Tread Carefully to Ensure Tyres are Fit for Road and Law

Developer Administrator — Mon, 25 May 2020 21:03:48 +0000

Very few people would risk hiking up a steep hill wearing boots with worn-out soles. They would know it wasn’t safe, as they would probably slip. Yet the same doesn’t apply to their car’s “boots” when hitting the road, says iconic Gold Coast tyre expert and recycler, Chris Lett. Many drivers still take to the road with tyre tread less than the legal minimum, and appear to be totally unaware that what they are doing is both illegal and dangerous.

He said surveys suggest that every second Australian has no idea of the country’s tyre safety rules, and that implies they don’t realise that worn-out tyres, often allowed to degrade to that point because of drivers’ reluctance to meet the high costs of buying news ones, can cost them dearly in fines, as well as endanger them, their passengers and others on the road.

Possible Consequences of Worn Tyres

Lett says worn tyres can have serious consequences. Like the hiker’s boots with thin and smooth soles, tyres with poor tread lessen the car’s contact with the road and therefore its grip, particularly if the road is wet. Not only are smooth tyres less able to disperse the water, but their inability to keep contact with the road can result in sliding or aquaplaning.

This results in drivers losing control of the car, particularly when driving at high speed, and rolling it, swerving into oncoming cars, or finding it hard to stop fast enough to prevent a collision.

Rules of the Road: Tread Carefully

Roadworthy tread depth is controlled by the Australian Motor Vehicles Standards Act of 1989, and different penalties are issued for tyres with less tread than the regulated minimum. The penalties differ in different states and can take the form of defect notices or demerit points on drivers’ licenses, but all will also include fines based on how many tyres are no longer roadworthy.

Tread depths are about 6-8mm when the tyres are new, but deteriorate with usage. Once the tread has thinned to 1.6mm across the width of the tyre, they are no longer considered safe or roadworthy, and therefore are illegal. However, according to Lett, owners should rather replace them when they reach 3mm, a tread depth that is considerably safer.

Because lack of tread reduces the car’s contact with the road, Let says it impacts on the car’s braking system making it more difficult to stop quickly. While the brakes themselves slow the rotation of the wheels, its left to the tyres to disperse any moisture on the road and bring the car to a halt using the friction between the rubber and the road. However, smooth tyres can’t perform either function properly, and stopping becomes a longer process both in terms of time and distance.

On a wet road, the difference in braking distance between tyres with the regulated minimum 1.6mm and ones with 3mm treads can be as much as 44 %, or just over 9 meters. And Lett says that could well be 9 meters too far to prevent an accident.

How to Check Tyre Tread

The tread depth can be determined from the levels of tread bar indicators built into modern tyres. They run across the width of the tyre and are seen lodged at the bottom of the grooves when the tyre is new. As the tyre wears they are increasingly visible, and the gap between them and the tyre surface shrinks. Once they are close to, or level with, the surface, it’s time for a change.

Lett says other ways to test the tread involve using a tyre gauge or ruler, or playing with coins. Inserting an Australian 10c into the central groove, and seeing the outside rim disappear shows the tyres meet the 1.6mm legal minimum, but if the bill of the platypus on a 20c coin shows above the top of the tyres, the tread is a safer 3mm.

Australian statistics put low-tread tyres right up there with speed and alcohol as major causes of fatal accidents. Should the huge numbers of smooth tyres on the road it prove to be because of the driver’s reluctance or inability to pay the price of new tyres, Lett says it would be both tragic, and unnecessary.

Lett said Branigans Tyres in Burleigh Heads, which he’s run for 15 years, provides thoroughly checked high quality recycled tyres, many of which have done low mileage and have good tread at a fraction of the price of new tyres.

For further information, visit or call Chris and his team for Second Hand Tyres Gold Coast |Branigans Budget Tyres Service Centre at either Burleigh Heads (07) 5535 2660 or Southport (07) 5591 8633.

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Car Tyre Health Care Needs During Lockdown

Developer Administrator — Thu, 21 May 2020 21:01:53 +0000

For Australians trapped at home by the threat of Covid-19, it might seem like hitting the long road again is nothing more than a dream. But the time will come when the lockdowns are over and the great outdoors beckons again, says iconic tyre expert and recycler Chris Lett of Branigans Tyres on the Gold Coast. He suggests that Aussies make sure they are ready to roll when travel restrictions for local travel are lifted.

He believes that once Australians can again open the front door wide, they won’t be hanging around at home as they will have been there and done that for too long. The outdoors and travel are part of their culture and they will be firing up the camper or packing the car and heading into the golden sunset (or sunrise) as soon as possible.

However, Lett stresses the importance of drivers checking their cars and tyres for any damage caused by the lockdown period of little or no mobility, and they should do this before turning on the ignition.

What to Watch Out for When Back On the Road

The roads and highways are going to be busy: Lett says there’s a good chance the country is going to have a boom in local travel as Australians set about making up for the loss of the traditional Easter holiday break. Overseas trips are probably an option for some time, so Aussies wanting to feel the wind in their hair and the sun on their faces will be celebrating by taking a new look at Australia.

Getting your tyres ready to spin: Long periods are standing idle aren’t kind to most parts of your car, but the battery and tyres are among the first to suffer. If the car is left out in the open without a cover, UV light, ozone and the heat of the sun can cause tyre degradation, Lett said.

Tyres can also lose their shape if the wheels don’t move fairly regularly. This causes the car’s weight to be on the same section of the tyre for as long as the car stands idle. Failure to ensure the tyre pressure was kept at the right level all the time could have similar results and both these problems could call for replacement tyres, according to Lett.

Getting Ready to Roll: All temporary fixes will need to be undone, like removing any plugs inserted in the exhaust and air vents to prevent rats and insects from make themselves at home in the car. Batteries will need charging, water levels could do with a check, and the oil and fuel may need attention if the car has stood for a long time.

Lett said it’s worth spending that little bit longer at home dealing with these issues than having to face mechanical faults and the consequences of damaged and unsafe tyres while away from home.

Should you need replacement tyres after lockdown ,Lett’s Branigans Tyres in Queensland has high quality secondhand tyres, some of which have hardly been used and cost less than half the price of new ones.