UK tyre depth

neilmcl

Car_54 wrote: »

And I can find no evidence that the German limit is out of line with the rest of Europe, i.e. 1.6mm. The German 4mm seems to be a myth.

The 4mm limit is merely a guideline proposed by ADAC, the German equivalent of the RAC, and that is for winter tyres only. The RAC itself suggests a limit to change tyres of 3mm.

TBH, nobody should be letting their tyres get to 1.6mm anyway, just plain foolish imho.

Iceweasel

There is no German law saying that 4mm is the minimum - for any type of tyre - Summer or Winter - it is only a recommendation.

It's only in Austria where Winter tyres are compulsory from 1st November to 15th April that they have a law saying that under 4mm is no longer considered a Winter tyre - but can of course be used for the rest of the year.

Almost every Austrian has 2 sets of wheels and free storage for the set not in use is a big selling point by tyre fitting companies. If not free then the storage cost is often subsidised by the tyre manufacturer as a sales incentive.

Both Germany and Austria recommend changing Summer tyres when they reach a tread depth of 3mm

Most Winter tyres now have an extra tread depth indicator at 4mm in addition to the 1.6mm one

Some manufacturers have also started putting a tread depth indicator for 3mm on Summer tyres.

I occasionally get asked why did they decide on 1.6mm which seems a strange number - why not 1.5 or 2mm?

The answer to that lies across the pond - where the minimum tread depth in USA is 1/16" which is as near as dammit 1.6mm.

For the pedants amongst us it is of course 1.5875mm

German and Austrians tend to be very safety conscious and have higher speed limits then in the UK which means that budget tyres are not a big seller and they will change tyres well before they reach 1.6mm

The UK like Africa is seen as a dumping ground for part-worn tyres - especially Winter ones.

missile

Unfortunately in the nanny state there are many who follow the maxim if it's not illegal it must be OK.

The UK like other third world countries is seen as a dumping ground for part-worn tyres - especially Winter ones.

:rotfl:

sevenhills

Car_54 wrote: »

And I can find no evidence that the German limit is out of line with the rest of Europe, i.e. 1.6mm. The German 4mm seems to be a myth.

I thought I had read about the 4mm limit some time ago, I must have been taken in by the myth

There really is a garage that is called 'German Tyres'.

almillar

Do they get more snow in Germany, is it down to weather conditions, or just being a rich country with high standards?

Tread is to leave a gap for the water to go into, to allow the rubber to touch the road. The more tread, the more water can be cleared, especially important the faster you go, even just in a straight line, to prevent aquaplaning (too much water, overfills tread, tyre goes up onto the water, rubber no longer in contact with road, you are floating!). You may also know that Germany has autobahns with no speed limit. We're stuck at 70 max. I wouldn't be doing 150mph in the rain on our motorways if I had 1.6mm of tread, but I bet somebody would and cause a massive crash!

BTW I wonder what happens to all those 3.9mm tyres, scrapped or shipped off to other parts of Europe to be sold as part worn?

Read the first post.

TBH, nobody should be letting their tyres get to 1.6mm anyway, just plain foolish imho.

A matter of opinion, of course, but I think people would have to change their opinion on remoulds/retreads, otherwise we would end up with much more waste, if the minimum is raised.

loskie

1.6mm is not enough for a wet climate like ours.

tedted

only 1.0 mm on hgv,s

Jackmydad

loskie wrote: »

1.6mm is not enough for a wet climate like ours.

No, it isn't. I'm pretty sure that I can tell in the wet when a tyre is getting below 2.5mm-ish.
I change them before the 2mm mark usually.

sevenhills

Jackmydad wrote: »

No, it isn't. I'm pretty sure that I can tell in the wet when a tyre is getting below 2.5mm-ish.
I change them before the 2mm mark usually.

From independent research, RoSPA recommends that tyres are changed once the tread reaches 3mm in depth.


I would think a car tracking requiring adjustment would have a large effect on braking distances too. But the MOT test seems to ignore that.


https://www.rospa.com/rospaweb/docs/advice-services/road-safety/vehicles/tyre-tread-depth.pdf

Jackmydad

sevenhills wrote: »

From independent research, RoSPA recommends that tyres are changed once the tread reaches 3mm in depth.


I would think a car tracking requiring adjustment would have a large effect on braking distances too. But the MOT test seems to ignore that.


https://www.rospa.com/rospaweb/docs/advice-services/road-safety/vehicles/tyre-tread-depth.pdf

Yes, I've seen that before, and knew about the 3mm .
If I was regularly driving distance on the motorway etc. then I'd change at 3mm.
In fact last time I went any distance I changed the 2 rears a couple of weeks before, which were just under 2.5mm at the time, and so getting to around where I (honestly!) change them anyway.
Tyre fitter seemed to think I was bonkers that time!