What you get
- Tread measured across the width, not just in one groove
- Pressures set to the manufacturer plate, not the sidewall max
- Sidewalls checked for bulges, cuts and perishing
- Age checked from the DOT code where it matters
- A straight answer on what needs doing and what does not
- Done at your home, workplace or the roadside
What we actually measure
The legal minimum in the UK is 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the tread, around the whole circumference. That wording matters: a tyre can be legal in the middle and illegal on an edge, which is why we measure across the width rather than poking a gauge in one groove.
Pressures come from the plate in the door shut or the fuel flap, not from the number moulded into the sidewall, which is the maximum the tyre can take rather than what your car wants.
What a check is honestly for
Two things. Catching a tyre that is about to fail an MOT or a wet motorway, and settling an argument about whether something needs replacing. Uneven wear across the width points at alignment; scalloped wear points at balance or suspension; a bulge means the tyre is finished whatever the tread looks like.
Most checks end with us telling you nothing needs doing yet. That is a normal outcome and it is not a wasted visit.
How it works
Measured across the width
The limit is 1.6mm across the central three quarters, around the whole circumference. A tyre can be legal in the middle and illegal on an edge.
Pressures from the plate
The door shut or the fuel flap, for your load. Not the number moulded into the sidewall, which is the tyre maximum rather than your car's setting.
A straight answer
Most checks end with us saying nothing needs doing yet. That is a normal outcome, not a wasted visit.
Tyre Check Near Me: frequently asked
1.6mm across the central three quarters of the tread, around the whole circumference, on every tyre. Below that is an MOT failure and three penalty points plus a fine per tyre.
The figure on the plate in the door shut or the fuel flap, for your load. Not the number moulded into the tyre sidewall, which is the maximum the tyre can hold rather than what the car is set up for.
Yes, and that is the easiest way to do it. If you want a check as a visit on its own, ask on the call and we will confirm the cost before we come.
Age alone is not an MOT failure on a car, but rubber hardens and cracks over time. The DOT code on the sidewall gives the week and year. Past about ten years we would look closely regardless of tread.