[goandude]

Hi Team, I always wanted a tyre wear indicator to measure my tyre wear. Why? To see tyre life left and measure uneven wear.

So thought up this very easy DIY


These are the requirements. The wood piece should be about the dimensions indicated. Length is not important as it will be cut off. The drill bit must be slightly small then the diameter of the satay stick.
Here I have drilled the hole, shortened the wood and shortened the satay stick by taking off the pointed end. The file is to take off any sharp and rough bits.

Now put the satay stick thru the wood and see that it fits snugly, not too tight or too loose. Using a ruler and avoiding parallax error mark the end of the satay stick in mm.
The pic above has parallax error due to closeness of the camera.
I have marked to 8mm so pull out the stick to above that length and push it into the tyre grooves.

Push the wood piece down till it is firmly in touch with the tread. remove and read.

My 10,000 km run MRF ZVTVs have 6 mm depth, original depth was 7 mm.
tried this on a Vento nearby and it had about 4.5 mm






Cheers

[dhanushs]

Nice DIY!

But, I use a one or two rupee coin, and my thumbnail as marker, if I suspect there is uneven wear on my left and right tyres.

[deep_bang]

Very good DIY!
I have often felt the need for such a device because measuring with other ways such as a coin, never gives really accurate, measurable results.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Nice DIY!

But, I use a one or two rupee coin, and my thumbnail as marker, if I suspect there is uneven wear on my left and right tyres.

Originally Posted by deep_bang

Very good DIY!
I have often felt the need for such a device because measuring with other ways such as a coin, never gives really accurate, measurable results.

Thanks. Going through various websites the coin method uses US coins where they talk of some part of Washington memorial and Lincons' head being equivalent to certain depth. But these coins aren't easily available and not graduated. This DIY provides a reasonable level of accuracy limited to your millimeter markings on the probe.

[vikrantj]

@goandude : This is a perfect example of simple solutions to basic problems. I changed the tyres of my car recently and wanted to measure the tread depth and decide on whether to change the tyres or not. In the end it was visual inspection that I relied on. But visual inspection is a crude method of gauging tread depth since we cannot distinguish milimeters of depth.

[boohooper]

I am no engineer but DIY intrigues me. Hasn't the point of the pin have to be perfectly parallel to the bottom surface of the wooden surface of the block? Also the hole has to be perpendicular to the surface of the block. I feel it is better to use a proper drilling machine on a stand than use a hand operated drill to get the correct angle of the bore. Being a lazy guy i think i will use a Vernier Caliper ( i do have one. Used on the rare occasion i DIM Do-It- Myself ). The other end (Not the jaws) has a slim slider for measuring depth. Thanks for the idea cause your detailed pics helped in generating the Caliper idea. CHEERS!

[wartikars]

Originally Posted by goandude

Hi Team, I always wanted a tyre wear indicator to measure my tyre wear. Why? To see tyre life left and measure uneven wear.
........
Cheers

Thanks Goandude for such a wonderful idea. I was no knowing how to test the depths. I was always confused on how & why British people measured the tyre wear out with a coin. But this is awesome. But the great depth to which you have explained everything has made it quiet simple for all of us. I will surely try this.

[pranav4x4]

Good DIY!

I have used the coin method earlier, and discarded it for the reasons others have stated. But then switched to a 30 cm metal ruler... on which the markings start at its very edge. (You can get the same effect chopping off the unmarked end of the plastic ruler)

But I agree, having a horizontal strip would give more accurate results. Did you patent it yet?

[AbhiJ]

Originally Posted by pranav4x4

Did you patent it yet?

I doubt he can get a patent for this.

It has already been invented : The depth probe of a Vernier Caliper
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...aliper.svg.png

[goandude]

Originally Posted by boohooper

I am no engineer but DIY intrigues me. Hasn't the point of the pin have to be perfectly parallel to the bottom surface of the wooden surface of the block? Also the hole has to be perpendicular to the surface of the block. I feel it is better to use a proper drilling machine on a stand than use a hand operated drill to get the correct angle of the bore. Being a lazy guy i think i will use a Vernier Caliper ( i do have one. Used on the rare occasion i DIM Do-It- Myself ). The other end (Not the jaws) has a slim slider for measuring depth. Thanks for the idea cause your detailed pics helped in generating the Caliper idea. CHEERS!

You are right. The hole has to be perpendicular to the wooden piece, but a little bit here or there doesn't make much of a difference. Here we can only measure to a mm or best to 1/2 mm. A vernier caliper is, of course, an ideal and accurate gauge of tread depth.

Originally Posted by wartikars

Thanks Goandude for such a wonderful idea. I was no knowing how to test the depths. I was always confused on how & why British people measured the tyre wear out with a coin. But this is awesome. But the great depth to which you have explained everything has made it quiet simple for all of us. I will surely try this.

Thanks

Originally Posted by pranav4x4

Good DIY!

I have used the coin method earlier, and discarded it for the reasons others have stated. But then switched to a 30 cm metal ruler... on which the markings start at its very edge. (You can get the same effect chopping off the unmarked end of the plastic ruler)

But I agree, having a horizontal strip would give more accurate results. Did you patent it yet?

I used to use this method before, keeping my thumb nail on the ruler parallel to the tyre tread, but there were some scope for inaccuracies. Patent

[wartikars]

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

I doubt he can get a patent for this.

It has already been invented : The depth probe of a Vernier Caliper
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...aliper.svg.png

AbhiJ, I had forgotten this use of Vernier Caliper. May be this can also be used to measure exactly. But, I guess Goandude can still get a patent for this as the design is different from the Vernier Caliper.

[Maverift]

Interesting DIY, reminds me of my physics lab and workshop lab during college days.
But aren't all tyres supposed to have indicators which show up when its time to replace them?

[goandude]

little pictorial help in using the above gauge to determine correct inflation pressures and uneven tyre wear, and the requirement of wheel alignment: If over inflated center wear in more than sides
In under inflation opposite
If camber is awry one side >other
And if there is feathering (movement of your hand one side to the other is smooth one way and rough the other way) then toe needs adjusting