At what point do you get your tyres changed?

OpenToSuggestions · 31 Oct 2015 at 15:51

Hey all.

Just wondered what OcUK Motors to determine when new tyres are required.

For me:
I check the tread depth every few months.
MOT advisories are not good enough for me as I do 20,000 per year in my main car.
I change the tyres at 2-3mm tread as I find that at <2.5mm the grip completely drops off a cliff in the wet (lots of standing water on A50 in the winter).

EDIT: On my MX5 I check do a mid-MOT check and then don't check come MOT time. It is my weekend toy and I only do 3000-4000 miles per year in it.
(Note that checking tread depth doesn't mean I don't check even tyre wear or pressure

).

Jono8 · 31 Oct 2015 at 15:51

Normally when they get to 2.5mm like you. I never let them go below 2mm.

Makhaira · 31 Oct 2015 at 16:03

Order when there's 4mm left, change before 3mm usually.

shauncr91 · 31 Oct 2015 at 16:03

When there's canvas showing.

rodenal · 31 Oct 2015 at 16:33

Sometime around 2-2.5mm

I start keeping a good eye on them at around 3

Hades · 31 Oct 2015 at 16:33

I don't measure mine but when I see they are getting close to the wear marker then I'll change them at a convenient point before they get to the marker. For example I just had two alloys refurbished. They still had a few thousand miles left before reaching the wear marker but it was convenient to get them changed now. It's also heading to winter so I felt it better to err on the side of caution.

Lopéz · 31 Oct 2015 at 16:35

Everyone knows slicks have more grip

Tee Hee Johnson · 31 Oct 2015 at 16:38

When they get to the minimum indicator

AshD93 · 31 Oct 2015 at 16:54

OpenToSuggestions said:
I change the tyres at 2-3mm tread as I find that at <2.5mm the grip completely drops off a cliff in the wet (lots of standing water on A50 in the winter).

Which part of the A50? I drive between J24 M1 and Uttoxeter and have no such issues.

Also, I drive to the point where they are about to be illegal i.e. to the limit.

Hardly like we stress cars on UK roads. And if I notice the grip dropping with rain, I simply drive slower (to the conditions)

If I was doing Autobahn speeds often, I would reconsider. Though as far as I know, German laws are different anyway.

Terminal_Boy · 31 Oct 2015 at 17:04

When I see they're getting close to the wear marker. Earlier if the tyres will reach the wear limit during a holiday trip to Europe.

Clarkey · 31 Oct 2015 at 17:05

probably 2.5mm like everyone else here, no grip left in them by that time so just paint the rest onto the ground and replace.

CaptainRAVE · 31 Oct 2015 at 17:10

Near 1.6mm or when I lose grip. Rears are down to 2-3mm, but haven't lost any noticeable grip yet - I suspect as the temperatures drop it is going to become noticeable.

[TW]Fox · 31 Oct 2015 at 17:20

CaptainRAVE said:
Near 1.6mm or when I lose grip.

I find its useful to replace tyres before I lose grip.

2.5mm is fine.

Nasher · 1 Nov 2015 at 11:50

With good quality tyres, 1.6mm is fine. Get your moneys worth

If using budget tyres (yuk), MUCH earlier.

Clarkey · 1 Nov 2015 at 13:08

Nonsense, I use high quality Advan ad08 and by the time you are at 2mm you're skating more than driving.

Havana_UK · 1 Nov 2015 at 13:09

I change them when they hit the tread wear indicators, which is ~2mm

koolpc · 1 Nov 2015 at 13:09

When they go bald

CaptainRAVE · 1 Nov 2015 at 13:10

Clarkey said:
Nonsense, I use high quality Advan ad08 and by the time you are at 2mm you're skating more than driving.

I have plenty of grip on my rears that have a mix of 2-3mm tread depth on them. It will become noticeable as conditions deteriorate into winter though. Depends on the tyre I guess.

Clarkey · 1 Nov 2015 at 13:16

I suppose if you're driving miss daisy then you wouldn't notice a difference, but if you push the tyres to their limit every journey you will notice a massive reduction in performance when heavily worn.

CaptainRAVE · 1 Nov 2015 at 13:20

Clarkey said:
I suppose if you're driving miss daisy then you wouldn't notice a difference, but if you push the tyres to their limit every journey you will notice a massive reduction in performance when heavily worn.

Pushing a 5.5L V8 through them, trust me, I will notice when they drop off.

Saying that, unless the conditions are absolutely perfect, the Pirelli's drop off anyway