Wondering whether you should buy part worn tyres, or simply wondering on how safe part worn tyres could be for your vehicle? Our part worn tyres FAQs have you covered.
Part worn tyres are tyres that have been previously used by another vehicle, deemed as usable by the seller and sold on for use on another vehicle.
The source of part worn tyres can be from scrapped vehicles or vehicles that have been in an accident which had undamaged tyres. They could also come from other countries where the legal limit for tyre tread is higher than that in the UK.
It is impossible to know the exact source and history of part worn tyres and it can be difficult to know if there is more wrong with them than simply being worn.
Fitting part worn tyres to your vehicle poses a danger as it is impossible to know the history of that tyre and the damage that they may have suffered. Part worn tyres may have been incorrectly repaired or have signs of uneven wear – and, in some instances, you may not find this out until it’s too late.
Unlike new tyres, you cannot be fully confident that the internal structure of a part worn tyre is uncompromised. Lumps and bulges can appear inside or outside a tyre following an impact and if undetected and unnoticed, these can lead to a burst tyre.
In addition, the low tyre tread of a part worn tyre can be dangerous. Although the legal limit for tyre tread is 1.6mm in the UK, a tyre’s gripping capabilities and braking performance will be drastically affected when tread drops below 3mm. Learn more about tyre tread now.
TyreSafe have put together a handy video detailing the dangers of part worn tyres, and how illegally uninspected tyres can have fatal consequences. See video below:
The sale of part worn tyres is legal in the UK and highly regulated. To be sold in the UK, part worn tyres must meet a number of safety standards as required by trading standards. For example, this includes the fact part worn tyres must have no internal or external lumps, bulges or tears and they must have at least 2mm of tyre tread.
Unfortunately, most part worn tyres are sold illegally and so they do not meet these legal requirements, making them potentially highly dangerous. In fact, in a survey undertaken by Tyre Safe, 98% of part worn tyres were being sold illegally and 34% of those being offered for sale had dangerous, potentially life-threatening defects.
The initial price tag of a part worn tyre is substantially cheaper than that of a new tyre, however, part worn tyres actually offer a false economy and are more likely to cost more in the long run.
New tyres are sold with around 8mm of tyre tread in comparison to part worn tyres which may have tread as low as 2mm! In the UK legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm, meaning that per mm the cost of useable tread is higher on a part worn tyre.
As tyre tread is significantly lower on part worn tyres, they will also need to be replaced sooner than new tyres, resulting in further expense.
Purchasing part worn tyres may feel like a bargain as one of the benefits is that they are significantly cheaper than new tyres. However, here at Merityre Specialists, we would strongly advise against buying part worn tyres – as the majority of part worn tyres are sold illegally, and may contain dangerous forms of damage.
Need more information on part worn car tyres? For more information about if part worn tyres are safe, get in touch with a member of our team. Alternatively, find safe and legal tyres to buy online from Merityre now.