Tyre health check

Take our tyre health check: answer a few quick questions about your tyres to check the tread, spot uneven wear and see whether they need looking at. It takes about two minutes and you only need a 20p coin.

Check your tyres in two minutes

Answer five quick questions about your tyres. You only need a 20p coin.

1. The 20p test

Put a 20p coin into the main tread groove of your most worn tyre. Check the groove in the central part of the tread, not the edge.

2. How does the tread wear look?

Look across the whole width of the tyre.

3. Any damage?

Check the tread and both sidewalls for cracks, cuts, bulges or lumps.

4. When did you last check the pressures?

With a gauge, when the tyres were cold. You cannot judge pressure by looking.

5. Does the car pull to one side, or does the steering wheel vibrate?

Why a tyre health check matters

Your tyres are the only part of the car touching the road. Worn or under-inflated tyres take longer to stop, grip less in the wet and wear out faster.

The legal limit

Tread must be at least 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre, all the way round. Below that you can be fined up to £2,500 and get 3 penalty points per tyre. Many experts suggest changing tyres at 3mm.

Pressures

You cannot judge pressure by looking. Check them with a gauge at least once a month, when the tyres are cold, against the figures in your handbook or door frame.

Uneven wear

Wear on one edge, or patchy wear, usually points to a problem elsewhere, such as alignment or suspension. Fixing the cause stops new tyres wearing the same way.

Read the AA's guide to car tyres

Book your tyre health check

Bring the car in for a tyre health check and we will check your tread, pressures and wear pattern and tell you honestly what needs doing. We quote first, and agree any work with you.

Book a tyre check Call 01763 788763
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