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C
H E C K
T Y R E S
The
legal requirements for tyres on UK cars
Remember
you need good tyres to drive safely. They are your only contact with the
road and affect the steering, braking and acceleration of your vehicle.
You
need good tyres to drive safely. They are your only contact with the
road and affect the steering, braking and acceleration of your vehicle.
This
Page explains the legal requirements and the precautions you should take
to ensure that the tyres on your vehicle are safe.
What
your tyres do
Your tyres,
each with a contact patch on the road of about the size of a large footprint,
have to provide ALL of the grip for:
Steering
Braking
Acceleration
They also
improve comfort whilst carrying the weight of the vehicle. If you look
after them they will work more reliably and last longer. Neglecting
them could be expensive in the long run and could even cost you your
life. Every
new car type tyre must meet European standards for load/speed performance
and be marked on the sidewall with E or e.
Tread
depth
The
legal minimum tread depth of the main grooves of car and similar tyres
in the United Kingdom and the European Community is 1.6mm. This applies
across the central three quarters of the breadth of tread and round
the entire outer circumference of the tyre.
Most car type tyres have tread wear indicators, usually at least six
small ribs across the bottom of the main tread grooves, and when the
tread surface becomes level with these ribs the tyre is at the legal
limit and must be replaced. Simple and cheap gauges are also available
to give an acceptable guide to tread depth.
Tyre tread
pattern is designed to give good grip in wet conditions. Generally speaking
available grip reduces as the tyre wears or as the road surface water
depth increases - you should reduce speed in such conditions.
The
1.6mm minimum limit applies to:
Cars
and passenger vehicles with up to 8 seated passengers-not including
the driver
Motor
vehicles & light trailers (including caravans) up to 3500Kg
gross vehicle weight
Retreaded
Tyres
The only
part of a tyre to wear away in normal use is the tread and it makes
both economic and ecological sense to give a new lease of life to an
otherwise good tyre by what is now generally known as retreading.
All retread
tyres supplied in the United Kingdom must comply with the British Standard
for retreaded tyres, BS AU 144e, and must be marked with the Standard
number (certain foreign made tyres may be acceptable if of an equivalent
standard). The
British Standard requires strict examination and inspection of retreaded
tyres at all stages and they must meet the same load/speed performance
standards as new tyres. The
tyre debris, often seen at the roadside, does not necessarily come from
retreaded tyres and is mainly the result of under inflation or overloading.
Retreaded tyres are used extensively on aircraft and in motoring competition.
Part-worn
tyres
There are
many dangers in buying part-worn or ‘second hand’ tyres. Their history
is unknown and they may have been removed from a vehicle involved in
an accident or have been badly damaged by ‘kerbing’ or similar problems.
Repairs may not have been carried out properly, for example to British
Standard BS AU 159f. Regulations
require a part-worn tyre to be marked "PART-WORN" adjacent
to the E e or BS mark, to indicate that it has been properly examined
internally and externally before being offered for sale. Some faults
only show up if the tyre has been inflated. Tread
depth must be at least 2mm across the whole breadth of tread.
Mixing
of tyres
Except in
the case of temporary use spare tyres, it is illegal in the United kingdom,
and it is certainly dangerous, to mix radial ply and cross ply tyres
on the same axle or to have radial ply tyres on the front axle and cross
ply tyres on the rear axle. This applies to all two axle motor vehicles
whether front or rear wheel drive. The type of tyre is indicated on
the sidewall markings. In the case of radial tyres the word ‘radial’
is written on the sidewall.
Tyre
pressures
Correct
tyre pressures are vital for safe handling and optimum braking, grip
and tyre life.
Low
tyre pressures or overloading will cause increased fuel consumption,
more air pollution, shorter tyre life and greater risk of tyre failure.
High
tyre pressures may cause reduced comfort, less grip, greater
risk of impact tyre damage and reduced stability in braking and
cornering.
Pressures
should be checked at least every two weeks and only when the tyres are
cold. Even a short trip to the local garage will warm up the tyre and
raise the pressure. Accurate and reliable gauges are not expensive and
will soon pay back their cost. Recommended
pressures may vary according to load or speed. Look in the vehicle handbook,
or consult your garage or tyre dealer.
Equivalent
Pressures
kPa
bar
lb/in2(psi)
kPa
bar
lb/in2(psi)
150
1.5
22.0
200
2.0
29.0
160
1.6
23.0
210
2.1
30.5
170
1.7
24.5
220
2.2
32.0
180
1.8
26.0
230
2.3
33.5
190
1.9
27.5
240
2.4
35.0
Penalties
The penalties
for offences related to the use of faulty tyres on vehicles are very
severe. In
the case of any vehicle, except goods vehicles and vehicles adapted
to carry more than eight passengers, for every offence there is a fine
at level 4 of the standard scale with discretionary disqualification
and compulsory driving licence endorsement with 3 penalty points.
Level 4
is currently £2500 and each faulty tyre is considered as a separate
offence. Two faulty tyres equals £5000.
OFFENCES
CAN RELATE TO:
Tread
depth: a tyre worn below the legal minimum. Mixing:
an incorrect mixture of radial and cross ply tyres. Inflation:
a tyre not inflated to make it suitable for the purpose to which the
motor vehicle or trailer is being put. Cuts:
certain long and deep cuts as specified in regulations. Lumps,
bulges or tears: caused by separation or partial failure of the
tyre structure. Exposed
ply or cordUnsuitability:
regarding the use to which the motor vehicle or trailer is being put
or to the types of tyres fitted to its other wheels.
