Whilst the legal min is 1.6mm, I imagine that it would be prudent to change the tyres before this depth. At what tread level would people here change there tyres?
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I've seen various advice over recent years, ranging from 2mm to 4mm. If I've had good mileage from tyres, 25000 plus, then I'll change at 3mm otherwise I keep until 2mm to get my moneys worth. I know the logic is faulty but I'm not a millionaire! My only technical criteria is that my last non-ABS car would aquaplane in the motorway rush hour once the tyres were under 3mm.
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From a Dunlop site:
"vehicles travelling with tyres at 1mm tread depth need a lot more stopping distance, particularly on wet roads, than those with tyres of 3 to 8mm tread depth. So increase your safe following distance as the tread decreases."
Ok, so it IS in their best interests to say that, but it makes sense to me.
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(not really relevant to Ian in Cape Town) but for us poor mortals who live where there is SNOW or ICE in winter , driving on 2mm tread depth is ..well .. like skating.
Personally I draw the line at 3mm. If 8mm last say 30k miles, that's the equivalent of about 5k miles lost.. but I personally prefer to be alive and slightly poorer.
When snow or ice happen and you have to drive, you need every bit of help you can get. And there is flooding as well.. I suppose 0mm is safe for London traffic speeds.. lets face it an average 8mph is hardly very demanding...
madf
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All the new tyres I've bought in recent years have started life with 7.5mm tread. My memory tells me that new tyres used to have much more in the good old days. Is my memory playing tricks, or am I just buying rubbish tyres?
If 8mm (or 7.5mm) is good according to Dunlop, then surely 10mm or 15mm would also be good, and wouldn't cost proportionally more to manufacture.
No conclusions here - I just felt like ranting about tyre manufacturers ripping us off.
Some simple maths:
If you start with 7.5mm, there's only 5.9mm usable tread to go before you hit the legal minimum. So, if you change at 3mm, you've only used (7.5 - 3) / 5.9 * 100 % = 76% of the potential life of the tyre. If you change at 2mm, you've used 93% of the tyre.
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Didn't they do a test on one of the car progs that showed bald tyres had the best grip in the dry? Slicks in other words. Tread is for water dispersion. Not that the local magistrate will believe you :-)
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" bald tyres had the best grip in the dry"
Maybe.
Which part of the UK has 100% dry roads?
Where we live in Staffordshire Moorlands, most country roads are nearly always wet/covered with mud due to springs/tractors....
madf
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If 8mm (or 7.5mm) is good according to Dunlop, then surely 10mm or 15mm would also be good, and wouldn't cost proportionally more to manufacture.
The logic is sound but ...
The effect would be like walking on a high-heeled shoe - there would be too much lateral give in the tread pattern.
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Yeh 1.6 is the legal depth but it you drive a car that is at all powerful, or drive above 50mph regularly, or indeed drive "enthusiastically" then change at 3mm, after this depth their quality and grip can deteriorate very quickly and badly. I have heard terrible tales of tyre faults causing problems when it gets close to the inner parts. I also suggest spending money on getting a good quality tyre, as long as you choose the right type you can get better performance and distance than a cheap tyre, and never forget an extra £10 a tyre could save your life one day
richard
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