Coloured tyres...

drew2k9

i wonder would the police be pleased if we went over and checked their tyre tread to see fi ti was low? would be very funny though!

Wig

You can also use a 20p coin....but it is not accurate




The border on a 20p coin is about 2.6mm legal tread depth is 1.6mm so if you can't see the coin border you know you are definately ok, if you can see the coin border you need to check more accurately.

xocbc

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

The really worrying thing is that the owners can't see a bald tyre staring at them what hope the rest of the car.

Then the questions that follow, ''i've been quoted £150 a corner for the 18" low profile's i specified when my car was new, are these Chinese tyres at ten bob a corner as good?''

it's bizzare.

Yeah and it also amazes me that people don't realise the tyres are bald when they go round roundabouts in the wet. Any decent driver should know when his/her tyres are getting worn due to the lower grip and increased noise.

DaveMacD

Over the years, I've seen a lot of tyres come off cars that aren't just missing tread, they are missing rubber, and the owner has asked to have their punctures fixed. I've been to used car showrooms who refuse to put half decent rubber on supercars, but demand a bulk discount on cheap Chines rubbish. It's unfortunate, but it's far too common for car owners to skimp on the things that cost a lot at one particular time. Yes, it's a false economy, but tyres and servicing do cost a lot, and people will try to save where they can.

exup

MrsE wrote: »

Do you have to look at each & every one of those tread indicators?

I'm guessing they are replicated around the tyre?

Yes usually they are across the tread and again at various points around it.
By law your tread is supposed to be all the way around the circumference of the tyre and cover at least 75% of the tyres width (in an unbroken strip)
They can usually be found by looking at the side wall of the tyre (where the writing and tyre size numbers are) At the very edge where the tread starts you may see a small arrow pointing towards the tread itself. This should show you where the wear indictors will be. Unless the tyres are Michelin as these can have a little "Michelin Man" stamped on the sidewall - which again show where the wear indicators are.

Most tyes have them, but there are a small number that don't for instance my girlfriends car has tyres which dont have indicators at all (rare).

Good way of remembering daily checks we taught bike pupils (especially before going on long journeys) was POWER

Petrol
Oil
Water (such as radiator and washer bottle)
Electrics (lights, horn etc)
Rubber

babyshoes

Can I just correct a common misconception here - the tread wear indicators are NOT to show you when the tread is at or below 1.6mm. They are usually not at 1.6mm but a little above or significantly below that amount. Their purpose is so you can see at a glance if the tread is wearing more on one section than the others, and from that you can diagnose a number of faults with the car or the driver, such as under or over inflated tyres, steering alignment faults, damper faults etc. If your tread is at the tread wear indicator, it is safest to assume it is BELOW the legal limit and should be changed ASAP.

To be honest, if you care about safety, you should change your tyres well before they get to the legal limit - about 2mm is the lowest you should sensibly let them go. The 20p example above is a good way to get a rough idea of the depth, and if necessary get them professionally checked. A lot of places will do free tyre inspections in the hope that you will buy your tyres from them. (Though of course there are some who will try to sell you tyres you don't actually need, so do be careful to use a reputable organisation...)

The other thing to remember with tyres is to check the pressure regularly. It is a good idea to get a separate pressure gauge (a few quid in places like Wilkos or Halfords), as the ones at filling stations tend not to be very accurate as they get lots of abuse and little maintenance or calibration. It is SO easy to do, even if you have no mechanical aptitude at all, yet so many people drive around on underinflated tyres, which is just dangerous!

When it comes to SAFETY, your tyres are the most important user-serviceable/checkable component on the car. If you have a bulge in your tyre caused by driving on flat tyres, you are only one step away from a blow out - not something you want to happen at 70mph on the motorway with a car full of your loved ones! If you don't know how to check these things, please learn - it really isn't difficult and could save lives...