PART WORN TYRES

As arguably the primary safety feature on your vehicle, the tyres on your car are extremely important and essential to keeping you on the road.   Acceleration, braking, steering and cornering all rely on the tyres relatively small contact area with the road surface so their correct selection, care and maintenance is essential.

However, each year in the UK more than 1200 casualties are caused by an accident where illegal defective or under-inflated tyres are a contributing factor.

The sale of part-worn tyres is legal but there are strict rules retailers must follow. Many drivers buying part-worn tyres do so in the belief that they offer better value for money. However, some consumers do not consider the cost per mm of usable tread, rather than just the initial purchase price.

 The sale of tyres that do not meet the legal requirements is not only a criminal offense under the Consumer Protection Act, but also poses a serious safety risk to drivers, their passengers and other road users.

New tyres are normally sold with 8mm tread depth, whereas part worn tyres may have as little as 2mm of tread.  With the legal minimum being 1.6mm, the cost per mm of useable tread of part-worn tyres can be considerably more than that of a new tyre.  Drivers should remember that not only is it dangerous and unsafe to drive on tyres with less than 1.6mm tread but it is also against the law and can result in fines of up to £2,500 and 3 penalty points per tyre.

Jet Wheel Tyre strongly recommends buying new tyres, not ‘part-worn’ or ‘used’ tyres.