle tyres going back to when he had his own lorries. With a proven track record partnering with fleet operators and owner drivers, he stocks all the leading brands of commercial tyres, including premium brands such as Michelin and Bridgestone.
“I’d usually recommend Torque stuff for tippers because they have a harder wall and can withstand a lot of impact. We have an up-to-date workshop now and very friendly and knowledgeable staff. We can also supply alloys and steel wheels, so every base is covered when it comes to tyres and wheels.”
What is the best tyre? An impossible question to answer of course as there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to tyres: “It depends on what the customer is looking for,” says Joe. “A lot of them are looking for mileage first and foremost, especially the trucker. So I’ll run them through the options – this one will do 10,000km, this one will do 40,000, this will do 120k – but it depends on what they are looking for. Not everybody is the same and a man could be planning to sell his wagon on soon while another might be going to cover a lot of ground. We make sure each person gets the right tyre to match their specific needs.
“From personal experience over the years, I have to say I really do like Westlake tyres. They are a very good all-round commercial tyre offering real value for money and once customers have them fitted they tend to go with them again.”
There’s never a dull moment at Skins on Rims and Joe, Shea and team are on call around the clock to keep customers on the road. “We’d do a lot of truck and agri breakdowns and, with the mobile units, we can go to people’s homes and fit their car tyres for them at their convenience,” Joe concludes. “Or you could be called to Knock Airport to go out and fit tyres on an entire car-hire fleet. We’re very flexible and there’s nothing we can’t do.”
Skins on Rims,
Shraheen,
Foxford,
County Mayo.
Tel: 087 6210229
First published in Irish Trucker magazine January/February 2025, Vol 28-1
