You can check whether your tyres are still legal with a coin you have probably got sitting in the car right now. It takes about a minute, and it could save you a fine or a dangerous moment in the wet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The legal minimum tread depth in Australia is 1.6mm. Below that, your tyres do not grip properly, and you are also breaking the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 20 cent coin trick<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Grab a 20 cent coin and slot it into the tread of your tyre, into one of the main grooves. Look at where the tread sits against the platypus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the tread reaches the bottom of the platypus's bill, you are above the legal minimum. If you can see past the bill and the tread does not reach it, your tyres are worn and it is time to replace them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check the whole tyre, and all four<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tyres do not always wear evenly. Check a few spots across the width of the tyre and around it, not just one. A tyre can look fine on the outside edge and be worn in the middle, or the other way around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do all four while you are down there. It only takes a minute each, and it is worth knowing before a long drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a built-in indicator too<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most tyres have small raised bars sitting in the grooves, called wear indicators. When the tread wears down level with those bars, the tyre is at its legal limit. The coin check and the bars tell you the same thing, so use whichever is easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When to get them looked at<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If the tread is close to the platypus's bill, level with the wear bars, or worn unevenly, book your tyres in to be checked. Uneven wear can point to something else going on, like wheel alignment or pressure, so it is worth mentioning what you noticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While you are getting to know your car, the same one minute habit works for your engine oil<\/a>, where the colour and smell tell you as much as the level does. Small checks like these are what keep you safe, legal, and in control of your own car. We reckon that is worth knowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n