Tyre tread and the law
There are laws across the UK and European community relating to the minimum tyre tread that it’s legal to have on any tyre on any car. Every tyre must have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm. You must have this minimum tread depth of 1.6mm in a continuous band around the central part of the tyre, so that at least three quarters of the central section of the tyre has this depth of tread.
A lot of tyre manufacturers mould in a ‘tread bar’ or tread depth indicator at 1.6mm what this does is help you to judge whether your tyre is legal or not, or if it’s getting close to the legal limit. There are normally at least 6 tread bars – they’re small ribs across the bottom of the main tread grooves and if you can see the tread depth indicator is now at the top of the grove then you’re about to become illegal and you should get yourself new tyres pretty quickly. If you’re wearing away or have worn away the tread bar then you are driving on illegal tyres and should get off the road and get them changed now!
Despite the legal limit being 1.6mm most tyre manufacturers suggest that tyres should be changed when they’ve approximately 3mm of tread left. Anything below this, and they feel that you are compromising the optimum safety of the car and tyre. Remember, your tyres are your only contact with the road, and they affect the steering, acceleration and braking of your vehicle which means that you need good tyres to drive safely.
You can buy simple gauges which will allow you to measure your own tyre tread depth, they’re not expensive, and it’s not a bad idea to have one so that you can keep an eye on your tyre wear.
If you keep a spare tyre in your car which most people do, this tyre must also have a tread on it which is legal and safe if you need to use it.