Merritts Tyre Care - Look after your Tyres

How can I tell when my tyres need changing?

One sign that your tyres need changing is usually under performance. For example, your car does not handle as well in poor weather conditions as it normally does, or it takes longer to stop when you apply the brakes.

Gradual tyre wear can make it difficult to identify the reduction in your tyres performance, so it's best to have them checked regularly by an expert. It's the driver's responsibility to ensure that the tread on your tyres is not worn beyond the legal minimum limit of 1.6 millimetres.

To make this easier to identify, tyre manufacturers mould tread wear indicators (T.W.I) into the design of the tyres tread pattern usually at 1.6mm. As soon as the tread is worn to the height of the tread wear indicator, the tyre has reached the legal minimum tread depth and you should replace the tyre as soon as possible.

You should also be aware that there are many different reasons for tyre wear. Your tyres don't just get worn through age and use, but through emergency braking, under-inflation or over-inflation. And if your wheels are misaligned, one edge of the tyre can wear more rapidly than the other edge.

Merritts Five Top Tips

1. Check your pressures

You'll find them inside your car's driver's manual. Check the pressure with a tyre gauge when the tyre is cold, as even a short journey can warm up tyres and raise the pressure.

2. Check for damage

Give your tyres a close inspection for cuts and cracks, which can lead to slow punctures or cause the steel wires in the tyre to rust.

3. Check your tread

Less tread means less grip. The minimum legal depth is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tread width and around the entire circumference of the tyre.

4. Take extra caution in wet conditions

You are twice as likely to have an accident in wet weather as in the dry. The stopping distance of a tyre with 1.6mm of tread is double that of a new tyre with 8mm.

5. Don't overload your car

Overloading has the same effect on tyres as under-inflation, causing premature tread wear and in extreme cases, a sudden blowout.