If the tire tread depth on your vehicle’s tires is low, you have a huge safety concern on your hands. Coupled with wet roads, low tread depth can cause you to hydroplane and lose control.
Ideally, you should be bringing your car in for regular maintenance service at the proper intervals. During these visits, the service team will check your tires and let you know when the tread is getting low, allowing you to buy new tires before it’s too late.
However, you should also keep an eye on your tire tread between visits. You can use a tread-depth gauge but there are other ways to know when you should start tire shopping without this tool.
Here are a few tips for checking tire tread to keep your vehicle safe on the road.
Use Your Fingers
When you have a new set of tires on your car, the tread depth is around 10/32 or 11/32 of an inch. They are considered in need of replacement at 4/32 of an inch. If your tread is down to 2/32, it is considered a hazard, and you should have your tires replaced immediately.
Most tires have built-in wear bars that run across the tread at equally spaced intervals around the tire. The bars are designed to be 2/32 of an inch high, and running your finger along the longitudinal tire grooves will help you find them if your tires are wearing down.
Grab Some Coins
Pennies or quarters can also be used to check tread depth if you’d rather not get your hands dirty running them along your tires. To use a penny, hold it so that you have Abraham Lincoln’s head facing downward. Insert the penny into a groove. If you can see the whole head on the penny, you are at 2/32 of tread depth.
A quarter can also be used. Hold it with George Washington’s head facing downward into the groove. The top of his head is roughly 4/32 of an inch from the edge of the coin, so if you see his whole head, you’ll want to replace the tires soon.
Important Tire Tread Tip: Check Three Grooves
Perhaps you’re relieved that your tires pass the tread checks. If you’re using coins to check, don’t just check one groove. Choose the groove closest to you, one in the middle of the tire, and then check the one furthest from you. If you notice any differences in the depths, you may want to check your tire inflation. There could also be an issue with your wheel alignment.
When you have less tread depth in the center, your tires have been over-inflated. Conversely, more tread in the center means the tires are underinflated. If there’s only a little bit of difference, there isn’t much to worry about, especially if you have been diligent about having your tires rotated.
Additional Check: Feathering and Cupping
There’s something else you should check on your tires besides the tire tread. It will get your hands dirty, which is why it’s best to put on a pair of plastic gloves since they are thin enough to be sensitive to your hands.
Check for feathering by running your hand across the tire tread from the side nearest you to the furthest side, then back again. If it feels like you’re catching on an edge, there may be feathering of your tires or an issue with toe-in or toe-out. It’s something your mechanic can correct with an adjustment.
You’ll also want to check for cupping, which are low spots on the tire. Flatten your hand and move it along the top of your tread from right to left and back again for part of the circumference of each tire. If you find any low spots, your tire may be out of balance, which you may have noticed while driving. Or you may need to have your alignment or suspension corrected.
Visually inspect your tires to see if you have any tiny cracks. This is usually the case for very old tires, though weather can be a factor in deteriorating them more quickly. Even if the tread is good on your tires, if you see any cracks, you must replace them before they cause an accident.
What Can Happen If You Have Low Tire Tread?
When you have low tire tread and you continue to drive, you put yourself, your passengers, and everyone else on the road at risk. Wet roads make it harder for worn tires to be efficient at braking. You’re far more likely to slide all over a wet road when you have low tire tread, and it may make you lose control.
Worn and bald tires can’t gain traction in snow and ice although it’s not an issue in Miami. That doesn’t mean the rainy days in South Florida can’t be problematic for low-tread tires.
One thing that is common on the roads is the potential to puncture tires. Nails from construction and other little items can puncture your tires, and when the tread is low, they are far more likely to blow out instantly.
Additionally, worn tires lose air pressure more easily, making you get less for your money in terms of fuel economy. They also make it harder for you to brake and steer. Combined with low pressure, you will be more likely to have a blowout and lose control of your car, which could cause a car accident.
Even if you maintain your tires well, that doesn’t mean everyone else on the road follows the rules. People who fail to maintain their tires and vehicles could be responsible for your accident. An investigation into the crash will shed light on whether or not the other driver’s tires were to blame.
You may not be able to control anyone else’s actions, but you can give yourself the best protection by checking your tire tread to make sure your vehicle is road-ready.