It is important to check the tread depth of the tyres of any automobile at regular intervals. Why? That is because it is your best way to comply with the law. Now you must be wondering what about the legal compliance over the matter. As per the law, if the tread depth of any tyre sinks below 1.6 mm then the tyre is not suitable for use any more. So you have to replace the tyre immediately.
A tyre is the only point of contact between an automobile and the road surface upon which it is plying. This is why tyres play a crucial role for any vehicle. Now it is not difficult to understand if a tyre is already passed its prime and is still pressed into service then it obvious both your safety and that of your vehicle are greatly compromised while you are driving on the road.
When you are driving your automobile with tyres that are no more permissible to use you could be fined for violation of the rule. For each bald tyre or tyre that is already outdated and no more permissible under the law for use found in your vehicle you have to pay a fine of £2,500 along with three penalty points. If in case all the four tyres in your automobile vehicle are outdated in that case you have to hand over as much as £10,000 to the authorities, which is a huge amount in itself, and cannot expect any return out of it.
So, probably now it makes sense why you should measure the tread depth of your tyre at short and routine intervals. How do you check tread depth of a tyre? This is a pretty easy task to accomplish and does not involve rocket science.
More about tread depth of tyres and its legal limits in the UK
It is already mentioned above legal tread depth of cars across the three central quarters of ant tyre is 1.6 mm as far as the United Kingdom is concerned. As such the legal permissible tread depth of 1.6 mm is also valid across the all of Europe. In order to comply with the law it is important for you to make sure that the tread depth across the entire circumference of a tyre should meet this minimal requirement.
According to trained professionals who provide the service of mobile tyre fitting in East London one of the commonest reasons why vehicles in good conditions fail in MOT (or Ministry of Transport) is because of bald tyres. In order to ensure your automobile vehicle clears MOTs successfully you should develop the habit of checking the tread depth of your tyres at routine intervals. If you think you cannot carry out this measure of the tread depth of the tyres then do not shy away from hiring a professional tyre mechanic. Even automobile experts at the local garage can also do it for you.
A clear understanding of the minimum tread-depth of a tyre
According to professionals who possess expertise on automobile tyres and road safety are of the opinion that the legally permissible level of minimum tread depth of tyres which is 1.6 mm is pretty insufficient to ensure a motorist’s safety on the road while driving. According to them it is high time indeed to replace a tyre when its tread depth sinks below 3 mm.
As soon as the tread depth sinks below 3 mm the stopping distance of that tyre suddenly increases manifolds and this makes the tyre risky to use. Two tyres having tread depths of 3 mm and 1.6 mm respectively are found to have a substantial difference between their braking distances on a wet surface and this difference could be as much as 50%.
The overall condition becomes riskier in a vehicle running on a wet surface, when there are worn out tyres fitted. The tread of a tyre has a crucial role to play when dispensing water is concerned from the patch of contact between the tyre and the road surface during rains. A tyre with lesser tread depth manages to shift a lesser amount of water which magnifies the chances of losing grip and aquaplaning. Just to give you an idea, at the times of heavy downpours each tyre of your automobile have to dispense as much as a gallon of water each second to enable you enjoy a smooth and safe drive.
In easier words you can say the deeper the tread of a tyre, the better performance the tyre provides along with a better grip on the surface of the road. Dedicated tool like tread depth gauge helps you measure the tread depth of your tyres accurately. Alternatively you may also make use of a 20 pence coin to measure the tread depth of your tyres suggest mobile tyre repairing professionals in East London. Even this approach provides reliable results too they assure.
How to measure tread depth of a tyre using a 20 pence coin
Here are the tried and effective tips to measure the tread depth of any tyre correctly using a 20 pence coin.
- The first thing you need doing is put the vehicle on handbrake and turn the ignition off
- Keep turning the steering wheel gently till it becomes completely locked
- Now insert a coin of 20 pence denomination into the tread grooves of the targeted tyre
Do you see the rim of the coin or has it disappeared completely into the tread grooves of the tyre? If the rim of the coin has disappeared completely from your sight then you can be rest assured that the tyre still has sufficient tread groove left. But on the other hand if any portion of the rim of the coin remains visible then the tyre could not be safe anymore to use. In this circumstance it is better to get the tyre inspected by a trained and experienced tyre or automobile mechanic.
Tread wear indicators are also helpful determining the tread depth of any automobile tyre accurately. These are meant to be spaced around the circumference of a tyre and if the indicator levels with the remaining tread then it is high time to get the tyre replaced without any delay.
Professionals in East London providing mobile tyre service point out something interesting relevant to the ongoing topic. In some tyres, they say, the tread indicator is embossed on the wall itself. This embossing is usually marked by an arrow or a line which is placed at a convenient point below the tyre’s outer tread.
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