Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > MOT what's the law?

[dave996]

Took the wifes car for it's mot yesterday.

The spare wheel was missing and the front tyre was bald on the inside.
Now the testing station said that that was alright as there was the legal amount left in the middle of the tyre and did not have to check the edges.
The car passed in this state!!!!!

Is this right?

[Rushjob]

The legal limit for car tread depth is 1.6mm across 75% of the width of the tyre.
Providing it wasn't worn to the point of exposing the plies then it would pass.

[ChrisBushell]

Short answer is yes, there is a formula for the width of the bald inner part

[electricsheep]

and the spare has to pass the same tread depth rule, but only if it is there.

[Jools]

Yep....You don't need a spare for the MOT, but if you do have one it has to be legal.

As to the tyre on the car there are rules (that I don't know the full details of) that state that the tyre has to have a minimum tread depth over a certain percentage of it's width, I can only assume that the tyre on your wifes car is legal even if it's bald on the inside edge.

It's probably a borderline pass though, and I would change it ASAP (and get the tracking looked at).

[dave996]

Cheers guys

I'm no longer confused, just amazed that the car could be classed as roadworthy.

[dave996]

Originally posted by Jools
Yep....You don't need a spare for the MOT, but if you do have one it has to be legal.

As to the tyre on the car there are rules (that I don't know the full details of) that state that the tyre has to have a minimum tread depth over a certain percentage of it's width, I can only assume that the tyre on your wifes car is legal even if it's bald on the inside edge.

It's probably a borderline pass though, and I would change it ASAP (and get the tracking looked at).

Done it, 2 new tyres and the tracking was out by 8mm, apparently 2.5mm is acceptable

[Derek]

Car tyres should have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm over 75% of the tread area and visible tread over all of it. The spare doesn't count.
The minimum tread for a bike is 1mm.

[Ian Harris]

MOT stations have a tough life...They are subject to undercover inspectors bringing "marginal" cars in for test at any time. If they pass a car that should have failed, or fail a car that should have passed, they either get a very heavy warning or, potentially, lose their licence, which is catastrophic for most associated businesses. So, if they say its legal it almost certainly is..The key thing is, the MOT is only an indication of the status on that day and its not really even a guarantee that the vehicle is safe, just that it meets a set of specific criteria, many of which were set a considerable time ago.

Top advice from Jools...replace the tyre (best to change both fronts, and if the other one's half decent, use that as a spare) but get the tracking checked so the new one(s) don't wear unevenly too

[Ian Harris]

Originally posted by dave996

Done it, 2 new tyres and the tracking was out by 8mm, apparently 2.5mm is acceptable

One little "kerbing" incident will do it, track-rods are really susceptible to this...its worth checking tyres at full lock once every couple of weeks to see if they have started to wear on the inside...dodgy tracking can ruin a new tyre in double quick time