tyre tread laws

mark5

My Focus with approx 3mm left on the front tyres (Bridgestones) has been useless in the snow and ice, its having new Continentals all round on Wednesday, i've given up trying to take it anywhere until then.
My wifes Fiesta had new tyres fitted back in September and its not let us down once.

mikey72

bigjl wrote: »

@ mikey72, a lot more cars can have the camber and castor adjusted than you may think, however as very few places actually specialise in alignment and rather fob you off with a 4 wheel alignment performed with 10 year old equipment, then it does get neglected on a lot of cars, can't remember the exact details but Elite put on concentric adapters/adjusters onto my Legacy (2004-) to allow extra adjustment that wasn't available as standard, as I had my Legacy set up with Prodrive geometry, which got rid of that understeer on turn in completely.

My Mondeo will be getting some special polybushes on the front wishbones next year that allow extra adjustment, aswell as polybushes on the rear subframe, you can read about them here http://www.powerflex.co.uk/products/Mondeo+%282000+to+2007%29-2410/1.html, yes it is only a Mondeo TDCi, but if I have to spend money on a car then why not improve as you go.

Putting on brakes next week and am fitting EBC discs with uprated pads, pretty cheap on the web http://www.powerflex.co.uk/products/Mondeo+%282000+to+2007%29-2410/1.html.

I've always thought it's one more adjustment to go out though.
But then round here there's so many holes in the round, lumps that have fallen off tractors, and then my car gets so much abuse loaded for work going down farm tracks I'm just happy if nothing actually drops off.
Always liked Mintex and Ferodo OE pads, what are you going for, greenstuff?

bigjl

My wifes car had Continental Contacts on the front last year and it was terrible, you could barely get moving, though it now has Avon ZV3's on the front (to replace the front Contacts that wore out in just over 10k) and the two remaining Continental Contact on the rear as they where last year, the car had no problems with the ice and snow, I think the issue was the very straight lines of tread on the Contacts, but as they lasted hardly any miles I won't buy them again.

Just thought I would post this info' as I had first hand experience of them in ice and snow.

My Toyo Proxes where great last year in the ice and snow when they where nearly new, but after over 20k and having less than 3mm they were a shadow of their former selves this year.

Hammyman

bigjl wrote: »

My wifes car had Continental Contacts on the front last year and it was terrible,

HEADLINE:

Person driving car with SUMMER TYRES fitted has trouble driving in snow and icy conditions.

Coming after the break:

The Pope is Catholic and bears defecate in the woods.

bigjl

HEADLINE:

Person with the same car and a different make of SUMMER TYRE has no problems whatsoever the year after in heavier snow and colder temperatures.


This was a specific comment regarding a specific make of tyre in a specific context, this being the use of said tyre in cold and snowy conditions.

Do you think it would be better to keep this information to myself, or is it more in keeping of the MSE Forum to share information that may actually save another forum member some money.

Coming after the break:


MSE forum member makes chilldish comment without reading the thread properly.







Did you see what I done there? Quite impressed with that really.



At least Mark5 read the info in the spirit in which it was offered, which is really the point of the forum, isn't it?

bigjl

mikey72 wrote: »

I've always thought it's one more adjustment to go out though.
But then round here there's so many holes in the round, lumps that have fallen off tractors, and then my car gets so much abuse loaded for work going down farm tracks I'm just happy if nothing actually drops off.
Always liked Mintex and Ferodo OE pads, what are you going for, greenstuff?

I am afraid it is a flaw in my character, I can't help having a fiddle, though if I went up rough farm tracks like you do then I may have a different outlook, I must admit that there doesn't seem to be many occasions when the alignment needs extra adjustment than my usual twice a year, I just like my cars to be right mechanically, as I don't wash them very much, but under the muck there is indeed gold.

Yup, going for Greenstuff pads, if you get them from buypartsby they are about the same price as normal EBC when bought locally.

Had to buy pads for the wifes Clio over Christmas and had little choice but to go local, for the same money I could have got EBC Greenstuff, but got OE spec pads instead, though since the wife "forgot" to mention that funny noise I am going to have to change the discs and pads again soon, but will order them in advance this time, though almost 50k on the original pads isn't bad for a diesel supermini that has spent most of it's time in Manchester with the first owner (lease company) and the last year around London and Essex.

mark5

bigjl wrote: »

My wifes car had Continental Contacts on the front last year and it was terrible, you could barely get moving, though it now has Avon ZV3's on the front (to replace the front Contacts that wore out in just over 10k) and the two remaining Continental Contact on the rear as they where last year, the car had no problems with the ice and snow, I think the issue was the very straight lines of tread on the Contacts, but as they lasted hardly any miles I won't buy them again.

