I was talking with my local garage owner yesterday about uneven front tyre wear on my Omega (not an uncommon problem, I understand). He's going to have a look at the car early next week, but we started to chat about the current legality of the tyres. He said he would pass them on an MOT because there's still more than 1.6mm of tread across more than 75% of the width, but he then went on to say that it's possible to pass an MOT, drive round the corner and get booked by plod because they operate to a more stringent standard (2mm across the full width? - but he didn't seem too sure on this point).
Has anyone else come across this before? Does anyone one know if this is really the case?
Sounds daft if it really is true.
Best Regards
Les
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I you have 1.6mm on 75% of the tyre at the MOT you will pass it. If the police stops you and there is less than 1.6mm on 75% you will be nicked. 2mm is o.k.
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I you have 1.6mm on 75% of the tyre at the MOT you will pass it. If the police stops you and there is less than 1.6mm on 75% you will be nicked. 2mm is o.k.
The problem is how do acurately define 75% of the tyre width, its this measurement that is open to debate.
rustbucket (the original)
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I agree, scotty. I don't see why the motoring public should be made to conform to double standards at the whim of any cop who feels officious for whatever reason.
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Andrew-T
Scotty spoke to a man who said that he thought the Police had different rules for tread depth - but he wasn't sure about it.
A quick search on the net can ascertain, as others have done, that the law sets one standard; namely 1.6mm.
I am sure that we would all agree with you when you say:
"I don't see why the motoring public should be made to conform to double standards at the whim of any cop who feels officious for whatever reason."
But do you have any reason for thinking that the police do book people with 2mm of thread left? - other than Scotty's Garage owner(who wasn't sure)
C
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The law is quite clear on this point:
1.6mm of tread across more than 75% of the width is required.
The Police cannot make their own rules up; the Courts would reject any figure that did not conform to statute.
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Out of curiosity, how do you measure the depthness of the tread to one decimal point of a mm?
Secondly, my tyres are running pretty low and they are almost, but not quite, flush with the "marker" that is on the thread. What depth is this marker?
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That is the tread wear indicator which is at 1.6mm.
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That is the tread wear indicator which is at 1.6mm.
But if the tyres are fairly old, the TWI could be 1mm, as this used to be the wear limit. Not sure when the legislation changed from 1mm to 1.6mm.
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When I did the Mot testers course back in the 80's there were half a dozen or so police traffic car drivers there on the same course. They only did the first part of the course, checking the topside of the vehicle including tyres.
I don't know if the police issue the 'present to Mot station for checking' ticket for tyres, but it would make sense if the tyre was worn to the wear markers, and the officer was uncertain.
The wear markers are at 2mm from bald. I wouldn't worry too much about the 0.4mm between the manufacturers markers and the legal minimum, the tyres should be changed long before the law demands it. You can buy tread depth indicators with a marker line at the 1.6mm legal minimum - testing stations use them.
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Car is a 51 Scenic. Do all countries have the same tyre laws or do manufacturers have to put different tyres on cars depending on which country they are going to?
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BobbyG
there is a european standard for tyres and that includes the tread depth marker. If yours are at the marker (fronts I assume) then change them. My scenic understeered in the rain and aquaplaned quite badly when the tyres got to that point. Changed them and it was fine.
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That's fine, chaps. Scotty's wrong and there's no problem.
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I thought it was 1.6mm over 75% of the tread area and visible tread on the rest, ie not bald as a coot.
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I thought it was 1.6mm over 75% of the tread area and visible tread on the rest, ie not bald as a coot.
yes but where does the tread area start? do you include the sidewall part or just the footprint, this is not defined and is a grey area and is open to interpretation.
rustbucket (the original)
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I've just been out to look at a tyre more closely. The tread runs in bands around the circumference, typically 4 or 5 bands. There are then individual branch treads on each band, almost but not quite meeting the short treads of the adjoining band. The tread is deeper around the main circumference of each band than on the radiating treads.
So immediately there are several questions;
1) Does "75%" refer to the actual width from tread extremities, cm/cm ? Or to the number of legal bands as aproportion, eg 4/5 = 80% ?
2) Does the 1.6mm refer to only the main section of the band, or to the side treads?
3) If the outer treads on a particular band are less than 1.6mm, but the centre band and inner treads radiating from that band are more than 1.6mm, does that condemn the whole band, or only the width (in cm) that is actually less than 1.6mm ?
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As you are aware there are several defects that make a tyre illegal. So in line what has been mentioned in this thread :
The grooves of the tread pattern do not have a depth of at least 1.6mm throughout a continuous band measuring at least three quarters of the breadth of the tread and around the entire outer circumference of the tyre. Offence.
Breadth of tread = that part of the tyre which can contact the road under normal conditions of use measured at 90% to the peripheral of the tread.
Tread pattern = combination of plain surfaces and grooves extending across the breadth of the tread and around the entire outer circumference excluding tie bars, tread indicators.
MV Con and Use regs 1986 Regs 26/27
Entire outer circ = is that part normally in contact with the road when the vehicle is in motion, outer walls and shoulder are not included in the requirement. Coote v Parkin (1977).
Plod can deal with such offences as either report for FPN/summons and pick up a fine and three points if guilty OR issue a ticket under VDRS (Vehicle Defect Rectifications Scheme). The later puts the onus of you getting tyres that conform, having certified as so at a MOT Garage on the ticket which is then returned to Plod. Fail to return and Court system kicks in.
DVD
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OK, thanks for all the info. Sounds like the garage owner was less than accurate in what he was telling me. Mark one up for common sense, then.
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This thread is making my head hurt. Just change them at 2-2.5mm to be on the safe side. Wet grip starts to disappear rapidly below that point anyway.
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Do all new tyres come with the same amount of mm tread on them?
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Do all new tyres come with the same amount of mm tread on them?
Not necessarily, although there does seem to be a standard (8mm I think). I seem to remember that one of Vredesteins USP's is that their tyres have 9mm. (or the standard could be 9 and they have 10, can't quite remember)
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