is this tyre legal or not?

Wig

Just so we are all singing from the same hymn-sheet, this might be an continental eco as shown here
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/images/tyres/Continental_EcoContact_3.jpg

If not, then it is a tyre with a similar tread pattern. Now you see those 2 central ribs, they have very narrow cuts in them called 'sipes', the sipes are not to the same depth as the main grooves at some point the ribs will be smooth as in OP (and one of mine as it happens) but the tyre will still be legal until the twi's are flush. Even when the twis are flush some twi's are set to 2mm so the tread can still go more down to 1.6mm if you want to do that. Just keep driving sensibly according to the conditions and you will be fine.

Kilty_2

Wig wrote: »

Just so we are all singing from the same hymn-sheet, this might be an continental eco as shown here
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/images/tyres/Continental_EcoContact_3.jpg

If not, then it is a tyre with a similar tread pattern. Now you see those 2 central ribs, they have very narrow cuts in them called 'sipes', the sipes are not to the same depth as the main grooves at some point the ribs will be smooth as in OP (and one of mine as it happens) but the tyre will still be legal until the twi's are flush. Even when the twis are flush some twi's are set to 2mm so the tread can still go more down to 1.6mm if you want to do that. Just keep driving sensibly according to the conditions and you will be fine.

+1 - had those tyres on a previous car and the "sipes" wore flat whilst there was still in excess of 5mm everywhere else on the tyre :T

LindseyandMatthew

Hi, thanks for posting that link, that is in fact my tyre lol. I told you I am thick

Kilty_2

LindseyandMatthew wrote: »

Hi, thanks for posting that link, that is in fact my tyre lol. I told you I am thick

- quite the opposite actually - most motorists don't care about the condition of their tyres.

:T

Flyboy152

Looks like a tyre that has been run whilst over-inflated.

bigjl

That looks fairly legal if you ask me, the legal limit only applies to the main blocks of thread, not the smaller sipes or whatever they are called, that is why the tread wear indicators are in between the main tread sections.

As mentioned above it does look a bit more worn in the centre in the picture.

From the experience on my wifes Clio the Contis you have do wear rather poorly, less than 15k on the front of the Clio, though this was exacerbated a little by the wife not checking her tyre pressures, which did increase the wear on the edges of the tread a little, there is already half that on the Avon ZV3's we fitted next, and they are hardly worn, I suspect they will last well over 20-25k, though I have heard that the Clio Dci is a little hesvy on front tyres.

photome

opinions4u wrote: »

I think it's legal but ready to change.

Why take risks with the safety of yourself and your passengers?

What is the risk? Tyre grip doesnt diminish substantially until below the legal limit

Wig

Looks evenly worn to me.

babyshoes

At first glance, I would say it definitely needs checking by a tyre fitter (try to find a reputable one who won't lie to try and make you buy things you don't need) and almost certainly needs replacing soon, but probably isn't illegal just yet - however remember that you can (and some say should) replace a tyre before it becomes illegal, as grip in the wet is seriously reduced as you lose tread. Apparently, the police replace their tyres at 3mm - and imagine how much they could save by changing them at 2mm or even at the legal limit!

If it is wearing more in the middle, you really need to check your tyre pressures more often; as as others have said this is a sign that the tyre has been run with too much pressure in it for the load carried. Did you perhaps increase the pressure in the tyres a while ago when you were loading up the car and forgot to reduce them?

For information, there are broadly 6 things a tyre fitter can tell just by looking at, measuring and feeling how the tread on a tyre has worn. They are: over and under inflation, tracking fault, camber fault, damper fault and brake fault. Sometimes these are really obvious, so if someone inspects a tyre for 30 sec and tells you that you have one of these, they probably aren't trying to pull a fast one, but get them to explain it anyway so that you understand what went wrong and how you can stop it happening in the future.

Viper_7

photome wrote: »

What is the risk? Tyre grip doesnt diminish substantially until below the legal limit

Oh, it certainly does! Varies by tyre type as to the performance when new to worn in different conditions.

However in the wet, there is a substantial reduction in performance
when you start getting down to 3mm.

With only a few square inches of contact, between you and the road, don't skimp on tyre quality, and don't wait till the legal limit just because you can!

Also depends on vehicle usage, someone using the motorways A-roads etc should really consider changing the tyres earlier. If you just pootle around towns then less risk of aquaplaning with worn tyres due to lower speeds.

As for this tyre impossible to tell from a picture if it is legal or not.
Condition of side walls - any bubbles/ any splits/ any cuts.
What about the condition of the tyre on the surface we can't see in the picture?

If the OP is worried get them checked ,no-one on here can say they are ok, and shouldn't be advising they are.