Just thought I would post this info' as I had first hand experience of them in ice and snow.

My Toyo Proxes where great last year in the ice and snow when they where nearly new, but after over 20k and having less than 3mm they were a shadow of their former selves this year.

I understood what you were saying and thanks, although I have always liked Continental Sports, they are usually my no1 choice of tyre, the Bridgestones were on the car when i bought it.

Wig, The Fiesta is on Firestone 195/45x R16 V's.

I live on the flat less than 2 miles from the M4 and my workplace is also just off the M4. I understand winter tyres would be a lot better but dont feel I should need them for where I live and the driving I do.

The Focus has been getting stuck in the same places the Fiesta and many other cars on summer tyres are finding okay.
My post was more about even at 3mm I feel my tyres are no good for the current conditions never mind running them down to the wear indicators.

skiddlydiddly

Deleted_User wrote: »

My NSF tyre has 3mm tread across the three quarter area but is worn on the outside edge but still with visible tread. Inside edge is as good as the rest of the tyre.

Does this mean I should get my tracking checked?

The tyre is the oldest one on the car.

Its the part of the tyre that wears the most, epsecially on nsf as it takes the load on right hand bends and roundabouts.Usually wears there from continually booting it off a bend .

Its possible you have positive camber but unlikely or that the tyre is toeing in but my money is on the booting it .

leosayer

OP if you're worried about driving with potentially illegal tyres then use a mobile tyre fitter to come to you. There are plenty around and they are often cheaper than Kwik Fit etc.

Then get your alignment checked!

[Deleted User]

bigjl wrote: »

You need to consider that if a tyre has an odd wear pattern caused by bad wheel alignment then after the alignment is corrected the tyre will continue to wear the same way.

I would recommend that everyone gets there car checked by a decent alignment place such as Elite in Rainham, they can check all sorts of things not just tracking, about ten years ago I had an Omega that had a inner edge wear issue, I had the tracking done countless times and in the end took it to the main dealer to sort it, they told me it was a common problem on the Omega and to take it to Elite as that is where they send their cars with this problem, I did so and the problem never returned.

I have my car done twice a year or sooner if I feel that the steering isn't as it should be, such as after the wife uses my car, lol.

Just done a bit of proper research and under:-

The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986

Regulation 27
Tread Depth

The legal minimum tread depth for cars and light trailers (including caravans) up to 3500 kgs gross vehicle weight and/or 8 seated passenger vehicles including driver is:
A minimum of 1.6mm in a continuous band throughout the central three-quarters of the tread width, throughout the whole of the circumference (see illustration below).

(There was a picture that indicated that the outer edges can indeed have no tread visible !!!!!)








Any vehicle with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) or gross train weight (GTW) over 3500kgs or a motorcycle above 50cc must, either:

1. The grooves of the tread pattern must have a depth of a least 1 mm throughout a continuous band measuring at least three-quarters of the breadth of the tread and round the entire outer circumference of the tyre, OR
2. if the grooves of the original tread pattern of the tyre do not extend beyond three-quarters of the breadth of the tread (i.e. common with motorcycle tyres) any groove of the original pattern must have a minimum depth of at least 1 mm.

There where two small pictures in the original web page but I couldn't get them to copy and paste.

Information was copied from www.etyres.co.uk.


@ mikey72, a lot more cars can have the camber and castor adjusted than you may think, however as very few places actually specialise in alignment and rather fob you off with a 4 wheel alignment performed with 10 year old equipment, then it does get neglected on a lot of cars, can't remember the exact details but Elite put on concentric adapters/adjusters onto my Legacy (2004-) to allow extra adjustment that wasn't available as standard, as I had my Legacy set up with Prodrive geometry, which got rid of that understeer on turn in completely.

My Mondeo will be getting some special polybushes on the front wishbones next year that allow extra adjustment, aswell as polybushes on the rear subframe, you can read about them here http://www.powerflex.co.uk/products/Mondeo+%282000+to+2007%29-2410/1.html, yes it is only a Mondeo TDCi, but if I have to spend money on a car then why not improve as you go.

Putting on brakes next week and am fitting EBC discs with uprated pads, pretty cheap on the web http://www.powerflex.co.uk/products/Mondeo+%282000+to+2007%29-2410/1.html.



Some info on wheel alignment and wheel balancing at Elite in Rainham.

http://www.powerflex.co.uk/products/Mondeo+%282000+to+2007%29-2410/1.html

http://www.elitedirect.com/WheelBalancing/wheel-balancing.php

They did have a better page about wheel alignment but they changed it, but they do a free check and also give you a before and after report, which even details stuff like "thrust line".

Rainhams probably a bit far for me but see my thread here about tracking problems after having new tyres :-

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2948268