Only one week to check tyres before the long weekend

With only one week to go before Easter weekend, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) is encouraging motorists to check their tyres now, so they have time to replace them if needed before they hop in their cars for the long weekend.

EECA General Manager Transport Liz Yeaman says before the long weekend it’s a good idea to check tyre tread to make sure the journey is as safe as possible.

The legal minimum tread depth is 1.5mm – below this point a car will fail its warrant. However, grip in wet conditions reduces significantly if your tread depth gets below 3mm. So it’s best to replace them before you get to 1.5mm.

“An easy way to check tread depth is to insert a 20 cent coin into one of the tyre grooves near the middle of the tyre. The base of the number 20 is approximately 2mm from the edge of the coin. If you can see the whole of the number 20, or most of the number, it’s time to think about replacing the tyres.”

“The deeper the tread, the safer you’ll be.”

“If you need new tyres, ask for ENERGYWISE approved ones – they must meet minimum criteria for both fuel efficiency and braking in the wet, which means they will save you money on fuel and perform when safety really counts.”

“The difference between a set of ENERGYWISE approved tyres and other tyres can be up to 7% of fuel use – equivalent to 15 cents per litre – and up to 18 metres of stopping distance in the wet,” says Liz Yeaman.

Motorists can find the ENERGYWISE approved tyres available for their car at
http://www.energywise.govt.nz/tools/fuel-efficient-tyres

ends

© Scoop Media