3.5 mm tyre tread

masterboy123

So my car dealer checked tyres in March and rear tyres were at 3.5 mm tread and said to get it changed in July.
I am not good at measuring treads and wondering if they are like less than 2mm now after driving 1600 km since last service? I know it's a tough question as tread wear depends on braking, acceleration, etc. But how long would it take for tyres to go down by 1.5 mm?

fancy pigeon

Check your tread wear block as it depends on type of driving/compound of tyre/mechanical state, if flush with the tread it needs replaced

zilog_jones

You can get a tread depth gauge pretty cheap in Halfords or probably any motor factors. Other than that, the gold part of a Euro coin is 3mm.

tcawley29

Also don't go to the dealer for tyres. It'll be cheaper to go to an independent tyre shop.

Toyotafanboi

tcawley29 wrote: »

Also don't go to the dealer for tyres. It'll be cheaper to go to an independent tyre shop.

"Shop around for tyres", i think thats what you meant to say .

TheBoyConor

If your tyres are 2mm now then you still have a small amount of life left in the tyres. To maximize what thread is left you could rotate the tyres on the car to ensure they wear evenly. I tend to put my near spent tyres on the back axle and they last much longer there than if I left them run out on the front. Then the new tyres eventually go on the back and I swap over again when the fronts are getting worn.
Definitely shop around for tyres. There is bargains to be had if you put in the effort in searching.

grogi

TheBoyConor wrote: »

I tend to put my near spent tyres on the back axle and they last much longer there than if I left them run out on the front.

Which is something that loads of people do, while you should never do...

biko

Wow, we went from tyre depth to whether to put new tyres on front vs rear in 7 posts
New record y'all!

TheBoyConor

But sure in that video they are probably deliberately trying to get the darker car to spin. Sure look at the speed of it and the way you can see the steering flicking to get it to fishtail.

Toyotafanboi

grogi wrote: »

Which is something that loads of people do, while you should never do...

Particularly if you are like the OP and have a RWD car. I wouldn't be putting 2mm tyres anywhere other than in the bin.

TheBoyConor

The minimum legal requirement is 1.6mm. Bear in mind that anything above that will pass an NCT which is strict and so if you are replacing tyres with 2mm you are wasting your tyres. Also, I would expect the the 1.6mm limit probably has a safety factor included in it.

tcawley29

TheBoyConor wrote: »

The minimum legal requirement is 1.6mm. Bear in mind that anything above that will pass an NCT which is strict and so if you are replacing tyres with 2mm you are wasting your tyres. Also, I would expect the the 1.6mm limit probably has a safety factor included in it.

And 2mm is even safer due to the tyres having more space to displace water. You'll hydroplane on with 1.6mm before you will with 2mm.
Each to their own but I'd prefer to do what is safe.
Real life example - smoking cigarettes is legal but is it safe?

tcawley29

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

"Shop around for tyres", i think thats what you meant to say .

Sort of but by shopping around you'll usually arrive at my point regardless if you want a decent brand. 60 a corner in an independent will go further than a dealer if you're looking for quality

grogi

biko wrote: »

Wow, we went from tyre depth to whether to put new tyres on front vs rear in 7 posts
New record y'all!

Should I simply ignore a dangerous advice given?!

Toyotafanboi

TheBoyConor wrote: »

The minimum legal requirement is 1.6mm. Bear in mind that anything above that will pass an NCT which is strict and so if you are replacing tyres with 2mm you are wasting your tyres. Also, I would expect the the 1.6mm limit probably has a safety factor included in it.

The NCT is not strict. They say themselves it's a snapshot in time, that all it tells you is that the car met a minimum safety requirements on the day in question and nothing more.

A 1.6mm tyre is scrap, a 2mm tyre is also scrap, it's just legal scrap, you're literally splitting hairs talking about a 0.4mm difference being worth anything. The RSA recommend that a tyre be replaced at anything 3mm and below to maintain good performance.

The wet braking distances of a 1.6mm tyre will be considerably further if not a multiple of the same tyre with 3mm+ left.

masterboy123

masterboy123 wrote: »

So my car dealer checked tyres in March and rear tyres were at 3.5 mm tread and said to get it changed in July.
I am not good at measuring treads and wondering if they are like less than 2mm now after driving 1600 km since last service? I know it's a tough question as tread wear depends on braking, acceleration, etc. But how long would it take for tyres to go down by 1.5 mm?

They were probably 7mm when new, so how long did it take to get from that to 3.5mm ?

