“Driving Test Tips: How to Check Your Tyres - Show Me, Tell Me Questions Explained!”, by The Road To Success Uk on YouTube. 1 min 9 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 9 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Park on level ground away from traffic and switch off the engine. Put the handbrake on so the car cannot roll while you work around it.
Find the tread wear indicator bars inside the main grooves. If the tread surface is level with them, the tyre is worn out and needs replacing.
Push the probe of a tread depth gauge into a main groove and press the flange flat against the tyre. Read the depth off the scale.
Measure at three points across the tread, inner, centre and outer, then repeat at several places around the whole circumference.
Compare the readings with the UK legal minimum of 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the tread, all the way round.
Use the 20p test as a rough check. The outer band of a 20p coin is about 1.6mm, so if it sits proud of the tread the tyre may be worn.
Check all four tyres plus the spare, and look for cuts, bulges or screws and stones stuck in the tread.
Check tyre pressures when the tyres are cold against the handbook or door pillar figures, then refit the valve caps.
Tips and common mistakes
Cold tyres give the most accurate pressure reading, so check before you drive rather than after a long run.
A tyre can pass in one groove and fail in another, so measure around the whole tyre, not just one spot.
Replace tyres in pairs on the same axle where you can, so grip stays even on both sides.
Keep a gauge and a small inflator in the boot so you can check tread and pressure in the same few minutes.
Questions
What is the legal tyre tread depth in the UK?
For cars and light vans it is 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the tread, around the entire circumference. Below that the tyre is illegal and unsafe in the wet.
How often should I check my tyres?
About once a month and before any long journey. Tread and pressure checks take a couple of minutes once you have a gauge.
Can I check tread depth without a gauge?
Yes, the 20p test gives a rough guide, but a gauge gives an exact figure you can quote in the driving test.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
