Are many part worn tyres for sale dangerous? Too often, yes | Part worn tyres

Safe Tyres Save Lives...

All of the tyres below were on sale to unsuspecting buyers and discovered by TyreSafe’s experts during joint investigations with Trading Standards.

Tyres have more than 30 components, and some damage cannot be seen.

All part worns are required to be thoroughly inspected internally and externally  before sale - in reality, far too many have not been checked AT ALL.

  • Cracking sidewall - As seen on BBC's Fake Britain

    The full extent of this damage caused by age and conditions of use can be seen when the tyre is inspected off the wheel.


  • Unsafe repair - As seen on BBC's Fake Britain

    The circumferential sidewall wear caused by running flat, along with the age-related cracking, make this a very unsafe tyre.

  • Object in tyre

    This tyre had a nail puncture in the shoulder, making it unsafe and illegal to supply.

  • Unsafe repair

    A botched repair hides a serious sidewall split, making its use extremely dangerous.

  • Object in tyre

    A catastrophic failure could easily have been caused by the nail rubbing on the tyre’s inner liner.

  • Sidewall bulge - As seen on BBC's Fake Britain

    After fitting and inflating, the air pressure shows the extent of the dangerous sidewall damage.

  • Object in tyre

    A nail is penetrating this ageing tyre, deflation and danger await the purchaser.

  • Cracking in tyre

    A high performance tyre with irreparable tread damage and an exposed structure.

  • Object in tyre

    Penetration damage such as this makes a part worn tyre unsafe and illegal to supply.

  • Unsafe Repair

    This"string" repair does not comply with British Standards, making the tyre unsafe and illegal to supply.

  • Unsafe shoulder repair

    Repairs such as this should not be carried out in the tyre’s shoulder area.

  • Unsafe repair

    This oily patch is peeling off, a deflation would result with potentially dangerous consequences.

Tread carefully

And if you find a part worn which has passed all the checks - how much tread is left? A tyre’s tread determines how well a car brakes and steers, especially in the wet. Low tread means it takes you longer to stop and you have less grip around corners.

Why risk it? Buy new and you know it’s a safe purchase.

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