[jo5hm4n]

Dumb question i know.  I use a Transit Custom Limited.  How often should you get your tyres changed or atleast front tyres changed with having alot of weight carried in the back just want to make sure van is safe for employee.  Van is on 23k miles from New havent had tyres changed yet, but im thinking i maybe should be soon....

[Stoots]

Dumb question i know.  I use a Transit Custom Limited.  How often should you get your tyres changed or atleast front tyres changed with having alot of weight carried in the back just want to make sure van is safe for employee.  Van is on 23k miles from New havent had tyres changed yet, but im thinking i maybe should be soon....

Yes it is a dumb question. 

When they are worn and illegal or when you deem them unsafe.

Try inspecting them.

If you are unsure take to a reputable garage who will probably bs you and get you to change them anyway.

[Soupy]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIGITAL-TYRE-DEPTH-GAUGE-DIGITAL-TYRE-TREAD-DEPTH-GAUGE-BRAKE-SHOE-PAD-WEAR-NEW-/280824836173

[Spruce]

Here's a quote from National Tyres website;

The law requires car tyres to have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm in a continuous band around the central three quarters of the tyre. To help you judge how much tread you have on your car tyres, manufacturers often mould tread bars at roughly 1.6mm.
If you can see these bars your tyres are about to become illegal and unsafe. However, for optimum safety, most manufacturers recommend that your tyres are changed at 3mm.
Many manufacturers now include a Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) within the grooves of the tyre tread which become more visible as the tyre wears down. Whilst these markings are an indicator, always check the tread depth using a tread depth gauge and check your tyres regularly for bulges or wear.

I think MOT inspectors start getting 'nervious' at 2.0mm and usually trigger an 'advisory.' If the MOT station also does tyres and exhausts they will be on to that as quick as a flash.

It does raise an interesting question though.

A friend of mine runs a lease M/B Vito van for his deliveries. He changes to cold weather tyres in the winter because that's part of his business' health and safety with regard to his employees.

I've never bothered as I don't normally venture out when the roads and icy and slippery. But he did make a valid point. We had a bad winter in 2011/12 in the North East. His father got stuck on a hill in the snow with his 4 x 4 VW  Tiguan with summer tyres on. His son pulled him up it with his front wheel drive Vito with winter tyres on.

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

Hmmm, do you ever wonder how some people manage to get through life at all?

[jo5hm4n]

I'm not afraid to admit im a total spaz when it comes to certain things in life, such as vehicle maintenance 

I recently went to my garage and they said my passenger front wheel had low tread but it was still road legal and should last atleast 6 months.  My employee said he didnt think it looked safe and said lately on steep hills the handling doesn't seem as good and therefore he was worried.

I'm simply just trying to provide safety for my employee, but at the same time making sure im maximing use out of wheels.

Maybe i should just change the wheel because we are coming up to winter anyway and if tread is already low, might aswell just get it done.....

[Dry Clean]

Here's a quote from National Tyres website;

The law requires car tyres to have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm in a continuous band around the central three quarters of the tyre. To help you judge how much tread you have on your car tyres, manufacturers often mould tread bars at roughly 1.6mm.
If you can see these bars your tyres are about to become illegal and unsafe. However, for optimum safety, most manufacturers recommend that your tyres are changed at 3mm.
Many manufacturers now include a Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) within the grooves of the tyre tread which become more visible as the tyre wears down. Whilst these markings are an indicator, always check the tread depth using a tread depth gauge and check your tyres regularly for bulges or wear.

I think MOT inspectors start getting 'nervious' at 2.0mm and usually trigger an 'advisory.' If the MOT station also does tyres and exhausts they will be on to that as quick as a flash.

It does raise an interesting question though.

A friend of mine runs a lease M/B Vito van for his deliveries. He changes to cold weather tyres in the winter because that's part of his business' health and safety with regard to his employees.

I've never bothered as I don't normally venture out when the roads and icy and slippery. But he did make a valid point. We had a bad winter in 2011/12 in the North East. His father got stuck on a hill in the snow with his 4 x 4 VW  Tiguan with summer tyres on. His son pulled him up it with his front wheel drive Vito with winter tyres on.

I looked into winter tyres a few years back after a near miss, problem is while they're are safer on icy slippery roads they are
less safe than non winter tyres in normal or even wet conditions, your friend is actually putting him/herself and employees in a less safe position  by using them all winter.

[Kev Martin]

I'm not afraid to admit im a total spaz when it comes to certain things in life, such as vehicle maintenance 

I recently went to my garage and they said my passenger front wheel had low tread but it was still road legal and should last atleast 6 months.  My employee said he didnt think it looked safe and said lately on steep hills the handling doesn't seem as good and therefore he was worried.

I'm simply just trying to provide safety for my employee, but at the same time making sure im maximing use out of wheels.

Maybe i should just change the wheel because we are coming up to winter anyway and if tread is already low, might aswell just get it done.....

Some people at good at lots of things others aren't.  Don't worry about it!  Tyres are relatively inexpensive (But can cost a life if ignored and allowed to wear down too far or worse still go bald)  just go to a local reputable garage and ask them to check the tyres, balancing and tracking.  Tell them your concerns and leave it to them.

