What are the requirements for tires in vehicle annual inspection?
3 Answers
Vehicle annual inspection has the following requirements for tires: the tires must be intact without severe damage; the tire models should remain the same with consistent tread patterns. Vehicle annual inspection, also known as vehicle annual check, refers to the annual safety technical inspection that every vehicle must undergo to eliminate potential safety hazards. The steps of vehicle annual inspection include: 1. Exhaust emission test, which is the first item of the annual inspection. If the vehicle fails, it must be repaired and retested; 2. Traffic violation check. If there are any outstanding traffic violations that have not been dealt with, the vehicle will not pass the annual inspection; 3. Appearance inspection, which mainly checks for damages on the vehicle body, tires, lamp covers, etc., and whether the owner has made unauthorized modifications to the vehicle; 4. On-line inspection, which mainly tests the brakes, lights, horn, chassis, and other items; 5. Review. After all inspections are completed, the vehicle management office will review the indicators; 6. Receiving the mark. If the review is passed, the vehicle can receive the motor vehicle inspection qualification mark.
Having driven for over a decade, I always inspect my tires thoroughly before the annual inspection. Tread depth is a hard requirement—the coin test is simple yet practical: insert a one-yuan coin into the groove; if the coin's edge is visible, the tread depth is insufficient, and anything below 1.6mm will definitely fail. I once saw a neighbor fail the inspection due to tire wear—tires on the same axle must have identical specifications and tread patterns, a detail often overlooked. The tire sidewalls require special attention; even a nail-sized bulge or crack will prompt the inspector to reject them. Spare tires aren’t checked, but all four in-use tires must meet standards. Modified car enthusiasts, take note: if you’ve upsized your rims, update the registration with the DMV, or the inspection will be blocked. I recommend servicing your tires two weeks early to ensure proper pressure and even wear, avoiding unnecessary hassle.
Last month when I went for the annual inspection, I saw the staff holding a tread depth gauge and measuring the tire grooves for quite a while. Later I learned they were checking two key points: first, any tire with tread depth below 1.6mm would be rejected immediately; second, the tire model must exactly match the registration certificate. I noticed they knelt down to inspect the sidewalls - turns out any bulges on the sidewalls would cause the inspection to fail. The most troublesome requirement is that tires on the same axle must be of identical brand and model. My colleague had to swap back his original tire after being caught using a spare on the left wheel. Before the inspection, it's best to self-check using a tire depth gauge (you can buy one online for just over 10 yuan). While spare tires aren't inspected, the four in-use tires mustn't have more than 3 cracks or patches. Actually, having your mechanic monitor wear during regular maintenance can help avoid the embarrassment of failing the annual inspection.
