WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT UK TYRE LAW?

UK law requires that your vehicle is fitted with the correct type and size of tyres for the vehicle type you are driving and for the purpose it is being used. This means fitting the right tyres, and for ensuring that they are inflated to the manufacturer's recommended pressure.

The legal limit depth of the tread on your tyres is 1.6 millimetres, across the central ¾ of the tread going around the complete circumference of the tyre.

For safety reasons it is recommended that you replace your tyres before the legal limit is reached. Leading motoring organisations recommend 2mm and many vehicles recommend replacing at 3mm.

A regular check of your tyres can help you to avoid up to 3 penalty points and £2500 in fines (per tyre) for having tyres worn beyond the legal minimum limit fitted to your vehicle.

It is also a legal requirement to ensure that tyres of different construction types are not fitted to opposite sides of the same axle. The two main tyre types are radial and cross-ply, and these must not be mixed on the same axle.

Mixing brands and patterns of the same construction type is permissible depending on the vehicle type and manufacturers recommendation. Check your vehicles handbook for tyre fitment details and options.

TYRE CHECKS

Tyre pressure should be checked regularly, especially before a long journey.

Poor tyre pressure can affect fuel consumption and braking distances. It can also cause abnormal tyre wear which can lead to blowouts, skidding in wet weather, road holding in dry weather and driver fatigue on long journeys.

HMG is competitive on tyres and can beat most of the small fast fits. We can, and most of the time do, beat the large fast fits.

If you require any brand tyre, please ask us as we can usually supply tyres for the following day. Our prices include fitting, valve, balancing and disposal. Check the small print on our competitor's adverts. At the bottom it may state that a charge per tyre will be made for these additional services.