Does this look safe to you?

[Jerram]

After seeing film at Chermside on Tuesday, I was travelling back to the CBD for work. I do enjoy occasional tastes of public transport, and as my car was getting the A/C fixed (ask me how cheap it was), I had no other option nonetheless. While waiting for a bus to take me down to the ferry terminal, another Bus pulled up. (Hornibrook Bus Company). By chance when it pulled up I was standing right next to the rear o/s wheel. Giving it a passing glance, I noticed the state of the tyre...

I don't know how wear works on Bus tyres, but to me these looked almost down to the belts. As you can see, in some places there is no tread depth left at all; they've slicked out.


Is this safe for something which carries so many people?

[glider]

it doesn't surprise me... Not sure what the legal depth is for heavy vehicles tho

[9090GO]

Did you tell the bus driver?

[Jerram]

I was going to, but then he walked off somewhere

[glider]

he's just the driver, he wouldnt have done anything... if he didnt notice it on his pre-shift inspection (you'd think they'd have to do one) then he probably doesn't care

[delemonte]

If I was paying for BUS tyres, I'd wanna get the most I could out of the tyre too! :p But yeh, seems pretty dodgy...

[Jerram]

maybe they like epic bus drift

[ROCCO]

ohh freaking sweet....bus drifting!

[ASTRAY]

i think if you emailed that off to the head office of the bus co, something would be done quick smart.
having bald tyres on a bus would be like having bald tyres on a semi, except where as the semi would be ploughing into cars, the bus already has the would-be-dead people on it.
id be emailing it off.
better to do that, than be reading the local paper and seeing a story about a bus accident.

[Vectracious]

Just used this amazing little thing called "google" and found nothing specific to Australia but in the UK, the minimum tread depth for tyres on a HGV is 1mm, and in America, the minimum tread depth with tyres for buses, trucks etc is 4/32 of an inch (3.1mm). Australia wouldnt be too far off.

Think about it - your normal suburban bus
- probably spends little time at 60km/h let alone faster speeds.
- is heavier than a car
- the driver doesn't drive like an idiot or expects more of his vehicle

I think we should all untwist our nickers. :cool:

[ASTRAY]

Just used this amazing little thing called "google" and found nothing specific to Australia but in the UK, the minimum tread depth for tyres on a HGV is 1mm, and in America, the minimum tread depth with tyres for buses, trucks etc is 4/32 of an inch (3.1mm). Australia wouldnt be too far off.

Think about it - your normal suburban bus
- probably spends little time at 60km/h let alone faster speeds.
- is heavier than a car
- the driver doesn't drive like an idiot or expects more of his vehicle

I think we should all untwist our nickers. :cool:

sorry, was just thinking about passengers safety, and other citizens.

[Vectracious]

sorry, was just thinking about passengers safety, and other citizens.

so am I - and I reckon for a bus, that it is safe. It's not going to "epic drift" anytime soon.

[Jerram]

Think about it - your normal suburban bus
- probably spends little time at 60km/h let alone faster speeds.
- is heavier than a car
- the driver doesn't drive like an idiot or expects more of his vehicle

I think we should all untwist our nickers. :cool:

Yeah but that bus was running a Hornibrook service that goes out to Redcliffe, which means that it would be running for a small part on the Gateway Motorway (100km/h) and on the 3km long Hornibrook Bridge (80km/h).

I was really more thinking about the tyre exploding (with the condition it's in) rather then losing control, though in the wet I wouldn't think that would be too far off. Further, I dunno about you, but i've seen some pretty crazy bus drivers in my time...

[MatsHolden]

Aren't truck truck/bus tyres retreads most of the time? So the tread may fly off but the casing stays inflated, it won't explode. Happens A LOT, you would've seen all those treads on the side of the highway.

EDIT After looking at the image posted up again (the top image) You can see the join line of the strip tread.

[Vectracious]

Aren't truck truck/bus tyres retreads most of the time?

Yeah Mat - I was just about to say - buses will use retreads a lot of the time - does that make them inherently unsafe just because they are retreads?

And I dunno what kind of people they employ up in QLD to be bus drivers, but here in Vic they are pretty good. I've taken a lot of buses while at school and drive with them every day on the road - have never had an issue with a bus - taxi's, trucks, lorries yes, but not a bus.

[USC]

I think buses only use retreads for rear tyres.

[ASTRAY]

a few of campbelltowns bus drivers are a bit wild. but that was well over 10years ago.

[Wraith]

Ah the good ol truck re-treads topic...

Most if not all trucks, busses etc. use re-treads for one very obvious reason...delemonte has already hinted to it...

Look up the cost of truck sized tyres, at many thousands of $$$ a pop, we'd all be running them until the very end too, even the cheaper re-treads !!! ;)

[noobie]

Yup, it's a retread, and yes it is unroadworthy with the minimum tread depth gone.

Fine and dandy on a nice day, but complete shit in the rain.

Forget about buses speeding, think of the weight/mass when they need to stop in the wet.

With nothing to clear the water via the tread it would be very easy for a bus to slide with them tyres.

Unsafe.

[ASTRAY]

Yup, it's a retread, and yes it is unroadworthy with the minimum tread depth gone.

Fine and dandy on a nice day, but complete shit in the rain.

Forget about buses speeding, think of the weight/mass when they need to stop in the wet.

With nothing to clear the water via the tread it would be very easy for a bus to slide with them tyres.

Unsafe.

i was thinking that too, and also when the bus is going around a bend in the wet where the camber of the road is sloping the wrong way.

[ROCCO]

so am I - and I reckon for a bus, that it is safe. It's not going to "epic drift" anytime soon.


Ahh god damn it...I want some "epic drift" action

[HappySlapper82]

Ahh god damn it...I want some "epic drift" action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mazMXuxvMKw

[Shaun]

In NSW its Illiegal to recap a Tyre being used on steer and drive axle on a HCV

[Shay]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mazMXuxvMKw

lol hillarious.
reminds me of top gear.

bus drivers over here are crazy,
brake late and hard,
take corners too fast,
go 70 in 50 zones,
carry too many ppl,

however i have never seen recapped tyres on a transperth bus
or tyres in the condition shown above/previous page

[Ice]

Ide be sending off a pic !

its unafe. anyone got kids here ? if it were raining and you saw that tread would you let them get on that bus to go to school ? NO.....

[Skribble]

Retreads or not it's way to worn down to be on the roads. I thought they had safety checks for this before they go out on the road (leave the depot).

Regardless of the cost of new tyres I don't think you can put that price on the 40+ people on the bus when it crashes.

I agree with the post about buses not going above 60km/h and doing generally very safe driving but as was said this bus is doing highway driving etc which is alot more dangerous. I would email the company about this. Or a local newspaper if the bus company ignores you. I'm sure the media would love to jump on it.

"Buses threaten to kill children"
"Buy this paper to find out more"

[glider]

in qld minimum legal tread depth is 1.5mm, I cannot find anything to say this applies to cars only so I'm assuming its also the case for buses. If you look at that tire, it seems to still be above that criteria (I may be wrong in my interpretation of this tho)