Mobile tyre fitting professionals discuss the importance of tread depth of tyres

As a responsible motorist or vehicle owner you have to check the tread depth of your tyres at regular intervals. Other than your sense of responsibility this regular checking is also necessary to comply with the law. If the tread depth of any of your tyres sinks below 1.6 mm then that is an offence in the United Kingdom and could be fined for it. In other words when the tread depth of a tyre sinks below 1.6 mm then the tyre is no more suitable for use and you must replace it immediately to conform to the law. Tyres are one of the most crucial components of any vehicle. The only point of contact between your vehicle and the road surface is a tyre. In case your tyres are already past their prime then it is obvious that both your safety as well as that of your vehicle is being severely compromised while you are on the road driving the vehicle.

Let us now quickly get an idea about the kind of penalty one has to pay when caught with flouting the law. Running on bald tyres may invoke a fine of £2,500 for each bald tyre along with three penalty points. For a standard vehicle with four tyres you have to shell out £10,000 and loose (3 points x 4) = 12 penalty points in total when all the tyres have tread depths lower than 1.6 mm. so, now probably it makes sense why you should never let the tread depth of your tyres sink below the legal benchmark. In order to avoid this hassle with the law it is better to keep checking the tread depth at short and regular intervals.

Thankfully checking the tread depth of a tyre is not rocket science. It is pretty easy to run this check any time you want to, suggests a professional trained and skilled in providing the service of mobile tyre fitting in Ealing. We will surely discuss that at the right place but as of now let us explore more on the legal tread depth of tyres in the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom and the legal constraints on tread depth of tyres

There is a legal constraint on tread depth of cars across entire Europe with the UK as no exception. At the three central quarters of any tyre the tread depth should not measure less than 1.6 mm. if the tread depth of a tyre around the entire circumference fails to meet this minimal requirement or benchmark then that is considered as breaking the law. A large number of cars in the UK that fail the MoT test and the reason is insufficient tread depth of the tyres.

It is actually a good habit worth appreciation when you keep checking the tread depth of the tyres of your car at short and routine intervals. You can do this check on your own as it does not involve much technicality. Alternatively you can also hire on call mobile tyre mechanics to do it for you. Tread depth measurement is also done by automobile experts working at conventional garages.

Minimal tread depth of tyres in the eyes of law

Although the legal requirement of minimal tread depth is 1.6 mm in reality this is not sufficient when your safety on roads while driving your vehicle is concerned. As tread depth of tyres gradually sink down when comes to 3 mm then it is high time to have the tyre replaced with a new one. More than precaution this is for safety on road point out professionally trained experts, who provide the service of mobile tyre repairing in Ealing. When the tread depth of a tyre sinks to 3 mm, the stopping distance increases manifolds, which is risky for everyone sitting inside the vehicle. Moreover it is seen that when wet braking distance is concerned, the difference between two tyres having tread depth of 3 mm and 1.6 mm respectively is nearly 50%.  

Worn out tyres are unbelievably risky in wet conditions. The tread of a tyre has a crucial role to play in dispensing away water during a downpour. The rain water is dispensed off from the point of contact between the tyre and the surface of the road. When the tread depth is lesser the lesser quantity of water is actually dispensed. This increases the risks of aquaplaning and losing of grip of the tyre from road surface. During heavy rains tyres have to slog a lot by dispensing off as much as a gallon of water every second to enable you a safe and smooth drive. Considering all these factors you should never take the aspect of tread depth of tyres lightly anymore.

In easy words you can say that the performance of a tyre is better as well as its grip on the road surface when its tread depth is deeper. But as the tread depth keeps shrinking with time and usage the tyre gradually loses its grip on the road as well as its performance.

Easy tips on measuring tread depth of any tyre

Here are few tried and tested means to gauge tread depth of any tyre. You need a 20 pence coin to carry out these tricks.

• Switch off ignition of your vehicle and put it on handbrake
• Keep turning the steering wheel until it becomes completely locked
• Take a 20 pence coin and insert it into the tread grooves of a tyre
• Do you see the rim of the coin? If you do, that is if the outer band of the coin remains visible the tread depth of the tyre has shrunk badly and the tyre is no more suitable for use
• On the other hand if the rim of the coin has completely disappeared from your line of vision that indicates the tyre still has sufficient tread depth left and is safe to use

However this is a pretty unsophisticated means to measuring tread depth. If you want a reliable and realistic assessment then you should better ask a mobile tyre mechanic or an automobile expert working in a conventional garage.

A professional who provides the service of mobile tyre fitting in Ealing suggests you can also check tread depth of any tyre with help of tread wear indicator. You need spacing out these indicators around the circumference of a tyre. When the tread wear indicator becomes at par with the remaining tread you know it is high time to replace the tyre.