Tyre Tread legal tread

[doddsredoubt]

Could someone on answerbank answer this question for me please,what is the legal tread depth for a tyre before it becomes illegal.

Thankyou for any help given.

[Ethel]

On a standard car - 1.6mm

http://www.etyres.co.uk/uk-tyre-law

[doddsredoubt]

Thankyou Ethel,I did not know and the VW garage have told me that soon they will become illegal and neede to be changed for the first MOT.

Thankyou for your help much appreciated.

[sddsddean]

If you look in the grooves of the tread, about every 12" round the wheel there is a little block of rubber in the tread. These are wear indicators. When they are level with the surrounding rubber, the tyre needs changing. As Ethel says, its 1.6mm on a car, but on my truck I can go down to 1mm over 3/4 of the tread width. It always seems weird to me that trucks can have less tread than a car, but thats the law for you!

[ChuckFickens]

I would also point out that the levels of grip on wet roads drop off alarmingly well before you get to the 1.6mm legal level.

As your tyres are the only thing keeping you on the road change them sooner rather than waiting until they get right down to the legal limit.

[doddsredoubt]

Thankyou sddsddean and CHuckFickens,as I said to Ethel this is my first MOT on my VW Golf and when I had it serviced last July I had my the paper from that service on what they did and also telling me that my tyres were wearing down and needed to be changed on this years service plus tracking had to be done,I did check my front tyres this morning and they were down to 2mm.

Thankyou both for your help much appreciated.

[sddsddean]

As Chuck says, its best not to wait until the last minute and if your front tyres are down to 2mm, I'd get them changed this week (especially as you have a front wheel drive car). Go to a decent tyre fitter (word of mouth recommendation is best), but please don't go to bl00dy Kwik Fit! They are just robbing bast@rds.

[david1702198]

they wont actualy fail an mot until they are 1.6mmor below across 3/4 of the tread but i would change them