Tyre (Tire) Wear

224 PJ said:

I'm also in the South, in Wiltshire and agree, 2.5mm to 3mm has to be the limit.
I'm not overly impressed with the P Zeros.

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After 14,000 miles I changed from PZero to PS4's - they were down to the 2.5-3mm level. I then sold it - Oh well. I did think wow the PS4's are way better - (of course they were newer and the placebo/internet effect!).

My new car has P4Z's. Super happy, I feel as confident in the twisties as I did with the PS4's. And it is winter too!

boitjie said:

After 14,000 miles I changed from PZero to PS4's - they were down to the 2.5-3mm level. I then sold it - Oh well. I did think wow the PS4's are way better - (of course they were newer and the placebo/internet effect!).

My new car has P4Z's. Super happy, I feel as confident in the twisties as I did with the PS4's. And it is winter too!

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I'm also South UK - Oxfordshire.

This is my first sports car, on other vehicles I've always pushed tyres close to the legal limit (when I was a teenager I went past the legal limit... but the tyres were the least of the issues with my old Rover Maestro!). Does that extra 1mm really make that much of a difference? This is a genuine question.

On a warm dry day with warm tyres, not a lot, BUT as the temperature falls and water is involved it makes a big difference to stopping distance and cornering grip.

philjohnson012 said:

I'm also South UK - Oxfordshire.

This is my first sports car, on other vehicles I've always pushed tyres close to the legal limit (when I was a teenager I went past the legal limit... but the tyres were the least of the issues with my old Rover Maestro!). Does that extra 1mm really make that much of a difference? This is a genuine question.

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In the dry, no difference in my opinion, as long as there’s a gauge of decent compound left.

In the wet, it’s a massive step-change in safety. You’re in a relatively lightweight car with relatively wide tyres, so it’s going to want to aquaplane at the best of times. Go down to 1.6mm and you’re asking for an exciting trip backwards through the weeds, from my bitter experience.

marco_polo said:

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Thanks for posting that video. Proves the point that waiting too long to replace your tires is being penny wise and pound foolish. Especially in England, where an unscheduled trip into the weeds is likely to cost several thousand more "pounds" in body work than a set of new tire. 😃

marco_polo said:

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Errm.. sponsored by Continental
comments and music all set for project fear. The guy driving on the 1.6mm would've
been fired if he got it to stop shorter than the white car

I always change for new tyres when they start to look a bit worn, probably around 2.5mm, its
amazing, every time I ask my tyre man how much life I have left on them he always says 'they're on the way out
we'll order some new ones' It's like perfect timing every time.

A Tire Rack video independent of tyre manufacturers, for the doubters:

marco_polo said:

An independent Tire Rack video, for the doubters:

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Wow, the stopping distance variations between the various tread depths are tremendous. Thanks, point well taken.

marco_polo said:

An independent Tire Rack video, for the doubters:

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I'm not a doubter, but how is that an independent video?
its made by a tyre selling company.

westy said:

I'm not a doubter, but how is that an independent video?
its made by a tyre selling company.

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How are you not a doubter?

ThreePedalEd said:

How are you not a doubter?

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P.S. That was intended to be a friendly joke/jab, and hope that came across. I understand how a tyre selling company might have an interest in selling you new tires monthly.....until you figured out their "research" was a fraud. But in this case, there appears to be substantial corroborative evidence and studies regarding significantly diminished wet weather performance on low tread tires. And in Tire Rack's testing of various tire options for Porsche, their #1 rating for Michelin and mediocre rating for Pirelli comports exactly with my experiences. As evidence of my independence, my strong preference for Michelin over Pirelli Tires ias not been biased by my equally strong and contradictory preference for Italian over French food. 😃

Cheers!

It isn't just stopping in a straight line. Try cornering and braking on a skid-pan....that is when tyres are really put to the test.
But road surface, wear and road temperature play a significant role.
We are not driving shopping trolleys, but high performance sports cars. So time of year and geography also plays a part.