Old tyres banned for MoT

[MonsterMork]

News just in from DVSA that tyres older than 10 years will be banned for use on certain classes of vehicles from February 2021. Right now it is only applying to HGV's (not many here have them methinks!), Buses and Coaches (again, not many here) and also Mini Buses (possibly a few here).

The reason I mention this is that it is highly likely to filter down to cars, vans and motorcycles in due course over the next few years. Here is the text of wot us MoT testers have been sent:

Earlier this year, the government announced that tyres aged 10 years and older will be banned on certain vehicles.

The rules will apply to any axle of a minibuses with single wheels fitted and will extend to HGVs and PSVs.

You can read the full story in the Department for Transport's news article.

What's new?

From February 2021, it will become illegal to use tyres aged 10 years and older on:

the front axle of a goods vehicle with a maximum gross weight exceeding 3,500 kg
the front axle of a bus or coach – including minibuses
the rear axle of a minibus with single rear wheels fitted

It will also be illegal to use tyres which do not display a date code.

What this means for minibuses at MOT

Tyres that are aged 10 years and older on a front axle of a minibus and on a rear axle fitted with single wheels, will become a test failure at MOT from February 2021.

If these tyres do not display a date code, they will also fail.

These items will be added to the MOT test. So, you will need to check that each tyre displays a date of manufacture or re-treading date.

There is a hyperlink embedded above but for some reason it ain't copying and pasting so here it is:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gove ... oad-safety

Personally I reckon it is a good idea, and even with my MoT Tester's hat on I still agree with it. Seeing on a daily basis the frankly shocking state of some tyres this can only be a good thing. In fact I am not immune myself, having just yesterday found the date stamp on one tyre on my own car to be from 2003, the year of manufacture of the car I reckon a previous owner fitted the spare at some point, with it having sat in the boot for years until required as the tread depth and wear patterns etc are fine. Quite how we had managed to miss this in the three years of my ownership I am not sure Yes, a new pair of tyres are going on today ...

MoTMork

[swill453]

Yes, I changed all 5 tyres on my campervan this year, they were the original 2010 ones. It's only done 20,000 miles or so, they had plenty of tread and no cracks.

Scott.

[jfgw]

DAK if this applies to vintage vehicles? I am thinking that some of these may be expensive (and possibly difficult) to obtain.

Julian F. G. W.

[Watis]

I had a caravan around the turn of the Millennium and even then, the Caravan Club's advice was to replace the tyres every five years, seven at the most.

Watis

[bungeejumper]

Quite right too. Excellent news. Replacing an old but visually OK-looking tyre is less hassle than explaining why your OK-looking tyre split without warning and wiped out a family of four.

I wonder if they'll introduce the same ruling for tractors? Some of those are regularly run at reduced pressure (eg in deep mud), and they must endure a lot of flexing.

BJ

[Mike4]

Quite right too. Excellent news. Replacing an old but visually OK-looking tyre is less hassle than explaining why your OK-looking tyre split without warning and wiped out a family of four.


BJ

Is that what happens to 11 year old tyres then?

I thought the risk was the rubber hardening and getting less able to grip the road, especially in the wet.

[GoSeigen]

Quite right too. Excellent news. Replacing an old but visually OK-looking tyre is less hassle than explaining why your OK-looking tyre split without warning and wiped out a family of four.


BJ

Is that what happens to 11 year old tyres then?

I thought the risk was the rubber hardening and getting less able to grip the road, especially in the wet.

Does this apply to ride-on mower tyres? I just bought some cheap second hand ones and they are looking a bit old and cracked... would hate to get a blowout and be thrown headlong down a steep bank!

GS

[bungeejumper]

Is that what happens to 11 year old tyres then?

I thought the risk was the rubber hardening and getting less able to grip the road, especially in the wet.

That too. But as the rubber deteriorates, it can lose its hold on the steel cords that hold the casing together, so they break loose. That's when unexpected things happen on corners. In extreme cases the tread can separate completely from the casing.

I once had some cords go on a much younger tyre, which had simply been badly made. Every time I braked, the car would try to veer over the white line into the oncoming traffic. Not nice.

BJ

[MonsterMork]

DAK if this applies to vintage vehicles? I am thinking that some of these may be expensive (and possibly difficult) to obtain.

Julian F. G. W.

Yes, IF said vintage vehicle falls into the classes mentioned.

Right now vintage cars and bikes are outside the scope of this, but as mentioned I can see it happening in the future. Thankfully, for bikes at least, vintage-style tyres are fairly readily available so the overall look of the bike is not unduly affected - I would imagine that similarly vintage-looking tyres will be available for cars but I have no knowledge if this. Best place to ask would be the various owners clubs.

MM

[MonsterMork]

Does this apply to ride-on mower tyres? I just bought some cheap second hand ones and they are looking a bit old and cracked... would hate to get a blowout and be thrown headlong down a steep bank!

GS

No. And possibly yes.

No - outside the scope.

