When you buy a car, you should be aware of the quality of tread on your tyres. The tread on your tyres is what stabilises your vehicle and provides it with grip on the road.
A new car should have around 8-9 millimetres of tread. However, the more you drive a car, the more likely it is that you will experience wear and tear.
So, the question is, how far should you actually drive on your tyres before they need to be replaced? That’s what we are going to find out below.
What is the lifespan of a tyre?
The amount of time that a tyre has on the road depends on how the car is maintained, stored, and driven. Most drivers will find that the front tyres of a four-wheeled car should allow them to drive a minimum of 20,000 miles. For the rear tyres, this number doubles to 40,000 miles.
Of course, these are general statistics, and it’s important to understand that your tyres’ lifespan will depend on some other factors. These include:
• Your driving style
• The weight of your vehicle
• The position of the tyres
• The speed of your vehicle
• The pressure of your tyres
• The alignment of your tyres
In addition to this, it’s important to go to your local garage for regular checks. Whether you decide to opt into car service & MOT services in Laindon at Advanced Service Centre, or you head to any other facility close to you, having your MOT can help you figure out whether you will need to have your vehicle’s tyres changed to ensure the utmost safety on the road.
How far should I drive before I replace my tyres?
Ultimately, you should try and replace your car tyres when they get to a tread depth under 3mm. If it gets to 2mm, you will find that the tyres become too dangerous to use on the road.
It may not matter exactly how far you drive your car; what really matters is keeping an eye on your tread depth. But if you do need to know how far you could go before you change your tyre, on average it tends to be around 25,000 miles.
How do I test the depth of my tyres?
The best way to check the depth of your tyres is to do the ‘20p test’. Put a 20p coin into the tread that has the lowest depth in your tyre. If the ‘outer band’ of the 20p coin is fully obscured, then your tyre has a safe tread depth.
The problem comes when you can see that outer band on the coin. If this is the case, it’s likely that your tyre has a tread depth lower than 3mm. That’s when you need to take your car to an engineer to have your tyre changed.
Make sure to do this regularly to avoid causing an accident on the road, or an unwelcome surprise at your next MOT. There is a chance that you could have too low of a tread depth, therefore, you may incur a fine.
If you’re unsure whether or not your tyres are in driveable condition, give us a visit at Advanced Service Centre and we will ensure you leave with a road safe ride!
