How do I know when my tyres are in need of changing?

What are the signs of needing a tyre change?

There are a number of signs that can display if your tyres are in need of changing or not, so in this blog we’ll give you top tips of signs that your tyres might need a new lease of life. A deterioration in performance is one of the main signs that your tyres may need to be replaced. Noticeable signs of this is how your car doesn’t handle the way it normal does, especially if your tyres aren’t gripping the road in poor weather conditions. It also takes a while longer to stop when you apply the brakes.

Tyre wear can happen for a number of reasons

Tyres wear gradually over time, so indentifying the reduction in performance can be incredibly difficult to judge. It’s best to get your tyres checked regularly by an expert in order to have a true understanding of their wear and tear. It’s the driver’s responsibility to ensure that the treat on the tyres of your car are not worn down under the legal limit, which currently sits at 1.6 millimetres. Failure of this will result in a fine and even worse.

In order to make wear easier to indentify, tyre manufacturers often incorporates treat wear indicators in the design of the tread pattern on the tyres. These are usually at the tread level of 1.6mm and they’re indicated by a T.W.I. As soon as the tread on the tyre is worn down to the limit of the tread wear indicator, the tyre has finally reached the legal minimum and you should look to get this replaced as soon as possible, otherwise you face punishment by the police.

You should be aware that a number of reasons can be responsible for tyre wear. Your tyres don’t naturally wear through age and usage, yet breaking immediately and have tyres which are under-inflated or over-inflated. If you have misaligned wheels, an edge of the tyre can become more worn than the rest of the tyre.

Take a few minutes each week to walk around your car, checking the overall tread of your tyres. Look for bulges or wear in your tyres and get the tyre pressure checked every time you go to fill up.

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Explanations for how tyres wear

Under Inflation
Under-inflation can cause a tyre to wear on the outer edges of the tread, leaving the central tread way less worn. The tyre inner-liner can also degrade.

Over Inflation
Over-inflation usually results in the central tread being forced into contact with the road, causing rapid or crown wear.

Camber Wear
Excessive wheel camber often causes sloping wear on the outer edge of the tread, particularly on one shoulder of a tyre.

Illegal Wear
Tyres that have been used well after reaching the legal minimum pattern depth of 1.6mm are usually classed as using illegal wear.

Mis-Alignment
Mis-alignment is a typical example of the wear caused by front wheel misalignment. The edge of the tread is "feathered" and will wear progressively from one side

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