What tyre damage is acceptable?

Tyre tread depth and damage

When tyres become worn or damaged they must be replaced. There must, by law, be at least 1.6mm of tread depth across the centre 3/4 of the width of the tread throughout the entire circumference of the tyre. There must be no damage to the tyre body - sidewalls or tread, no bulges or cuts.

What is acceptable sidewall damage?

Whether the damage is just a shallow scrape, a bulge, or a chipped-off part of the sidewall, you should not attempt to repair sidewall damage as these are beyond repair.

What tyre damage will fail an MOT?

So, what are the MOT tyre requirements? Tyres with tread depth lower than 1.6mm is illegal and will result in an MOT fail.

How much tire bead damage is too much?

Excessive bead seating pressure (in excess of 40 psi) places extreme stresses on the tire beads that are forced onto the rim flange in a distorted manner. Such stresses may cause damage to the tire components and may result in tire failure. NEVER INFLATE BEYOND 40 PSI PRESSURE TO SEAT BEADS.

Is a scuffed tyre OK?

Scuffs and nicks

A light scuff may not cause an issue, but a severe scrape could damage the structure of the tyre and should be looked at by a professional.

Tire Sidewall damage How much is too much damage on your car tyre.

What does a damaged tyre look like?

Look out for any tears, cuts, nicks, bubbles or bulges in the sidewall. If you spot any of these it's typically a sign of serious damage to the tyre's structure, and that's dangerous. As a result, you and those around you are at risk of a serious accident caused by tyre blowout.

Is tyre sidewall damage an MOT failure?

Tyres Must Not Have Cuts Deep Enough To Expose Cords or Plys

As well as sidewall damage, if there is significant damage to the tread cap or tyre shoulders that expose the cords or ply, it will lead to failing your vehicle's MOT.

Can a tire be remounted?

If you're running snow tires during the cold weather months, you have two options when it comes time to swap your summer tires for winter tires. You can either buy the snow tires appropriate for your region's winter conditions and mount those on your existing wheels, or you can buy a whole new set of tires and wheels.

Can a tire with sidewall damage be repaired?

The puncture is within the tread area* of the tire – sidewall punctures are NOT repairable. The tire puncture is ¼ inch in diameter or less. The angle of the puncture is at least 45 degrees or more. The tire does not have another repaired area overlapping the new area to be repaired.

How thick is a car tyre wall?

A passenger car tyre will consist of 1,2 or 3 textile layers, each between 1 and 1.5 mm in thickness. The textile layer is intended to keep the tyre in shape under inner pressure and to transfer the tuning, braking and speeding workload.

What is classed as an illegal tyre?

To help you judge how much tread you have on your car tyres, manufacturers often mould tread bars at roughly 1.6mm. If you can see these bars your tyres are about to become illegal and unsafe. However, for optimum safety, most manufacturers recommend that your tyres are changed at 3mm.

How long do 3mm tyres last?

With all the possible variables taken into account, the minimum average period 3mm of tyre tread depth will last before it reaches the legal limit of 1.6mm is between would be 10,000-20,000 miles but it could be considerably more than that.

How can you tell if a tyre is illegal?

Just take a 20p coin and insert it into the tread grooves on the tyre. If you can't see the outer band on the coin, your tyres are above the legal limit. However, if you can see the band and that section of the coin is still visible, your tyres could be unsafe and require professional inspection by a mechanic.

Is sidewall damage illegal?

There must, by law, be at least 1.6mm of tread depth across the centre 3/4 of the width of the tread throughout the entire circumference of the tyre. There must be no damage to the tyre body - sidewalls or tread, no bulges or cuts.

What is considered sidewall of tire?

The Sidewall is the "smooth", vertical area on the side of the tire between the edge of the tread and the bead of the tire, which does not include any area where tread grooves are still visible.

How do you know if you have sidewall damage?

When can a tire not be fixed?

If there are punctures or damage in the shoulder or sidewall of the tire, it is not repairable. If the injuries are close enough so that the repairs overlap or the injuries are directly across from each other, the tire cannot be repaired and must be scrapped.

Can I drive with a gash in my tire?

I would strongly recommend that you don't drive on that tyre. You've damage the sidewall, meaning there is an increased risk of a blowout, which could be very dangerous at speed. I'd recommend you swap it for the spare, and get it changed after you leave work tomorrow.

Can hitting a curb damage tire?

Hitting a curb can do some nasty damage to your tires, let alone other vehicle components including the suspension. Even striking one at turtle-like speed can wreck your day!

Do new tires need new rims?

Can I use old rims on new tires? As long as there's no damage to your rims, there's no reason you can't use them for new tires. However, if you suspect rim damage, then you should get both new rims and new tires.

How much is tire mount and balance?

As of writing, you'll expect to pay from $13 to $45 to mount one tire or $52 to $180 for four tires. In terms of balancing, it would be around $10 to $15 for each tire or approximately $40 to $60 for all tires.

Can you drive with chunk out of tyre?

Driving on a tire with a chunk missing is dangerous for several reasons. First, the tire may blow out completely if the chunk gets too big. Second, even if the tire doesn't blow out, it will continue to wear down and will need to be replaced sooner than if it wasn't damaged.

How do you inspect a tire for damage?

Look at the tread and sidewalls for any cuts, scrapes, punctures, bulges, bumps or cracks. If you see anything suspicious, have a tire service professional take a closer look. You also want to keep an eye on your tire's age.

Is 6mm tyre tread OK?

Replacing tyres

If the tread depth on your tyres is at or below 1.6mm, you will need to replace your tyres – although we'd advise that you change them before they get to this level.