[Soupy]

I'm not afraid to admit im a total spaz when it comes to certain things in life, such as vehicle maintenance 

I recently went to my garage and they said my passenger front wheel had low tread but it was still road legal and should last atleast 6 months.  My employee said he didnt think it looked safe and said lately on steep hills the handling doesn't seem as good and therefore he was worried.

I'm simply just trying to provide safety for my employee, but at the same time making sure im maximing use out of wheels.

Maybe i should just change the wheel because we are coming up to winter anyway and if tread is already low, might aswell just get it done.....

If the trye is bald, legally it's the drivers responsibility. However, he's informed you of an issue, you have a duty of care to ensure what you give him is legal to drive on the road. If he crashes it and the tyres are found to be illegal you will all be in the shhh.

Turn the wheel full lock and have a look.

[Spruce]

Or take it to a tyre supplier and let them pass their verdict. If they will last a little longer then go with that.

[Soupy]

Or take it to a tyre supplier and let them pass their verdict. If they will last a little longer then go with that.

Their verdict will be four new tyres.

[Spruce]

Here's a quote from National Tyres website;

The law requires car tyres to have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm in a continuous band around the central three quarters of the tyre. To help you judge how much tread you have on your car tyres, manufacturers often mould tread bars at roughly 1.6mm.
If you can see these bars your tyres are about to become illegal and unsafe. However, for optimum safety, most manufacturers recommend that your tyres are changed at 3mm.
Many manufacturers now include a Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) within the grooves of the tyre tread which become more visible as the tyre wears down. Whilst these markings are an indicator, always check the tread depth using a tread depth gauge and check your tyres regularly for bulges or wear.

I think MOT inspectors start getting 'nervious' at 2.0mm and usually trigger an 'advisory.' If the MOT station also does tyres and exhausts they will be on to that as quick as a flash.

It does raise an interesting question though.

A friend of mine runs a lease M/B Vito van for his deliveries. He changes to cold weather tyres in the winter because that's part of his business' health and safety with regard to his employees.

I've never bothered as I don't normally venture out when the roads and icy and slippery. But he did make a valid point. We had a bad winter in 2011/12 in the North East. His father got stuck on a hill in the snow with his 4 x 4 VW  Tiguan with summer tyres on. His son pulled him up it with his front wheel drive Vito with winter tyres on.

I looked into winter tyres a few years back after a near miss, problem is while they're are safer on icy slippery roads they are
less safe than non winter tyres in normal or even wet conditions, your friend is actually putting him/herself and employees in a less safe position  by using them all winter.

I never really bothered to research the pro and cons of fitting winter tyres in this country. Its illegal not to have winter tyres on in Germany in winter so my conclusion is they have to perform better in cold climates.

http://whichtyres.com/2013/10/winter-tyres-tyre-labelling/

I do know that different types of rubber can effect handling. When we came across to the UK from South Africa I shipped my trustly Ford Sierra across in the container. Before I left I fitted 5 brand new GoodYear Grandprix 2's which gave us good grip and acceptable wear mileage.  In their day they were one of the best radials sold in SA.

In the UK those tyres were a nightmare as they had very little grip. A little later there was a warning that a shipment of South African manufactured tyres were being sold in the UK and we, the public, were not to buy them as they were dangerous for use in  British road conditions and weather.

.

[Spruce]

Or take it to a tyre supplier and let them pass their verdict. If they will last a little longer then go with that.

Their verdict will be four new tyres.

 

[Martin Lane]

some  tyres have a wear indicator in between the groves if the wear is level with this then you need new ones

Martin

[KS Cleaning]

Dumb question i know.  I use a Transit Custom Limited.  How often should you get your tyres changed or atleast front tyres changed with having alot of weight carried in the back just want to make sure van is safe for employee.  Van is on 23k miles from New havent had tyres changed yet, but im thinking i maybe should be soon....

You have done well to get 23k out of them, I also have a Custom Limited and changed front tyres at 19k miles. I know a lot of it depends on what type of driving you do, I am mainly in town so a lot of wear and tear on the tyres.

[Don Kee]

If they’re that close to the limit that you’re worried but not sure, then just ruddy change them.

You’ll end up changing them in a month or so anyway by the sounds of it, so how much are you actually saving yourself by eeeking out an extra few weeks.

It’ll cost you much more if your employee carries on going straight when trying to turn in soaking wet, slippy conditions.

[dazmond]

its pretty obvious when your tread gets close to the marker(most tyres have these now).....

i actually change mine when the tyre thread is showing and theres bald patches.....

[Scrimble]

Here's a quote from National Tyres website;

The law requires car tyres to have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm in a continuous band around the central three quarters of the tyre. To help you judge how much tread you have on your car tyres, manufacturers often mould tread bars at roughly 1.6mm.
If you can see these bars your tyres are about to become illegal and unsafe. However, for optimum safety, most manufacturers recommend that your tyres are changed at 3mm.
Many manufacturers now include a Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) within the grooves of the tyre tread which become more visible as the tyre wears down. Whilst these markings are an indicator, always check the tread depth using a tread depth gauge and check your tyres regularly for bulges or wear.

