Pay particular attention to the tread of the tyre – it has a strong impact on
several performance criteria. An important factor is the tread depth of the
tyre, which by law has to be a minimum of 1.6 mm¹. If you drive with less
tread, you risk the possibility of a fine or penalty points on your driving
licence. Tread Wear Indicators (TWI’s) are important tools for judging remaining tread depth. These are raised bars in the main longitudital tread grooves, distributed evenly around the circumference of the tyre, which become level with the rest of the tread pattern once the legal minimum tread depth of 1.6 mm is reached. Since worn tyres greatly increase the risk of aquaplaning and impair wet braking performance², we strongly urge drivers to change their tyres before they reach the minimum legal tread depth. A good rule of thumb to follow: change standard tyres when they have 3 mm and cold weather tyres when they have 4 mm of remaining tread.³ |
¹ Varies from country to country.
² Please refer to the chart on the next page.
³ In Austria, cold weather tyres must have at least 4 mm of remaining tread when the period for mandatory winter equipment begins. |
