Paddy Murphy said there were indications that replacement tyres were not being bought at normal levels, and said there were safety implications in this.
He also warned about the proliferation of 'secondhand tyre shops' and said there needed to be regulation of these.
"Motorists need to be very careful about what they are putting on their wheels here," he said. "We know from our tyre dealer customers that there are instances of secondhand tyres that aren't roadworthy being fitted."
Replacement tyre market in Ireland for the mainstream tyre brands increased by 12 percent during 2010, Mr Murphy said. He said part of this growth could be attributed to a reduction of buying of budget Chinese tyres. But he said the tough economic conditions are continuing to affect sales negatively.