Yes - Vnuc judgement, see Euro legislation/litigation for mind-numbingly tedious babble which almost killed the entire motorsport industry overnight, bikes, cars, vans, trucks, the lot Ride on mowers may be outside the scope of UK MoT rules but when used, whether on the road or off it, private land or public thoroughfare, they now fall full-square into legislation for the vehicle being safe to use via Vnuc. Don't ask!!!

MM

[MonsterMork]

Is that what happens to 11 year old tyres then?

I thought the risk was the rubber hardening and getting less able to grip the road, especially in the wet.

That too. But as the rubber deteriorates, it can lose its hold on the steel cords that hold the casing together, so they break loose. That's when unexpected things happen on corners. In extreme cases the tread can separate completely from the casing.

BJ

Wot BJ said.

Having now removed my 17 year old tyre we found the sidewall and tread were almost rock solid

This morning we had a customer bring in a loose wheel replete with shredded eight year old tyre which had exploded at umpteen mph and caused an instant increase in the driver's seat height ....

MM

[Mike4]

That too. But as the rubber deteriorates, it can lose its hold on the steel cords that hold the casing together, so they break loose. That's when unexpected things happen on corners. In extreme cases the tread can separate completely from the casing.

I'm definitely getting a new tyre fitted to my wheelbarrow then. Can't be doing with that sort of risk when doing a bit of extreme gardening.

[DrFfybes]

Hmm, does this also apply to spare tyres?

I'm pretty sure the only time the spare has been out of the boot of the 30 year old Carina was when the rust was being treated last year.

Paul

[tjh290633]

Hmm, does this also apply to spare tyres?

I'm pretty sure the only time the spare has been out of the boot of the 30 year old Carina was when the rust was being treated last year.

Paul

My wife's car has a spacesaver spare that has never touched the road since it was bought in 2009. I imagine that many cars are similar. Not a great expense to replace it, but how essential is that as a get you home measure?

TJH

[Lootman]

Hmm, does this also apply to spare tyres?

I'm pretty sure the only time the spare has been out of the boot of the 30 year old Carina was when the rust was being treated last year.

My wife's car has a spacesaver spare that has never touched the road since it was bought in 2009. I imagine that many cars are similar. Not a great expense to replace it, but how essential is that as a get you home measure?

I was told by a MOT inspector that you do not have to have a spare tyre at all to pass the MOT. But if you do have one then it has to be legal.

So leave it at home that day!

[swill453]

I was told by a MOT inspector that you do not have to have a spare tyre at all to pass the MOT. But if you do have one then it has to be legal.

So leave it at home that day!

That's wrong, spare tyres are not checked in the MOT.

Scott.

[Mike4]

I was told by a MOT inspector that you do not have to have a spare tyre at all to pass the MOT. But if you do have one then it has to be legal.

So leave it at home that day!

That's wrong, spare tyres are not checked in the MOT.

Scott.

No great surprise, as challenging an MoT failure for owning a tyre that is not in service would surely be a 'slam-dunk' win.

[kiloran]

I was told by a MOT inspector that you do not have to have a spare tyre at all to pass the MOT. But if you do have one then it has to be legal.

So leave it at home that day!

A guaranteed way to get a puncture on the way to the MOT!

--kiloran

[MonsterMork]

I was told by a MOT inspector that you do not have to have a spare tyre at all to pass the MOT. But if you do have one then it has to be legal.

So leave it at home that day!

That's wrong, spare tyres are not checked in the MOT.

Scott.

Ahem, acksherly a spare tyre can indeed be checked during MoT. But only if the tester can see it! If it is externally mounted and not covered (eg: on the bonnet or back door of a Land Rover), or under-slung below the boot (eg: some Pugs and assorted others or a 4x4 pickup) then it should be checked and advised on condition (if necessary). It can't be failed on being bald, flat, cords hanging out or otherwise knackered, but it can be advised on. The tester can not, however, dig under the boot floor carpet or do similar to get to the spare, they can only assess an immediately visible one (so if you have a wheel cover over the spare on the back door of your Landy it can't be checked). It can fail an MoT if it is not attached to the vehicle properly, however (again, only for externally mounted or under-slung spares). And no, having a spare is not an MoT requirement.

MM

[88V8]

On a performance car, ten years is too long. As has been said, the rubber hardens, grip lessens.

I changed the tyres on my TR6 when I put it back on the road, plenty of tread but 12 years old, so an automatic bin.
Actually, they went into our vegetable field where they nurtured a crop of earlies.

My Landrover is due new tyres for the age reason. The grip on a slippery road has noticeably lessened.

When I bought our Silver Shadow, the whiteband tyres were 22 years old. Tread OK, outer wall OK, inner walls split through to the cords. It had just been MOTd by a tester with cataracts or sunglasses who was not only unable to see split tyres, but also galloping rust.
Two and a quarter tons and 120mph on 22 year old tyres and suspension components so rusty you could see through them.
That car would now be fifty years old, no MOT needed. But that's another topic.

I have read that tyres are more likely to split on the inners nowadays due to these d...d 'speed cushions'.

Old tyres..., death on each corner.

V8