What are the 3 legal requirements relating to the tyre tread pattern? (2023)

What are the legal requirements for tyres?

The legal limit of 1.6mm is reached when the tyre is worn to the level of the tread wear indicators in the main groove — as soon as this happens, the tyre should be replaced.

Let's look deeper at both the elements of tire tread patterns as well as the three types you might run across in your search for new tires: Symmetric tread, asymmetric tread, and directional tread.

Place a 20p coin into the main tread grooves of your tyre. If you can't see the raised edge around the coin, your tyre's tread is likely greater than 1.6mm and, therefore, legal. If, on the other hand, the outer band is visible when inserted, your tyre could be unsafe and require professional inspection.

The change in law

From 1 February 2021 Construction and Use Regulations will not allow tyres aged over 10 years old to be used on the front steered axles of HGVs, buses, coaches or all single wheels fitted to a minibus (9 to 16 passenger seats).

Also called tire tread designs, tire tread patterns are the arrangement of continuous ribs, independent tread blocks, circumferential and lateral grooves, as well as the thin sipes molded into the tread to fine-tune noise, handling, traction and wear.

Used on the entire array of tire types and purposes, the four most common tread designs are symmetrical, asymmetrical, directional and asymmetrical & directional.

For optimal safety and performance, Continental recommends fitting the same tires to every wheel position on your car, so drivers should have the same brand, size, tread pattern, load index, and speed rating on the front and rear tires.

Symmetrical tread patterns

The most common tread pattern used on passenger tyres is the symmetrical tread pattern. In these types of patterns, the outer and inner sides of the tread are symmetrical — which means that the outer and inner sides mirror one another.

How many types of treads are there?

There are three types of tread design: Symmetrical, Asymmetrical and Uni-directional. The most common type of tread design available in the market is Symmetrical tread pattern.

Asymmetrical Tyre Tread

As the name denotes, this type of tyre design pattern is the opposite of the symmetrical tread and are considered as the best of both worlds.

The legal limit for minimum depth of the tread on your tyres is 1.6 millimetres, across the central ¾ of the tread around the complete circumference of the tyre. For safety reasons, it is recommended that you replace your car tyres before the legal limit is reached.

What is the minimum recommended tread depth? The minimum permitted tyre tread depth is 1.6 mm. For safety reasons, it is recommended that each tyre should have at least 3.0 mm tread depth. Most new tyres have 8.0 mm.

The legal minimum depth of tread for car tyres is 1.6 mm across the central ¾ of the tread around the complete circumference of the tyre. Anything below 1.6mm reduces grip on the road which could be dangerous for both you and your passengers.

It is lawful, but not recommended, to use tyres aged more than 10-years on other axles. Our research has found structural deterioration can occur in older tyres which cannot be identified through visual inspection.

Low Tread Depth

The legal minimum is a depth of 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre's face, and around the entire circumference.

In addition to tread depth and inflation pressure, you should also inspect your tires for any damage or conditions that would warrant their replacement. Look at the tread and sidewalls for any cuts, scrapes, punctures, bulges, bumps or cracks.

ONE TREAD DESIGN DOES NOT FIT ALL

Generally speaking, there are two basic types of tread designs. One is built for fuel efficiency; the other for increased traction. (Most BFGoodrich^® tires deliver a blend of both.) Depending upon your vehicle needs and operational conditions, we can help you choose the right design.

The four types of tire tread are directional, symmetrical, asymmetrical, and directional/asymmetrical.

What is the 3/4 tyre tread?

The second part of the law says that the 1.6mm measurement must be across the central 3/4 of the tyre. This means that at any point across the main part of the tyre, the tread depth MUST BE NOT LESS THAN 1.6mm. This means that at any point across the main part of the tyre, the tread depth MUST BE NOT LESS THAN 1.6mm.

Directional tires have a tread pattern designed to rotate in only one direction. When you look at such tires head on, the lateral voids and channels on the tread all point forward and down. The channels on both sides of the tread will run like two waterfalls joining from opposite sides, like this: ϒ

Uneven tire wear is usually caused by improper alignment, overinflation, underinflation or a worn out suspension. It can be helpful to know the different uneven tire wear patterns below and what they may suggest about your car.

The rearward close is a 5 wheel rotation pattern for both rear and four-wheel drive vehicles. First, the back left and back right tires replace the front left and front right tires respectively. The front left tire is kept as a spare, and the front right tire replaces the back left.

Tyre rotation is the process of changing the position of the tyres on your vehicle, often done by swapping front and rear car tyres. Ideally, tyres should be rotated at intervals of 6000 miles for cars and around 4000 miles for 4x4 vehicles, unless the manufacturer states otherwise.

On average, how you know when to rotate tires depends on vehicle mileage. Namely, it's a best practice to rotate tires every 5,000 to 7,500 miles or so. This is a rule of thumb, however, and you'll want to double-check with your vehicle's owner's manual for more specific information.

Scuffs – scuffs can be made by a rotating or yawing vehicle, vehicle acceleration, or a flat tire. Skids – these are made by a locked wheel. Prints – these are left by a rolling tire. Scrub Mark – scrub marks are left by a wheel that locks due to damage.

It is also illegal to mix across tread patterns, tread depths and tyre sizes too, as the identical tyre model, size, brand, tread depth and tread pattern must be fitted across the same axle.

Can I mix different tyre tread patterns?

Where possible, you always want to match tyres with similar characteristics and properties. This means you should not combine: Tyres with different tread patterns. Tyres of different sizes (unless this is specified by your car manufacturer)

Directional tire tread patterns provide high protection against aquaplaning, excellent handling on snow and mud, and very good road-holding at high speeds. Asymmetric tire tread patterns offer excellent handling, high curve stability, and good grip in wet conditions.

An Asymmetrical tire has a tread pattern that is designed for two purposes. Asymmetrical tires have one side of the tire that is designed entirely different from the other side of the tire. Asymmetrical tires will always have a marking to identify which side of the tire should be mounted facing out.

In the UK, the law states that the minimum tread depth for a tyre is 1.6mm - anything below 1.6mm, and you will be driving with illegal tyres. A new car tyre begins life with approximately 8mm of tread depth - so you should consider changing your tyres to around 3mm.

It is lawful, but not recommended, to use tyres aged more than 10-years on other axles. Our research has found structural deterioration can occur in older tyres which cannot be identified through visual inspection. Owners are recommended to: record.

Low Tread Depth

The legal minimum is a depth of 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre's face, and around the entire circumference.

So yes, tyre plugs are legal. However, use them for emergency repairs in the bush. Use them when you don't have the option of getting the tyre repaired properly. Here's a good example of a tyre with a stake in the sidewall.

The rubber compound breaks down over time and this causes cracking and internal weakness to the tyre over many years. If the MoT tester feels the tyre condition is dangerous they will fail the car. But the MoT failure will not be automatic due to the tyre's age.

2- Ten years is a maximum

If the tyres haven't been replaced 10 years after their date of manufacture, as a precaution, Michelin recommends replacing them with new tyres. Even if they appear to be in a usable condition and have not been worn down to the tread wear indicator. This applies to spare tyres as well.

All tyres (including spare tyres) more than ten years old should be removed from service and replaced with new tyres.

Is 7 years old for tires?

It may be tentative, but tires do have an expiration date. There is a general consensus that most tires should be inspected, if not replaced, at about six years and should be absolutely be swapped out after 10 years, regardless of how much tread they have left.