Pro-Align debuts Hunter QuickTread system

Shoppers at the Asda supermarket in Colne, Lancashire, were the first members of the public in the UK to be offered the opportunity to have their car’s tyre tread depths examined with the new Hunter QuickTread drive over tread depth measurement system. The equipment was brought along and managed by wheel servicing equipment specialist Pro-Align in conjunction with Asda Tyres and Tyre Safe as part of its support for October’s Tyre Safety Month.

“While QuickTread is designed to operate in a workshop environment, the system’s speed and flexibility meant that we could bring it along to this unique public event and help promote the importance of regular tyre checks to drivers,” explained Paul Beaurain, managing director, Pro-Align. “The instantaneous results printouts proved extremely popular with those shoppers who took advantage of the free safety checks as they could get a clear understanding of the state of their tyres, without having to get out of their cars or get their hands dirty.”

During the event, one car was found to be driving on tyres which were already below the legal minimum tread depth while a further 23 per cent were identified as having an “advisory” where the tyre tread depth was between 1.6 and 3mm.

The Hunter QuickTread system is now available in the UK and is expected to be popular with workshops keen to increase their customer service levels or generate additional tyre business. The system can be sited in a convenient location of the workshop, such as the main entrance, with vehicles simply needing to drive over the equipment’s scanning plates. A 50mm radial section across the entire width of the tyre is then measured, with a colour coded results printout clearly showing technicians, service counter staff and the vehicle owner if the tyres require attention.

“As we found during this one-off event, many drivers across the country continue to ignore tyre safety advice and drive on tyres which are either already, or close to being illegal. Clearly this represents a massive safety hazard and by installing QuickTread, responsible workshops can help remind drivers about their tyre responsibilities quickly and easily,” adds Beaurain.