Tyres - Do you know the Law

[tonyrec]

Just a thought!

How many people know the Law when it comes to the tread on your Tyres.
Its the most processed Offence that i know of..people either not checking them or ignorant of the Law.

I will post an easy 2 line way of not falling foul of the law.

Once again, dont be shy..either you know or you dont.

[trooper1212]

minimum of 1.6mm across 80% of the tyre isn't it?

[zetec]

1.6 mm across the width of the tyre

IIRC

Edited to add: When the law was first introduced there was the 10p test, the dots on the rim of an old 10p piece were 1.6mm from the edge so you could place the 10p in your tyre to check.

>> Edited by zetec on Sunday 14th September 18:44

[pies]

Cars,must have a tread depth of at least 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the breadth of the tread and around the entire circumference

[oggs]

Well just like F1, slicks aren't allowed, so.........
dont let it go slick

[tonyrec]

pies said:

Cars,must have a tread depth of at least 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the breadth of the tread and around the entire circumference

Yes you are correct....i would only add, No lumps/Tears/Bulges whatsoever and most definately no bald patches.

[pies]

[mutleymodeon]

Medal, me want medal

[/mutlelmodeoff]

[Yoda954]

Thought it was 1.5mm......but I'd want to change 'em before then anyway

[revon]

Thought it also had to have 'visible' tread on the remaining 25%, i,e no completely bald shoulders

[ledfoot]

revon said:

Thought it also had to have 'visible' tread on the remaining 25%, i,e no completely bald shoulders

Isnt that what tonyrec just said ?

tonyrec said:

and most definately no bald patches.

[john_p]

Tony, what would your opinion be of these tyres



.. once the right hand part (which is only a few mm's deep) goes below 1.6mm? I think the 'semi-slick' bit covers 25% of the width of the tyre.. enough to make it legal I suppose!

[Gfun]

What about the tread depth indicators on the tyre - I always thought that if you had not reached these you were OK ?

[tonyrec]

When i said "No bald patches", i meant in the central three-quarters.

You can have a bald edge as long as the ply/cord is not exposed.

As Trafpols, the part that we concentrate on is the centre three-quarters and then check for the bulges/tears/cord etc around the rest of the tyre.

[tonyrec]

john_p said:

Tony, what would your opinion be of these tyres .. once the right hand part (which is only a few mm's deep) goes below 1.6mm? I think the 'semi-slick' bit covers 25% of the width of the tyre.. enough to make it legal I suppose!

Ive come across these tyres before and all that you can go by is the manufacturers original tread pattern.
Some tyres look well dodgy but are made like that in the first instance.

[tonyrec]

Gfun said:

What about the tread depth indicators on the tyre - I always thought that if you had not reached these you were OK ?

Correct, if you have not reached them you are ok unless there is ply/cord/bulges etc elsewhere on the tyre itself...namely the tyre walls themselves.

[tonyrec]

I generally just look at the central part for tread....i dont like to screw people down for the sake of a few mm's across the width.....after all, theres more serious offences like number plates to contend with....lol...(only joking).

[timbob]

What would your opinion be of a TVR, or Caterfield driver, Tony, if you pulled him over with some minimum-road-legal-spec tyres which have had a bit of use on them, and would presumably be technically illegal.

Is there some leniance due to the fact that they were designed they way to use and have more rubber in contact with the road, or do they get fined/bonus pointed the same way as if person x let a road tyre run to the same state of slickness ???

[bumpkin]

isn't there something about no cut more than 10mm in the tyre?

[MilnerR]

timbob said:

Is there some leniance due to the fact that they were designed they way to use and have more rubber in contact with the road

They only have more rubber on the road in the dry. The treads on tyres help to disperse water. Racing tyres even road legal ones are more likely to aquaplane in the wet and send you backwards through a hedge

[tonyrec]

timbob said:

What would your opinion be of a TVR, or Caterfield driver, Tony, if you pulled him over with some minimum-road-legal-spec tyres which have had a bit of use on them, and would presumably be technically illegal. Is there some leniance due to the fact that they were designed they way to use and have more rubber in contact with the road, or do they get fined/bonus pointed the same way as if person x let a road tyre run to the same state of slickness ???

I think that words of advice would suffice, especially if it was a TVR...Lol