06 Jun How to Analyze Tread to Determine Tire Safety

The tread on your car’s tires is very important for safe driving. As you drive your car, the tread will gradually begin to wear down. A tire with very little tread will not maintain traction with the road. This increases the likelihood that you will hydroplane on wet roads and possibly get into a serious accident. In the spirit of National Tire Safety Week, which runs from June 2nd to June 8th, here are some easy ways to analyze the tread on your tires to determine tire safety.

Wear Bars

Many tires made in North America now have wear bars that appear when the tread has worn down to an unsafe level. The appearance of these wear bars can be the first indication that you need to replace your tires. To check for wear bars, look for a pattern on your tires that runs against the tire’s original tread pattern.

Coin Tests

With the use of a penny or quarter, you can estimate how much tread is left on your tires. In most states, tires are considered to be legally worn out if they have less than 2/32” of tread on them. To test for this minimum requirement, place a penny head-first into the tread. If the tread is high enough to reach Lincoln’s head, then you have at least 2/32” of tread left on your tire.

You can test for deeper tread depths by using a quarter. Place the quarter into the tread head-first. If the tread covers Washington’s head, you have at least 4/32” of tire tread left.

The back of a penny can be used to test for a tread depth of 6/32”. Place the penny right-side-up into the tread. If the tread reaches the top of the Lincoln Memorial, then there is at least 6/32” of tread. Test the tread of each tire in several locations. This will help you to identify areas of irregular tread wear.

Car accidents can occur even when you have safe tires. Always insure your car with adequate auto insurance to protect your financial security in case an accident ever occurs.

*