Tyre Care, Safety and The Law
Did you know you can receive 3 points on your driving licence for EACH illegal tyre you have fitted on your vehicle and a fine of up to £2500. It really is worth checking your tyres regularly, whether you do this or a professional tyre fitter does this for you. To help you, we provide some useful information on this page about tyre safety – please take a look:
www.Tyresafe.org also provides lots of information on tyre safety.
Check your tyres
Here is our How to Check Your Tyre Guide - check your tyres today!
Here is a step by step guide to help you check your tyres* - it’s a lot easier than you think:
* Check your tyres at least once a fortnight and before long journeys.
Tyre Labelling in the UK
The European Parliament voted in favour of a labelling system for tyres similar to that applied to washing machines and refrigerators and the law became mandatory in November 2012. It is hoped that it will help consumers when trying to decide which tyre to buy by indicating the tyres rating in three key areas:
1. Fuel Efficiency
The tyre's fuel efficiency is indicated by Labels A to G, in which A, B and C are green (GOOD) through to E, F and G which are yellow (REASONABLE), Orange and Red (POOR). Fuel Efficiency is measured as rolling resistance at 50mph and the lower the score the better the rating. If you want your tyres to help fuel efficiency for the vehicle, then look for a higher rating such as A or B.
2. Wet Grip
Again using the A-G system the tyres are rated on how far they travel when slowing down from 50 mph to 12 mph in wet conditions. An ‘A’ rating represents the best ‘wet grip’ performance.
3. Noise
The External rolling noise (the noise experienced by the surroundings, not the driver) will be indicated by an Icon of a loud speaker and details in decibels the noise. The higher the dB the noisier the tyres are.
There are many other factors that make a tyre suitable for the particular vehicle and other factors that you the customer may consider important. At Bespoke we will discuss with you your driving habits and preferences and help guide you to choose the right tyre.
UK Tyre Law
UK Law for cars - current tread depth legislation requires that car tyres must have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread in a continuous band throughout the central ¾ of the tread width and over the whole circumference of the tyre.
Although this is the minimum UK requirement, we recommend changing your tyres sooner than this as the tread is responsible for water dispersement in wet weather conditions, and the tyres ability is much better with 3mm or more compared to the 1.6mm minimum. A tyre at 1.6mm is only 55% as effective as new tyres when it comes to water dispersement in straight line braking.
If you have any questions about tyre safety please call us - 01926 88 77 22 - we'll be happy to help.