I think MOT inspectors start getting 'nervious' at 2.0mm and usually trigger an 'advisory.' If the MOT station also does tyres and exhausts they will be on to that as quick as a flash.

It does raise an interesting question though.

A friend of mine runs a lease M/B Vito van for his deliveries. He changes to cold weather tyres in the winter because that's part of his business' health and safety with regard to his employees.

I've never bothered as I don't normally venture out when the roads and icy and slippery. But he did make a valid point. We had a bad winter in 2011/12 in the North East. His father got stuck on a hill in the snow with his 4 x 4 VW  Tiguan with summer tyres on. His son pulled him up it with his front wheel drive Vito with winter tyres on.

I looked into winter tyres a few years back after a near miss, problem is while they're are safer on icy slippery roads they are
less safe than non winter tyres in normal or even wet conditions, your friend is actually putting him/herself and employees in a less safe position  by using them all winter.

using winter tyres in winter is less safe than summer tyres in winter? one of the dumbest comments I have read on this forum,

to the OP, yes you are asking a dumb question, seriously if you cannot open your eyes and look at your tyres to see how much tread is on them then no one on the internet is going to be able to help you when you cant even help yourself, take the van to a tyre garage and ask them on there opinion

[The Jester of Wibbly]

I have not put any fuel in my van for a while.  How do you know when you need to fill?

 

[Spruce]

Here's a quote from National Tyres website;

The law requires car tyres to have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm in a continuous band around the central three quarters of the tyre. To help you judge how much tread you have on your car tyres, manufacturers often mould tread bars at roughly 1.6mm.
If you can see these bars your tyres are about to become illegal and unsafe. However, for optimum safety, most manufacturers recommend that your tyres are changed at 3mm.
Many manufacturers now include a Tread Wear Indicator (TWI) within the grooves of the tyre tread which become more visible as the tyre wears down. Whilst these markings are an indicator, always check the tread depth using a tread depth gauge and check your tyres regularly for bulges or wear.

I think MOT inspectors start getting 'nervious' at 2.0mm and usually trigger an 'advisory.' If the MOT station also does tyres and exhausts they will be on to that as quick as a flash.

It does raise an interesting question though.

A friend of mine runs a lease M/B Vito van for his deliveries. He changes to cold weather tyres in the winter because that's part of his business' health and safety with regard to his employees.

I've never bothered as I don't normally venture out when the roads and icy and slippery. But he did make a valid point. We had a bad winter in 2011/12 in the North East. His father got stuck on a hill in the snow with his 4 x 4 VW  Tiguan with summer tyres on. His son pulled him up it with his front wheel drive Vito with winter tyres on.

I looked into winter tyres a few years back after a near miss, problem is while they're are safer on icy slippery roads they are
less safe than non winter tyres in normal or even wet conditions, your friend is actually putting him/herself and employees in a less safe position  by using them all winter.

using winter tyres in winter is less safe than summer tyres in winter? one of the dumbest comments I have read on this forum,

to the OP, yes you are asking a dumb question, seriously if you cannot open your eyes and look at your tyres to see how much tread is on them then no one on the internet is going to be able to help you when you cant even help yourself, take the van to a tyre garage and ask them on there opinion

If you look at the manufacturers test results, he's actually made a valid point Scrimble.
The manufacturers have to test both summer and winter tyres at 25 degrees C. Winter tyres don't perform as well as summer tyres at that temperature. They should leave the standard for testing summer tyres at 25 degrees and winter tyres at say 5 degrees; then we will get a more realistic performance result.

"The testing process that tyres have to go through for their tyre labelling values is standardised, and with good reason. In order to have consistent results across brands this needs to be the case. However the testing across different types of tyre is also standardised, so summer tyres, all-season and winter tyres are all tested in the same way. This standardisation states that all tests should be carried out at 25 degrees Celsius! So a cold weather tyre that is designed to offer superior performance in colder conditions has to be tested in a temperature range outside of what it has been designed to perform at. The rubber polymers that make up a winter tyre are designed to ‘work’ (be that stay supple in the cold to offer short braking distances, superior grip…) at temperatures below 7 degrees, therefore the labelling results from a test at 25 degrees don’t say anything at all about their actual cold weather credentials.

Winter tyre manufacturers will happily admit that their products won’t perform quite as well as their summer counterparts in warmer conditions, because this is not what they are designed to do. If the tyre manufacturers were allowed to test their winter tyres in more suitable conditions (less than 7 degrees) then the results would be very different indeed. Tyre labels were designed to offer the consumer more information on the products they are looking to buy but for winter tyres they just increase confusion, well done the EU! To be honest I (the writer of this article) have issues with tyre labelling even for summer tyres.

I promise you, winter tyres perform best when it cold. The problem comes when you still have winter tyres on and we get a warm day.

For me, I don't believe that, living on the North East coast, we would benefit all that much for using winter tyres. But if I was living in the Pennines for example I would then seriously consider using winter tyres.