What to do with my tyres

[Otispunkmeyer]

Hi All

Trying to decide on what the best plan of action is with the tyres on my car. About this time last year (well about 14 months ago) it was ready for two new fronts. However, a nail in the side wall of the right left scuppered that and I ended up buying 3 new tyres. The remaining tyre was in very good shape so I saw no reason to change that also.

Now, I have just had a measure and this is the condition of the tyres:

Front Left: Balding outer edge (too many roundabouts) and avg of 3mm tread across the width.
Front Right: 4.5mm avg
Rear Right: 4.5mm avg
Rear Left: 7.5mm avg

These are bridgestone turanza ER300's (205/55/16 asymmetric) by the way.

I am worried that while the Front Left tyre technically has nearly double the legal tread, the outer edge is basically bald which may be considered illegal?

It is going to be an expensive few months so I want to try correct this as cheaply as possible. It seems sensible to me to bin the front left and either:

Put the Rear Right on the Front Left corner and then have the two healthiest tyres at the rear (7.5mm + a new tyre)

or:

Put the Rear Left on the Front Right corner, put the new tyre on the Front left and have the two 4.5mm tyres at the back.

I don't know which option is best, but I did read that your best tyres should always be on the rear of the car. Is that correct? What would PH do? (of course the real PH answer is 4 brand spankin new winter tyres on black steelies but that is out of the question!)

[LuS1fer]

Has to be legal depth over 75% of the tyre's width but no cord exposed IIRC.

[TA14]

Otispunkmeyer said:

Put the Rear Right on the Front Left corner and then have the two healthiest tyres at the rear (7.5mm + a new tyre)
... I did read that your best tyres should always be on the rear of the car. Is that correct?

Yes, yes and yes.

[TA14]

PS check the alignment.

[Andyjc86]

The law states 1.6mm across 75% of the tread, with visible tread on the rest.

[Otispunkmeyer]

Cheers chaps! Will go for the new tyre on the rear and the two 4.5mm jobs up front. There are too many right hand turns on my way home and I end up hammering that left front. Need to calm it!