A Useful Trick to Check Your Tyre’s Tread Depth

Despite regular maintenance, even the strongest tyres can wear out in the hot UAE weather. Add off-roading or long drives to the routine and you’ll need a tyre change sooner than you expected. However, you don’t have to guess when it’s time to get a new tyre for your car. Check tyre tread depth and you will know if a tyre is ready to retire. 

Checking tyres with a coin tells you if the tyre is worn enough to need a replacement. It can also indicate signs of misalignment or disbalance. All you need is a minute of your time and a one dirham coin.

How to check tyre tread depth with a coin

This is how to measure tyre tread depth with a coin effectively:  

1. Insert the one dirham coin on the tyre’s major tread grooves and rotate it. 
2. If the coin doesn’t stay in place, you will need to replace the tyre immediately.
3. If the coin stays in place in a way that just some of the coffee pot “Dallah” is visible above the tyres then they don’t need immediate replacement.
4. However, if the entire coffee pot on the coin is visible, it is time for a tyre replacement. 
5. Repeat the above-mentioned steps in various groves of the tyre across its circumference to see if there is an uneven pattern of tread wear.

What is the right tyre tread depth?

The minimum legal tread depth for passenger tyres of light vehicles in the UAE is 1.6 mm. For a medium-sized vehicle, it is 2.4 mm, for buses and heavy trucks it is 3.2 mm and for motorbikes, it is 0.8 mm. Driving around in a vehicle with worn-out tyres that have low tread depth is extremely dangerous. 

Importance of checking tyre tread

It is important to frequently check the tread for any type of damage and degradation. Keeping a check on the following potential problems with tyre treads helps: 

1. If the centre tread has excessive wear, it means your tyres are over-inflated. 
2. If there is a lot of wear on the tyre’s shoulder, it means they are underinflated.
3. If the tread wear is uneven, it indicates poor wheel alignment.
4. Too much wear on just one side of the tyre means the camber angle is incorrect or that there is a suspension problem. 
5. If the tread on the tyre’s outer section is crooked, it signals a problem with the toe-in value.

Please also keep in mind the RTA recommends tyre replacement every 5 years or if the tyre tread depth is lower than 1.6 mm. Tyre manufacturers also specify the manufacturing date and the period after which it should be replaced. However, usage, driving habits, alignment issues, accidents and other factors might shorten the useful life and call for an early replacement. That is why it’s important to keep a check on the treads. 

If after checking the tread depth, you determine the tyres need to be replaced you can buy them online from dubizzle at economical prices:

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• Tyres for sale in Ajman

Other ways to check tyre tread depth

Apart from the useful trick to check tyre tread depth with a coin, you can also use a tread depth gauge or tread wear indicator bars for the same.

Tread depth guage

You can simply use a tread depth gauge available at the various auto part stores to check tyre tread depth. All you have to do is to place the probe into a tread groove and press the gauge down until the shoulders of the probe lie flat against the tread block and read the result. You can find the recommended pressures in your car’s manual or through a sticker attached to the fuel cover or door frame. Make sure the tyres aren’t hot and you haven’t driven above 3 km before you perform the check. 

Treadwear indicator bars

Almost all tyres have indicator bars, also known as wear bars located at the bottom base of the main grooves. These bars often embedded at 2/32” help drivers monitor tread depth and replace tyres if needed. Just check if the indicator bars are flushed with the level of the tread, if that is the case the tyre needs replacement. 

That’s all about how to measure tyre tread depth. Know that regular tyre maintenance is necessary. Besides, here is a complete guide on to breaking in new tyres in a car.

Apart from tyre issues, if your car faces constant mechanical issues, it’s sensible to invest in another car, instead of spending a fortune on different repairs. Now, we know that new cars are expensive, nevertheless, here is a list of used cars available at economical prices that will not break your bank:

• Buy used cars in Dubai
• Buy used cars in Sharjah
• Buy second-hand cars in Abu Dhabi
• Second-hand cars for sale in Ajman

Stay tuned to UAE’s leading auto blog for more DIYs and car care tips.