where do you measure tread wear from

[tromppost]

where do you measure tread wear from and at what point does the measurement run of at the sides, if the tracking has been out and worn the sides this can render the tyre worn out but how worn and how far in if that makes sense.

 

[st13phil]

Here ya go, take a look at this

 

[television]

It has to be over 3/4 of the width of the tyre.

Tracking will not cause wear on one side, tracking causes the tyres to scrub, and this feathers the tread, detected by rubbing your hand over the tread and feeling the upstanding rubber on one side of the tread or the other depending if it was a toe in or out problem.

Wear on one side of the tyre is a camber setting, that can only normally be done by MB outlets due to the special tools required

 

[kingo30]

many moons ago when i was a young tyre fitter it was the centre 3/4 tread that we would measure to make sure it was 1.6 mm or more to be legal.

 

[edthedead]

Yep, 1.6mm over 3/4 of the tread. However, if the edge is so badly worn that the canvas or cord (!) is exposed then it will be illegal even if the rest of the tyre has loads of tread. The 1.6mm is mesured from the base of the tread, not from the top of the wear indicators, they are just that, indicators!

 

[crockers]

Are the wear indicators set at 1.6 mm or 1.8mm ?

 

[television]

Are the wear indicators set at 1.6 mm or 1.8mm ?

At this present time 1.6mm

 

[ukcodger]

I thought they were at 2mm to give some advance notification?

 

[television]

I thought they were at 2mm to give some advance notification?

If you measure them with a depth gauge they are 1.6 when the tread is level then they are past the sell by date

 

[DITTRICH]

Certain mercedes models have a reputation for the front tyres to wear at the outer edges. Certainly my W202 C230K front tires wear in this way. The practical effect of my enthusiastic cornering is that whilst there are several mm left on the inside and centre of my Continental Sport Contact 2's, the outer shoulders are nicely rounded off. I have just replaced my front tyres and I'd like to share some observations about the different between new tyres and tyres with well worn outer shoulders.

1 Cornering at low speed on smooth or loose surfaces would result in the front wheels slipping outwards during carpark driving. Eliminated.
2 Cornering at higher speeds seemed less stable.
3 One of my tyres developed a defect in the sidewall on the inside where it couldn't be seen. The result was that after coming down off raised sections of road at junctions, one side of the car seemed to go lower than the other which was a bit weird to say the least. This happened slowly over time and in the end I was getting some vibration via the steering wheel at 30mph which either meant a buckled wheel up front or a tyre defect. All this has now gone.

So the moral of the story is that although I got an absurd mileage out of my fronts - 45,000 - it was at the cost of compromising the performance and to a certain extent the safety of my vehicle. Now I understand the symptoms for what they were, I'll not be waiting so long to change my front tyres in the future.
You learn something new every day.
Les

 

[st13phil]

This happened slowly over time

<< snip >>

Now I understand the symptoms for what they were, I'll not be waiting so long to change my front tyres in the future.

I know that this may not be fashionable amongst some posters on this forum, but one of the advantages of getting a vehicle serviced by someone other than yourself (be it a dealer or an indie) is that we tend not to notice something that has deteriorated over time, but someone who doesn't drive the vehicle regularly will immediately pick up on the fault. Worn dampers are a classic example of this. Just a bit of food for thought.

 

[Brian WH]

I know that this may not be fashionable amongst some posters on this forum, but one of the advantages of getting a vehicle serviced by someone other than yourself (be it a dealer or an indie) is that we tend not to notice something that has deteriorated over time, but someone who doesn't drive the vehicle regularly will immediately pick up on the fault. Worn dampers are a classic example of this. Just a bit of food for thought.

A very good point and it doesn't only apply to tyres/dampers but the general performance of the car.

 

[DITTRICH]

I know that this may not be fashionable amongst some posters on this forum, but one of the advantages of getting a vehicle serviced by someone other than yourself (be it a dealer or an indie) is that we tend not to notice something that has deteriorated over time, but someone who doesn't drive the vehicle regularly will immediately pick up on the fault. Worn dampers are a classic example of this. Just a bit of food for thought.

I should add that the car was regularly serviced (not by me) and no-one said anything to me until I pointed it out to them (at two different services from the same garage). I know nothing about cars. The first time they said your front suspension is okay, the second time I got someone a little more switched on and the tyres and wheels were thoroughly checked out. By this stage the fault was worse though and more obvious. So yes I noticed, but didn't really understand the symptoms.

Les

 

[st13phil]

I should add that the car was regularly serviced (not by me) and no-one said anything to me

Maybe my post should have read "... should immediately pick up on the fault"