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Last year we drove through France to the Spanish border. On route we needed to change a tyre. At the Garage, we were told that both our front tyres were illegal, and if stopped by Police, we would be fined. The tyre depth was 1.9mm (UK law states 1.6mm is legal). To be safe, we changed the tyres. On return to the UK I was surprised to find out that the law in France states 2mm as the legal limit (although even the AA took three days to find this out for me!). It made me think that there must be lots of UK holiday makers, with perfectly legal vehicles in the UK driving abroad possible illegally – we will be driving through France soon, and I will be getting my tyres check before I set off.

Regards

Malcolm

Malcom,
The UK limit is virtually bald tyres even 2.mm is chancing your life in a sudden downpour.

Driving from the UK to the South of France with barely legal tyres is insane not just for you but the other Road users.
Incidently the measurements are the minimum depth across 3/4 of the tyre

Does anyone have a good recommendation for where to get your tyres changed?

I think my point may have been lost? Yes, the tyre change did me a favour in recognising that the spare had a low tread, but my point is that I have seen no information regarding the law difference... I see lots about, fluorescent jackets, red triangles and the like, but nothing about tyre tread?

Regards

Malcolm

Speedy in Perpignan are good for tyres - quick, efficient and not too pricey

http://www.easydroit.fr/code-de-la-rout ... freins.htm

Usure des pneus
L’adhérence des pneus dépend essentiellement de la profondeur des sculptures des pneus. Cette profondeur doit être au moins égale à 1,6 mm pour l’ensemble des structures. Si cette profondeur est, même à un seul endroit, inférieur à 1,6 mm, le pneu est lisse et doit par conséquent être changé.
Des bosses de caoutchouc sont placées dans le fond des rainures principales. Lorsque l’usure les atteint, cela signifie que la profondeur est égale à 1,6 mm. Le pneu est lisse et doit par conséquent être changé.

L’usure des pneus, lorsqu’elle n’est pas uniforme, signifie qu’existe un défaut de parallélisme.

If the same as the UK, probably an EU-wide minimum allowable?

Further:
http://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/in ... 312AAL4Daw

.. and if your REALLY want to get into it in depth:
http://www.pneus-online.fr/reglementation-conseils.html

ryanm63 wrote:I think my point may have been lost? Yes, the tyre change did me a favour in recognising that the spare had a low tread, but my point is that I have seen no information regarding the law difference... I see lots about, fluorescent jackets, red triangles and the like, but nothing about tyre tread?Regards
Malcolm

Malcolm,
There is info, but as everything in mainland Europe ignorance is no excuse, and if residents are not sure any tyre specialist or the Control Technique centres in France will advise them.

The excessive mileage of mainland Europe drivers compared to the UK demands that your tyres are always in top condition.

The norm that Mainland Europeans change their tyres is 3mm.

This surprisingly is when government cars and their associated agencies within the UK ( Police/ Customs etc) get changed.

New tyres are 9mm so you change when two thirds have been used.

This would be somewhere 40,000 to 50,000 km's

Calais to Perpignan is 2300km

Calais to Perpignan is 2300km

Try the scenic route... to Plymouth - Brittany Car Ferries (overnight in nice cabin!) to Santander then exciting 400 km drive along the countours of the high Pyrnees..

(just joking.. or not?)

PaddyFrog wrote:.

Calais to Perpignan is 2300km

For goodness sake, what route are you taking???

I'm just back home ( ) in the UK after just such a journey, I can assure you i covered about half of that between Perp. and Calais.

PaddyFrog wrote:
Calais to Perpignan is 2300km

In fact 1100 - 1200 km depending on route.


Peter

The amount was probably for a round trip. From Sorede to Calais was 1200 kms passing along the Lyon route. Maybe it could down a bit of mileage if it came through the Millau A75.

Blackduff

My daughter and SIL came down from Kent to Aude (near Axat) in one day - about 12 hours driving. I am a wimp - I went back by car frequently before they moved to Yorkshire, but I stayed overnight around Dijon. I won't drive for more than 8 hours in a day, so I made each trip into a little holiday.

On the subject of tyres - we had to change 2 back tyres recently and were quoted about 280E for the 2 at the Peugeot garage in Ile-sur-têt (very efficient garage, by the way). I had a look on the internet and ordered 2 firestone tyres to be delivered to one of their partnership garages in Perps - we could choose which one, and then paid 30E for the valves, balancing and mounting. It worked out at about 175E for the whole deal - and there were tyres a lot cheaper on the sites. New ones, not retreads or anything. We used Allopneus, but there are quite a few. Great system, I thought, and a lot more economical. Well recommended.

We did the Milau route and although it is shorter than the Lyon way Paris was very busy and took 1 and a half hours to get through. On the way down hubbie went straight through Paris so it isn't predictable. The nightmare starts when you hit the M25 they do the road repairs during the night and we were in a jam for two hours! I pity anyone who lives down there and has to use this motorway.

Kathy wrote:Paris was very busy and took 1 and a half hours to get through. On the way down hubbie went straight through Paris so it isn't predictable.

I avoid Paris by going A16 to Abbeville, A28 to Rouen, then N154 Evreux - Dreux - Chatres - Orleans. Here I pick up the A10/A71 and continue south.
This route also has the advantage of relatively little in the way of 'payage'. The only slight hold ups can be at Sotteville and St Remy sur Avre.