Planning a road trip..

[richdave]

The Continental Sport Contact 2 tyres on my car are spec'd at 7.94mm tread depth when new and the minimum legal depths is 1.6mm and is where the tread depth indicators become flush with the worn tread surface.

No surprise that Continental suggest replacement at 3mm depth... but then they have an interest in churning tyres don't they.

Changing at 3mm will leave 22% of the legal usable tyre life (tread depth)

[gerhard]

The Continental Sport Contact 2 tyres on my car are spec'd at 7.94mm tread depth when new and the minimum legal depths is 1.6mm and is where the tread depth indicators become flush with the worn tread surface.

No surprise that Continental suggest replacement at 3mm depth... but then they have an interest in churning tyres don't they.

Changing at 3mm will leave 22% of the legal usable tyre life (tread depth)

They also have an interest in your safety - that's why they bother to research and test and test and test until they know more about their tyres than any single consumer. Very few vehicles wear tyres exactly evenly across the entire width.

People who value a little bit of money over their safety will always stretch the envelope, and some will accuse tyre companies of being profiteers. I just hope those people don't drive near me when the road isn't perfectly dry and offering maximum grip.

[richdave]

People who value a little bit of money over their safety will always stretch the envelope, and some will accuse tyre companies of being profiteers. I just hope those people don't drive near me when the road isn't perfectly dry and offering maximum grip.

It's up to each of us to asses the value and risks associated with such matters. Driving style, road surfaces etc all need to be assessed. If you have an R36 and drive like a demon then changing sooner is probably warranted, if however you drive conservatively, leave plenty of room, and rarely exceed the speed limits then it MAY be possible to extend the life of the tyres a little.

That said, the minimum wear limits weren't pulled out of some bunny's arse and they ARE considered safe MINIMUM limits.

[passatpout]

Well, for what it's worth, I had the car serviced at 44,788km in Brisbane today.. $275.. first question from the dealership was "Has this car been here before?".. to which I replied "Check the rego...". Had to be the only Vic rego'd car serviced there today..

Tyres rotated, the now fronts have 4mm tread left and the rears have 3mm.. so on richdave's tyre tread depth, they're around the halfway mark (3.94/7.94 = 50% used, 4.94/7.94 = 62% used, approximately, etc, etc.).. so I'll keep an eye on them on the return trip to Melbourne. With about a 3,000km return trip planned...

[passatpout]

OK, a quick summary of the trip..

Departed Melbourne at 1100 on 1/11/09, stopping in Yass for the night after receiving the news that my mother had passed away (missed making it there by.. well, enough).

Yass to Newcastle on 2/11/09. Filled up in Goulburn. The following week was running around Newcastle with funeral arrangements, etc.

Newcastle to Yamba on 10/11/09. Found that the Pacific Highway hasn't really improved that much since the last time I travelled on it in 2003 and not much different to what it was like in the 1990s. Filled up in Port Macquarie..

Yamba to Broadbeach on 11/11/09, stopping in Byron Bay along the way for lunch.

4 days of the Gold Coast, beaches, boat rides, all sorts of good things.

Broadbeach to Brisbane on 15/11/09, via Mount Tamborine.

My wife then came down rather sick in Brisbane, so we spent another couple of days up there before she was ready to travel back. The car also had its 45,000km service in Brisbane along the way.

Brisbane to Newcastle, via the New England Hwy and Thunderbolts Way, on 19/11/09, filling up in Ipswich along the way. For all you drivers, head to Thunderbolts Way at some point - it's a cracking drive, particularly heading into Gloucester. I also have permission from my wife to go uphill next time....

Newcastle to Sydney on 20/11/09.

Sydney to Tumut on 21/11/09 via Winmalee. Filled up in Sydney.

Tumut to Melbourne on 22/11/09, including going non-stop from Holbrook to Melbourne - not bad with a still sick wife and an 11 week old bub in the back.

All up, just under 5000km in 3 weeks - it was originally going to be a 2 week trip, and include a couple of other places like Orange, but circumstances dictated otherwise.

Anyhow, I'll tot up some things, and put a bit more detail in.

The driving was one of the enjoyable parts of a very bittersweet holiday, and the car did the job quite well. All sorts of things, heavily loaded, hot weather, mountain runs, and it just kept on keeping on.

Now, I wonder when the next long trip will be...

Cheers...