What is the need of changing old tyres with new ones, and why should I do it? Answer to these questions is the tread depth. Tread depth affects the performance and safety of the vehicle which makes it essential to have an understanding of the tread depth.
What is tyre tread?
Marshal Tyres have multiple components in them- sidewall, bead, tread, cord ply, etc. Tread is the only part of a vehicle that comes in contact with the road surface. It is made up of rubber to provide traction and grip. The thickness of the tyre tread is called ‘tread depth’. Tread has grooves present on it. Depending upon the type of tyre the depth and number of grooves vary.
Why tread depth is important?
When a vehicle is in motion, friction is occurring between the tread and the surface. Tyres wear out because of this friction and tread depth decreases. If tread depth is too shallow, traction will be less and braking will be less efficient. Grooves present in tread get shallower with a decrease in tread depth. Shallow grooves cannot resist hydroplaning efficiently. Winter tyres lose their grip over snow if the grooves are not deep enough. In some countries, it is illegal to drive a car with tyres of certain tread depth.
Different tread depth measurements
New tyres have 8 to 9mm of tread depth.
Driving vehicles with tyres below tread depth of 1.6 mm is unsafe and also illegal.
Summer tyres and winter tyres are safe to use if tread depths are above 3 and 4mm respectively.
Measures and things to be taken care of
Get tyres replaced when tread depth falls below unsafe measurements.
Tread depth can be checked in garages.
You can also install tyres with tyre technology that monitors tread depth and informs about it.
Before buying part worn tyres, check tread depth.
How to check tyre tread depth at home?
A tool called ‘tyre tread depth gauge’ is designed specifically to check the tread depth of Tyres Cwmbran. It will give you an accurate reading. If you don’t own such a device then there is a method called 20p test which can be performed at home. One can easily search for a video online in order to understand this 20p test and carry it out at home.
It can be concluded that tread depth plays a crucial role in performance and safety. Tread depth must be checked on a regular basis to avoid dangers related to it. Tread is just one component of a tyre, and a vehicle is much more than just a tyre.