Generally, ii would take 10k kms + to scrub off 1.5mm but as you said there are many variables to thrrow into the mix.

masterboy123

Thank you for coming back to the main query.
New Mechellin were at 8 mm and did 30k kms so far on them until it reached 3.5 mm. Well according to this I have over 10k kms left.

I will check the gold part of euro coin today.

Augeo wrote: »

They were probably 7mm when new, so how long did it take to get from that to 3.5mm ?

Generally, ii would take 10k kms + to scrub off 1.5mm but as you said there are many variables to thrrow into the mix.

TheBoyConor

The harder compound tyres last longer. Basically "good" or expensive tyres are soft so they will wear away quickly. Other harder types of tyre like van tyres are harder and they will last much much longer.

Lantus

Just because you can drive on tyres to the bear minimum doesn't mean you will get value if you suddenly need to stop for a car or child. Especially if your driving involves motorway where tyre integrity and grip become more important.

biko

grogi wrote: »

Should I simply ignore a dangerous advice given?!

Sorry, I didn't mean to criticise you

All threads on tyres end up in the rears vs fronts discussion, but usually on page 2

masterboy123

So I took pictures of my tyres and used a special tread measure tool see in the pic attached. It appears I am at 2.5 mm level at the moment. Please notice the tyre tread block, is it the one in the middle or outer side?

tcawley29

A digital one of those would be way easier on the eyes masterboy

I think they can be gotten cheap enough on ebay too

Toyotafanboi

Any time now would be good to loose those tyres IMO, they are nicely worn. Theyll be grand in the dry so it wouldn't be an immediate concern with this weather but definitely for the Autumn.

EPAndlee

I'd definitely be changing those tyres

grogi

masterboy123 wrote: »

So I took pictures of my tyres and used a special tread measure tool see in the pic attached. It appears I am at 2.5 mm level at the moment. Please notice the tyre tread block, is it the one in the middle or outer side?

Energy Saver +... They one of the faster wearing Michelins I've seen...

Change them before Autumn for two all-season (not summer) tyres.

masterboy123

What's energy saver+? It's Michellin primacy 3.

I am thinking of getting Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3, got good reviews on boards and online. What do you reckon?

grogi wrote: »

Energy Saver +... They one of the faster wearing Michelins I've seen...

Change them before Autumn for two all-season (not summer) tyres.

grogi

masterboy123 wrote: »

What's energy saver+? It's Michellin primacy 3.

My mistake The Energy Saver+ I had had virtually identical tread - the differences could be blamed on size difference...

masterboy123 wrote: »

I am thinking of getting Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3, got good reviews on boards and online. What do you reckon?

Very good tyre. But I will keep suggesting all-seasons. We will be getting snow much often than in the past, the all-season will keep you on the road rather than in the driveway.

Goodyear 4Season Gen2... Or Michelin CrossClimate+... ?

masterboy123

I checked reviews for 4 seasons tyres and good mixed reviews. Fuel consumption appears be more on them and are noisy. My work arranged transport during snow storm period so hopefully I don't need to drive in snow.

I will get my hands on the Goodyear Asymmetric 3 this time.

Michellin Primacy 3 lasted 25k kms on fronts and 30k kms on rear, that include mostly motorway driving. Will try Goodyear this time.

grogi wrote: »

My mistake The Energy Saver+ I had had virtually identical tread - the differences could be blamed on size difference...



Very good tyre. But I will keep suggesting all-seasons. We will be getting snow much often than in the past, the all-season will keep you on the road rather than in the driveway.

Goodyear 4Season Gen2... Or Michelin CrossClimate+... ?

corkgsxr

I love these threads and advice.

I swap front to rear but I don't wait till there bate first.

That video is rwd dependant. And under specific conditions.

Reason they recommend it is for the average driver a front wheel slide is easyer to correct than rear.

But for a front wheel drive car or can I still prefer better to front. It does your steering and braking. It takes most of the weight in a corner.
It clears most of the water for the rear to follow in.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

i change at 3 mil, and they are all at 3 mil by then as i rotate religiously every 8 k or so .

i find at 3 mil they start to spin on the fronts on take off, in the wet
thats when i know they are fooked.

Rattlehead_ie

masterboy123 wrote: »

What's energy saver+? It's Michellin primacy 3.

I am thinking of getting Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3, got good reviews on boards and online. What do you reckon?

I'll let you know about the Goodyear F1 AS3s. I'm putting all 4 on tomorrow. Moving from a Michellin Sport 3 and 4s. I'll never use the 4s again, but that's just personal. Others do love them.