Part Worn Tyres

1. SAFETY

Part worn tyres are second hand, used and discarded. Generally they are someone else’s rubbish. They may even have come from scrapped or crashed vehicles.
A large proportion of part worn tyres are dumped on the UK from other countries where the minimum legal tread depth is greater than ours, for example Germany where their tyres are scrapped at 3mm. The UK’s minimum legal tread depth is 1.6mm therefore these previously scrapped tyres considered unsafe for German roads can still be legally imported into the UK and sold.
Stopping distance at 50 mph on wet roads could be almost 12m (40 feet) more on 1.6mm of tread ( the legal minimum limit) than on a new tyre. That’s almost 3 car lengths.

2. COST

Part worn tyres are a false economy.

EG . NEW premium quality Firestone tyre 155/70 13T costs £33.50* fully fitted. It has 6.4mm of usable tread (8mm total).

Cost therefore is £6.09 per mm.

Part worn tyre, average fitted cost … £20, with usable tread 1.4 mm (3mm in total less the 1.6 minimum legal limit)

Cost therefore is £10.71 per mm.

THE REAL COST OF THESE TYRES ARE DOUBLE THAT OF NEW.

* Correct at the time of publication

3. LEGAL

98% of all part worn tyres are sold illegally.
(Source: Tyresafe… http://www.partworn-tyres.co.uk/?qards_page=the-law)

The Motor Vehicle Tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994 (Regulation 7) part of the Consumer Protection Act states...

The side wall of any part worn tyre intended for sale must contain the EC approved mark, (for example E11) and, in upper case letters at least 4mm high the words ‘PART-WORN’.

If you are using part worn tyres please check for this now!

For further information please visit the independent Tyre Safe web site.