Most people are aware of the importance tyre tread has in ensuring your family’s safety when driving. Ensuring your tyre has a good grip on the road can reduce stopping time exponentially, particularly in the wet.
The Australian Design Rules outlines tyre safety standards in Australia.. The standards cover the legal requirements of tyres and wheels, including protecting by guards, distances between the bottom of the guard and the centre of the wheel, labelling and construction standards of tyres and more.
To be considered legal in Australia, tyres and wheels must satisfy these standards and cannot be fitted to vehicles until they do.
As well as correct wheel balancing, and wheel alignment, checking your tyre tread is a critical component to good wheel and tyre maintenance.
In addition to the Australian Design Rules, tyres must have a minimum tread depth to be considered roadworthy and safe. Over time, tyre tread wears down, and if it becomes too low, braking, accelerating and safety can be dangerously affected.
To be legal, all tyres on a car must have a minimum of 1.6mm tread. However, it is recommended that tyres be replaced when they reach approximately 3mm of thread.
According to a survey by the Australian Road Safety Foundation (quoted here on the AAMI website), as many as 40% of drivers in Australia are not aware of the minimum tread requirements.
Although tyres are fitted with “Tread Wear Indicators”, tyres often wear unevenly and can still be dangerous, even when parts of the tyre have not yet reached the 1.6mm limit.
Uneven tread wear can also indicate other issues with a car’s wheel alignment, steering or suspension.
It may seem like a simple process to measure the depth of tread on tyres, but with issues like uneven wear to consider, it can be more complicated than it seems. Relying on your Tread Wear Indicators is not the best practice to ensure your safety and your car’s roadworthy status, but Sicam has the solution.
The Sicam Flash Tread – Using this ingenious piece of equipment is the most efficient and accurate method to check tyre tread.
With the Sicam Flash Tread in your workshop, you can precisely measure a customer’s tyre tread in just 5 seconds.
Using advanced camera technology, the device measures all four tyres as the vehicle slowly (maximum of 8 km/h) drives over the measuring strip. It then displays individual measurements for each – on a Smart TV, Computer, Smart Phone or Tablet.
Amazingly, the Sicam Flash Tread is not affected by light exposure, dust or small objects, vibration, moisture or temperature. It even has automatic number plate recognition for accurate record keeping. This short video demonstrates the features and ease of use of the Sicam Flash Tread. See it in action here:
The Sicam Flash Tread provides the best answer if you’re wondering how to check tyre tread. Ensure you are providing your clients with the most efficient and accurate service and guaranteeing their safety and compliance by having one available in your workshop.
Call the team at Genesis Equipment today to learn more.
