Just Tyres and the tyre law

Just Tyres are one of the only companies in the UK to concentrate exclusively on selling car tyres.

We believe that once tyres are on the car they should be properly looked after in the interests of safety and economy.

There’s a lot riding on your tyres!

Tyres are the only parts of the car which are in contact with the road. Your safety in acceleration, braking, steering and cornering, all depend on a small area of contact between the tyres and the road. It is therefore very important that your tyres are kept in good condition at all times. When the time comes to change your tyres, we’d be happy to help advise the best option to suit your tyre needs.

European Regulations — "E" Marking

Radial car and 4x4 tyres are type approved in accordance with ECE regulations, and carry the requisite mark on the tyre’s sidewall, for example, E3 0162.

Consumer protection regulations prohibit the sale of car radial or 4x4 tyres which are not "E" marked.

Minimum Legal Tread Depth

The main reason a tyre has tread is to disperse water efficiently. The less tread you have, the more likely you are to skid or aquaplane on wet roads and lose steering control.

It is illegal to run a tyre with less than 1.6mm of tread round the entire outer circumference of the tyre. Tyre manufacturers build a number of tread wear indicator bars into the tread area of their tyres which become visible at 1.6mm. These serve as a useful visual reminder to change your tyres.

However, wet weather braking and cornering efficiency reduce considerably as the tyre wears down and Just Tyres strongly advises that you change your tyres before you reach the legal limit.

The penalty for driving with illegal tyres on your car is very severe. There is a compulsory driving licence endorsement of three penalty points and a fine of up to £2,500 for each illegal tyre.

Relative stopping distances of tyres (not to scale)

tyre stopping distances

Radial and Cross Ply Tyres

You can fit different makes of tyre on the same axle or on different axles providing they are all the same size and type of construction.

It is illegal to fit cross ply and radial construction tyres on the same axle and to fit cross ply tyres on the rear axle with radial or bias belted tyres on the front axle.

It is not advisable to mix winter or on/off road tyres with normal road tyres.
Tyre Speed and Load Markings

All tyres are marked with their load carrying and speed capabilities. For maximum safety, it is important that the tyres you choose are suitable for the maximum speed at which your car can be driven. The law requires that in terms of load carrying and speed capability the tyre fitted must be suitable for the purpose to which the vehicle will be put.

Speed	Maximum car speed for which tyre is suitable
Symbol	km/h	mph
N	140	87
P	150	94
Q	160	100
R	170	105
S	180	113
T	190	118
U	200	125
H	210	130
V	240	150
W	270	168
Z	300	186

Tyre Load Markings

Load Index	Max Load KGs	Load Index	Max Load KGs	Load Index	Max Load KGs
65	290	76	400	87	545
66	300	77	412	88	560
67	303	78	425	89	580
68	315	79	437	90	600
69	325	80	450	91	615
70	335	81	462	92	630
71	345	82	475	93	650
72	355	83	487	94	670
73	365	84	500	95	680
74	375	85	515	96	710
75	387	86	530	97	730