MIRA Produce More Results

The Motor Industry Research Association has conducted further tests that highlight the importance of adequate tread depth on vehicle tyres.

Independent braking tests were carried out to measure stopping distances and cornering performance of car tyres on wet road surfaces. According to the safety body the results showed “conclusively” that both stopping distances and cornering performance “noticeably deteriorated well before the end of a tyre’s life.”

Braking tests showed that significant increases in stopping distance began to appear when tread depth fell below 3.5mm. Compared with the reference tyres used in the MIRA test, which had 6.7mm of tread, stopping distances were approximately 16 per cent higher on similar tyres with 3mm of remaining tread and over 60 per cent higher on those with only 1mm.

The TIC welcomed the research commenting, “This shows just how important it is that motorists check the tread depth on their tyres regularly as well as pay attention to other safety critical features of their tyres such as pressures and wheel alignment.”