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I noticed the other day my front tyres are looking a little worn. Quick check with the vernier callipers shows they're both about 2.5mm deep.
I know the legal limit is 1.6mm, but what's the "sensible" limit? All the tyres shops online state 3mm, but they would, they want to sell more tyres.
2mm is the minimum you really want - wet stopping distance increases significantly after that. Given it's now coming in to the Summer I would personally be happy to run them to that.
I know the police and tyre manufacturers recommend 3mm as the minimum.
Taken from Continental website so obviously a bit biased towards early replacement but makes you think -
Car Tyre Tread Depth Top Tips- Extensive testing shows that tyres with a Continental minimum-recommended tread depth of 3mm stop in a distance of 91m from 70mph.
- With a legal-minimum tread depth of 1.6mm, it takes 135m to stop from 70mph - that's a difference of 44m.
- More worryingly, the car on 1.6mm of tread would have been travelling at 50mph when the car with tyres at 3mm would have stopped.
Yeah anything less than about 3mm and I start to actively think about buying new and driving with added caution, it really does affect stopping distances, especially on cheapo tyres.
anything less than about 3mm and I start to actively think about buying new
That was my thought, hence the question.
Cheers.
I'll give kwik fit a call...
there are independant tests that verify the 3mm recomendation. I believe it is also the minimum in some countries. My previous tyres were terrifying at about 2-2.5mm. In the wet i could spin the wheels in third on a slight incline in my 110bhp diesel octavia! Madness.
I would recommend Event Tyres and I got uniroyal rainexperts. They have a stonking amount of grip in the wet. Fuel economy not the best though.
Are those conti stats from in the wet? Surely in the dry less tread = more grip (unless the compound changes under 3mm)?
Yes, the Conti stats are wet stopping distance.
It's not just the people selling tyres who recommend a deeper minimum tread depth.
First Bus work to 5mm on the front and 3mm on the rear as a minimum. They wouldn't spend more on tyres than they have to without good reason.
Run them through summer if we get good weather and swap in the autumn.
Don't use Kwik-fit though...there are plenty of cheaper places around.
Go to black circles above kwik fit (if you haven't already). I used them recently and it all went smoothly and was much better than the service I have had from kwik fit before!
I'm glad someone started this my fronts are at 5mm and I had been wondering what the minimum was - for some reason I thought it was 5 and was starting to think of new tyres - sounds like I can wait a bit though.
Kwik fit varies from branch to branch. My local one is superb, the manager will price match anyone and is always quick (kwik?) and the staff polite and informative.
I dated a girl at uni whose parents were paying for golf lessons as an "investment in her future" I spend the time out on my bike. I'd like to take this opportunity to say a big "ha ha!" To Sarah and more so her mother.
Edit: wtf. That was for the golf thread!
I dated a girl at uni whose parents were paying for golf lessons as an "investment in her future" I spend the time out on my bike. I'd like to take this opportunity to say a big "ha ha!" To Sarah and more so her mother.
thats nice but when did she change her tyres?