tyres are manufactured with tread wear indicators in the grooves. As the tyres wear TOWARDS the inicator REPLACE them.
Legal limit 1.6mm
Car tyres must have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread throughout the central 3/4 of the tread width and over the whole circumference of the tyre.
Your stopping distance in the wet will start to increase dramatically when your tread depth gets below 3mm
RoSPA recommend you change your tyres when the depth gets to 3mm.
Tyres are the only point of contact between your vehicle and the road.
1.6mm legal limit - ROSPA recommend change at 3mm.
Check your Tyres
1- Tyre tread depth - Legal limit 1.6mm
2- No damage to side walls
3- Correct air pressure
New tyres have a tread depth of 7 mm.
Correct Air Pressures - Always check pressures when the tyres are cold
Aquaplaning is the effect of a loss of steering control caused by a film of water building between the tyre and road surface.
Most drivers will, at some stage, experience this effect to varying degrees.
As the tyre travels in a forward direction it relies mainly on the tread pattern to "evacuate" water from the road surface to enable a contact with the tyres tread pattern.
Several factors can affect the resistance of a tyre to aquaplaning such as
vehicle speed,
depth of water,
tyre pressures and, most importantly,
tread depth of the tyres.
Check for Damage to side walls
Check for Objects stuck in the treads such as flints, nails, screws.
On your tyres you will see some numbers in this case 195/55R16.
Located on a placard on the car (MINI on driver door post) will be the manufacturers recomended correct air pressure for this size of tyre.
older cars will be calibrated as psi, newer ones with bar or kpa.
Most air pumps and gauges are marked with each.
This chart shows to inflate tyres to 2.2 bar or 220 kpa for only driver and passanger. Front and rear.
but to increase inflation air pressure to 2.4 bar 240 kpa if fully laden with passengers and luggage. Front and rear.
Correctly inflated tyres give the optimum performance.
Tread depth gauge
Highway Driving School
Cuts, lumps and bumps are often caused by an impact between the tyre and a kerb, pothole or object in the road.
Remove dust cap, attach pump and inflate to correct pressure
Check tyre pressures every two weeks and adjust when necessary.
It is important to visually check the condition of tyres on a regular basis.
Lumps and bulges usually indicate the tyre has been damaged internally. Replace immediately.
Any cut to the tyre, which is deep enough to reach the internal structure renders the tyre unsafe. It should be replaced or where appropriate repaired.
Tyres deteriorate with age and if cracking or crazing is present it indicates the rubber is perished and the structural integrity cannot be assured. The tyre should be replaced.
If you are in doubt about the condition of your tyres have them inspected by an expert.
A regular check of your tyres can help you to avoid 3 penalty points and £2,500 in fines (per tyre) for having tyres worn beyond the legal minimum limit on your vehicle.
Tyres that are under inflated can overheat, over inflated tyres can lead to poor vehicle handling on the road.
Over or under inflated tyres suffer more damage than those with the correct pressure.
Vehicles with under-inflated tyres require more fuel to maintain the same speed.
AQUAPLANING
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Car safety and maintenance 3
please watch all 3 film clips
Contact Highway Driving School, 10 Wey Close, Ash, Aldershot, postcode GU12 6LY. Phone now-07989 979 115 or 01252 313972.
Learn to drive with one of the premier driving schools in a Mini Cooper we can offer intensive courses or hourly driving lessons.
Book your driving lessons with Highway driving school today. Our instructors cover Ash, Ash vale, Ash Green, Aldershot, Alton, Bordon,
Blackwater, Camberley, Deepcut, Elstead, Farnham, Farnborough, Fleet, Frensham, Frimley, Frimley Green, Farncombe, Godalming, Guildford,
Haslemere, Liphook, Northcamp, Sandhurst, Tongham, Yateley and surrounding areas.
You can check the pressure with a pressure gauge or use a pump with built in gauge
