Tony Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 Seems to be some confusion of these tyres regarding the law and MOT, hopefully this will clear things up. .............................................. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres, although developed very much with track day and competition use in mind, are road legal. They therefore comply with GB law in the ‘Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations, 1986’ – as amended. A requirement of these regulations is that car tyres must conform to ‘United Nations ECE Regulation 30’. To demonstrate this each tyre carries an ‘E2’ mark on one or both sidewalls and an adjacent type approval number. Michelin Pilot Sport and MOT inspections: The Construction and Use Regulation 27, which applies to the condition and maintenance of tyres, states that the grooves of the tread pattern shall be of a depth of at least 1.6mm throughout a continuous band comprising the central three quarters of the breadth of tread and round the entire circumference of the tyre. However, the regulation also states that any tread features that are designed to wear out substantially before the rest of the tread pattern under normal conditions of use – in this case the features in the outer bands of the Pilot Sport Cup tyre – are not subject to the 1.6mm depth requirement. Therefore, when a Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyre is being checked at an MOT test station, the 1.6mm minimum tread depth regulation applies only to the tyre’s principal grooves, those containing the wear indicators. The shallower features around the outer bands of the tyres should not be taken into account and the Vehicle Inspectorate support this position. The MOT inspector can verify the above point by referring to “The MOT Inspection Manual†section 4.1 (tyres) issue date June 2002, issued by the Vehicle Inspectorate. In order to avoid any inconvenience or delay during a vehicle (MOT) test or roadside inspection we suggest that you carry a copy of this note in your vehicle. For information, the original tread depth of Michelin Pilot Sport’s principal grooves containing the wear indicators is 5mm, and the depth of the features around the tyre’s outer bands is 2.5mm. Steve Dolby Product Marketing Manager Michelin Tyre PLC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CIH Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 had a few complaints have they ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted November 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 Drivers being done for bald tyres and MOT failures yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMARTLY Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 Are Michelin Energy Savers the same? Only I noticed my son's Citroen C2 is fitted with them and it has 3 treads and a slit as the fourth tread - just sounds similar to above. See here a similar one: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-X-MICHELIN-ENERGY-...=item5ad276e881 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CIH Posted November 7, 2009 Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 No, IIRC they're called sipes. Pressure forces water into them, when they are in contact with the water, then air pressure forces the water back out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted November 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2009 There are sipes and on some tyres these are not cut to the legal limit so on these tyres 2/3 worn would show what appears to be bald areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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