[TownAce] What’s This Rumored “Grip-it” Service? A Pro Bike Shop Owner Tried Used Tires from Mercari

In a car-dependent society, vehicle wear is significant (*´ω｀*)
When I was in TokyoI only drove “3,000 km per year.”
I check tire pressure every week.
It’s fine for regular driving, butI also transport “customers’ precious motorcycles,”so it’s safer to keep an eye on things.

When I did my routine check…

Air pressure dropped significantly in just one week

The tire sidewall was bulging, and when I measured it… only 100 KPa of pressure!
It’s a flat tire… a flat.
I decided to check it out anyway.

Nothing was puncturing it, but the wear pattern was terrible.
There were cracks too…
I really wanted to replace the wheels and tires together,
but with this oil crisis, the wheels won’t arrive anytime soon.

I decided to just get new tires on the current dirty wheels.

Humble 13-inch 165/80R13LT 94/93N

When something bothers me, I want to replace it right away.
I do a lot of vehicle inspections, so I don’t have time to wait.
I’m always thinking, “I want to buy it today and have it installed tomorrow.”

Bridgestone Ecopia costs nearly 40,000 yen when new.
Well, I got tired of dealing with it and just clicked on Mercari.
Shipping was included, so I realized shipping costs quite a bit.

I chose the mysterious heat-resistant core air valve TR413.
I’m not sure if a heat-resistant core matters for a van…

Idemitsu app “DRIVE ON”

Through this app, you can book maintenance services at registered shops like Grip-it.
There was a Grip-it gas station just 3 km from my place, so I booked right away.

Just follow the app’s prompts and it’s easy to book.
Then you just load up the tires and head to the gas station~
At the counter, you need to review and sign a waiver!

After that, you hand over the car and the work takes less than an hour.

Grabbed lunch at Mobara Soba Bugyo while waiting

Everyone passes by “Soba Bugyo”during pickups and drop-offs,
but because it’s so close, I rarely get the chance to go.
This is a place you wouldn’t be embarrassed to take anyone to.*That’s what I mean by “nice.”
If you’d treat me, I’d be happy to go with you (*´ω｀*)…hehe

Sakura shrimp tempura donburi and cold soba *large set.
Pretty good. Just over 3,000 yen.
The space, service, and restroom are all perfect.

While I was slurping and munching, the station called to say it was done.
The swap took about 40-50 minutes—super fast!

M12 at 100 Nm! Pretty powerful stuff.

They said they torqued everything to spec,but “more checks are better,”
so I checked everything and found no issues.

New tires feel so good—even used ones!
Lately 14-inch seems to be the standard, so it’s sad that 13-inch options are limited.
I really wanted Michelin, but there wasn’t one that matched the load rating, so I gave up.

Currently 2026-06. 80,931 km
Since I bought it at 60,000 km, the mileage is climbing fast.
At 15,000-20,000 km per year, that’s about 5-6 years…
I want to use it carefully until the end.

Already feels like I’ve driven about 500 km.

Since the old ones were so bad, there’s no comparison, but“it’s incredibly good.”
Super quiet and rolls so smoothly. Handling is much more responsive too.
Both bikes and cars really show you how important tires are…I realized that.
*Even though they’re used from Mercari…

So if you’ve swapped in used tires or something,“Grip-it”is available.
*Just pick a shop that looks legit. In the end, it comes down to people…