Crain News Service report
LONDON (March 18, 2013) — More drivers are waiting until their tires are illegal before replacing them, according to data from United Kingdom tire fitting center Micheldever Tyre Services.
The report, by Auto Express, a tire guide published by UK-based Dennis Publishing Ltd., said that between March 2012 and 2013, 57 percent of the almost 40,000 tires removed by Micheldever had less than 1.6 mm (0.063 inches) of tread. In 2008, that figure was only 15 percent—suggesting that motorists are trying to save money by waiting longer before fitting new tires, Auto Express said.
In the UK, a tire must have a minimum of 1.6 mm of tread in a continuous band throughout the central three-quarters of the tread width. Drivers with illegal tires face fines and penalty points for each illegal tire.
Auto Express also noted that a tire's braking performance significantly drops when there is less than 3 mm (0.118 inches) remaining, citing its own testing that found a car with barely legal tires took 30-44 meters longer to stop from 70 mph then when running tires with 3 mm deep tread.
This report appeared in European Rubber Journal, a UK-based sister publication of Tire Business.