Problems with tyres or wheels were contributory reasons for 75,000 failures in the National Car Test in 2023, or 10pc of the total fails, writes Brian Byrne.
The total number of fails last year numbered 747,820, with main reasons for failure amongst the 1.5 million cars tested being steering and suspension, lighting and electrical, the ‘side slip test’ which measures how a car can maintain a straight line when driven without steering wheel input, and tyres and wheels.
Tyre conditions are the easiest for a car owner to check says Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres Ireland, as regular visual inspections can show excessive wear, cuts, and bulges due to carcass failure.
Figures from NCT show that the three main categories for tyres-related failures are tread depth below the legal 1.6mm limit, dangerous level of damage to a tyre, and mis-matched tyres on the same axle.
