Protyre News

From Andover to Middlesbrough, Nottingham to Zeals (it’s a village in Wiltshire), we’re proud to serve the nation. As your local go-to tyre experts, Protyre have vast experience of providing UK motorists with the essential tyre safety advice they need to stay safer on the road. At the heart of our ethos is the importance of having good tyre tread depth, and how this plays such a significant role in maintaining your driver safety.

A survey undertaken in 2017 revealed that 69% of motorists questioned did not know the UK road legal minimum tyre tread depth. Do you? If not, you should. Your tyres play a vital role in ensuring you’re able to maintain control of your car, especially when it comes to braking and cornering.

If the tread depth of your tyres is insufficient, you won’t be able to adequately grip the road, and that increases your chance of having an accident. This is especially true in cold, wet weather conditions, something all too common in the UK, right?

If you’re not familiar with the importance of your tyre treads, and their depth, you should take a moment to read our latest tyre safety article. It not only outlines how to avoid the substantial fine and penalty points on your licence you’ll receive if you’re caught with treads under the legal minimum, but also offers you a quick, easy to do tyre tread depth checking process – the 20p Test.

Appreciating the importance of having good tyre tread depth

But first, let’s start with a little background on tyre treads. They’re the grooves on your tyres that help to remove water from the road. As a result, your car can grip the surface better. Without tyre treads, you’d struggle to control your car – especially when cornering and braking. The more tread depth you have, the quicker and easier water can be cleared, and the better grip you’ll achieve. And that means much shorter stopping distances.

At Protyre, brand new tyres come with 8 mm of tyre tread as standard, but over time, with wear and tear – depending on how you drive, and how often – the tread depth reduces, and, as is does, so too its ability to grip the road. Tyre experts, like us, and leading premium tyre manufacturer, Continental, recommend that when your tread gets down to 3 mm you should replace your tyres as soon as possible.

This is despite a UK legal tyre tread depth mimimum of just 1.6 mm. We believe this is way too low, and – like Continental – as member’s of TyreSafe (the UK tyre safety charity) we’re campaigning to have the minimum tread depth level increased.

Why? Because at 3 mm of tread depth, independent testing has conclusively shown that a tyre’s ability to grip rapidly deteriorates, exposing drivers to an increased risk of accident.

So how can you stay road legal, ensure you know what your tread depths are, and know when it’s time to replace your tyres? Some tyre manufacturers, like Continental, incorporate Tread Wear Indicators (TWI) in their products. These are always visible, but set below the level of the original 8 mm of tyre tread. As tyre wear takes place, the tread depth reduces, ultimately to the point when it’s level with the TWI. On Continental tyres there are two sets of TWI – at 3 mm (above, right – the recommended depth to change your tyres) and at 1.6 mm (above, left – the UK road legal minimum).

Image courtesy of TyreSafe

The quick and easy 20p Test

And then there’s the 20p Test. This simple yet ingenious method is a very handy way of checking your tyre tread depth at any time and any place, without the need for a tyre depth gauge. We suggest that you permanently keep a 20p coin in your car. Simply place it in the grooves that runs along the length of your tyres (multiple times, at various points around the tyre) and, if you can see any part of the outer band on the coin face, it probably means the tyre tread is too shallow – and illegal. It’s not just time to think about replacing your tyres, it’s essential you do so immediately.

Thanks to the 20p Test, you can easily maintain a regular check on your tyre tread depths, ensuring you aren’t caught out and at risk of a severe fine and penalty points - £2,500 and three points – PER TYRE. But, more importantly, doing the test will help you to make sure that the tyres fitted to your car can provide you with the grip you need to increase your driver safety, and that of your passengers and fellow motorists.

Unsure about your tyre tread depth? Speak to the experts at Protyre

If you’re unsure about how to do the 20p Test, or are concerned about your tyre tread depths, speak to your local tyre professionals at Protyre. Our expert team can provide you with impartial advice, fitting solutions, and the right tyres for your vehicle.