Tyre limit increase 'should be considered'

29 June 2004: Cars which have tyres at the legal thread limit of 1.6mm can take up to 38 per cent longer to stop from 50mph than with new tyres. The difference is equivalent in distance terms to about two car lengths.

According to research carried out by the British-based Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA), there is very little fall-off in stopping performance down to around 4mm.

The results suggest that real consideration should be given to increasing the legal limit to 3mm according to Roger Sanders (left above), general manager of Technical Services at Continental Tyre Group.

According to Semperit Ireland sales manager Paddy Murphy, up to 200,000 Irish motorists are probably travelling around on tyres that fail to meet the current legal limit.

"This is a conservative estimate," he added. "In the light of this research, who knows how many cars which have tyres above the legal tread depth limit are still unsafe?"

He also appealed to motorists to regularly check their tyres, especially for correct pressures, which are important in terms of tyre wear and daily fuel economy.

©2004 irishcar.com