Many people rarely think about their tires unless they get a flat tire. Then it becomes a major inconvenience. Instead of ignoring our tires until there is a problem with them, we need to pay more attention to the condition of the tires that are on the car because we have a lot riding on them. I’m not talking about the car itself. Cars are replaceable, but your life and your family’s aren’t.
You do not need to be a mechanic or go to a mechanic to determine whether your tires need to be replaced. Anyone can check their tires in 5 minutes to see whether their tires are worn with no special tools needed. It’s so simple that this can be done while you are at the gas station fueling up your car.
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Minimum Tire Tread For Maximum Safety
The U.S. Department of Transportation recommends replacing tires when they reach 2/32”. What does 2/32” look like? Beats me. Luckily, there are two easy ways to see whether you’ve reached the 2/32” threshold. All you need is a penny or to look for the tread wear indicators.
The Penny 2/32″ Test
To perform the penny depth test, take a common Lincoln penny that no one usually ever wants and place it upside down into the groove between the tread blocks. If you can see the top of Honest Abe’s head, then your tires are at the 2/32″ limit and you should look into replacing them soon. It’s that simple.
The Tread Wear Indicators
Looking for the tread wear indicators is a little more involved. You will need to look on the edge of the tread on the tire for markings showing where the tread wear indicators are located. For many tires, they will use a triangle. Others, like Michelin tires, will have the Michelin Man figure molded into the tire. Once you’ve located the marking for your tire, look closely across the tire in between the grooves at that spot. You’ll notice raised bars in the grooves. When these bars are flush with the top of the tread, you are at the wear limit.
Using A Tread Depth Gauge
Now if you want a better estimate or faster evaluation of your tire’s life, you can spring for a tire tread depth gauge from your local auto parts store. With the depth gauge, all you have to do is stick the probe into the tire groove and press the shoulders against the tread block and read the results. Some like this Steelman Tread Depth Gauge even have color-coding in addition to the measurement numbers for quicker identification.
While 2/32” is considered the legal minimum tread depth for tire replacement, Consumer Reports have found that the stopping distance from 70 mph at 2/32” during wet braking was nearly double that of a car equipped with new tires at 379 feet versus 195 feet. This is due to the deeper grooves being able to channel away more water on the road. Not only do the deeper grooves help you stop faster, you are less likely to hydroplane. If you anticipate a lot of driving in adverse conditions such as rain, sleet, and snow, Consumer Reports and Tire Rack recommend replacing your tires earlier at 4/32”.
The Quarter 4/32″ Test
To perform a quick depth test for tread at 4/32”, leave the penny in your pocket and pull out a quarter. When you stick the upside-down quarter into the groove between the tread, if you can see the top of Washington’s head, then it is time to replace your tires because George never lies.
Pay Attention To Tire Age
After the amount of tread left on your tires, the next thing you need to pay attention to on whether your tires need to be replaced is the age of your tires. Just like how an old rubber band develops cracks, tires age and develop dry rot. This could eventually cause the steel belts within the tire to separate and the tire to fail when you are driving.
Even if an old tire doesn’t fail, old rubber isn’t as sticky as new tires as it dries out. The LA Times reported that CHP investigators found that the Porsche Carrera GT that crashed and killed Paul Walker and his friend had tires that were nine years old. In their report, they noted that due to the old tires, the “driveability and handling characteristics of the car may have been compromised”.
To figure out how old your tires are, look on the sidewall for the DOT symbol. The last four numbers at the end of the tire identification letters and numbers will be the date of manufacture. The first two numbers is the week and the last two numbers is the year. In the below example, that tire was made on the 26th week in 2013.
Most car manufacturers and tire makers recommend that tires be inspected or replaced after six years. Continental and Michelin say that tires manufactured more than ten years ago should be replaced.
For the average person who drives 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year, age usually isn’t a problem since they’ll likely wear out the tire’s tread first.
Even if you drive enough miles to not give a second thought about the age of the tire, you should still know how to check the age of the tire. Once the tire leaves the mold, the clock starts ticking. The last thing you would want is to pay for a brand new tire that has been sitting on the shelf for four or more years.
Knowing how to determine the age of your tire is also important if you own a weekend car, a secondary or recreational vehicle that you don’t drive regularly, or have a spare in your trunk or under your truck.
Other Considerations
Tire Inflation
Driving on under-inflated tires results in higher tire temperatures causing them to overheat because of additional friction from too much tire on the road. This increases the chance of blowouts. Tire Rack estimates that under-inflated tires’ tread life could be reduced by as much as 25%. Plus, you’ll get worse gas mileage. Luckily, all new cars are required to have TPMS sensors now to let you know if your tire pressure is way too low.
Pick up a cheap tire pressure gauge and keep it in your glove box and check your tires regularly. On the motorcycle, I go as far as to check them before each ride because I only have two tires.
As a bonus, I’ve compiled a giant list of locations offering free air for your tires so there is no excuse not to keep up with your tire pressure.
Uneven Wear
If you have not been keeping up with your tire rotation schedule, you may need to replace your tires sooner than expected. On front-wheel-drive cars, the front tires are responsible for most of the acceleration, braking, and steering and will wear faster than the rear tires. If your car is out of alignment, your tires may also wear faster on one edge.
Used Tires
Beware of buying used tires. They may be cheaper, but you will not know its history. You don’t know whether the previous owner likes to home in on the potholes in the road or has driven over one too many curbs.
Closing $ense
Yes, tires are expensive. While we would prefer to drive until the steel belts are showing, that isn’t worth the risk of one of your tires failing in rush hour traffic.
As you are driving down the road, the contact patch of most passenger tires is about the size of your hand. And those tires need to hold up the weight of your car and the forces of bringing your car to a stop from 65+ mph. Knowing this, any extra 1/32″ of tread available to stop your two-ton car in a panic situation counts.
When was the last time you checked the condition and air pressure of your tires?
My tires have been squealing when I turn corners, so I think I may need to get them replaced. Thanks for mentioning that I’ll want to make sure I rotate my tires regular, as not doing so can cause uneven wear. Do you have any tips for finding a great tire service in my area?
Glad to have helped, Taylor. As for a great tire service, I’d look at Discount Tire, Kauffman Tire, and Costco. All three offer free rotation for the life of your tire if you buy your tires from them. Discount Tire and Kauffman Tire also will plug tires for free even if you didn’t buy your tires from their store.
It’s good to know that old tires can dry out. I didn’t realize that they aren’t as sticky as new tires. That’s definitely a good thing to look for when you need new tires.
Thanks for the feedback, Gary.
I’m glad that you talked about how manufacturers want you to replace your tires every six years. My son recently bought his first used car. He has added a few cool aftermarket parts on it and I think he’s pretty happy with the purchase. The vehicle would turn five years old this year if I am correct, so I’ll be sure to share this article with him so he can consider visiting a nearby tire shop to have a look at his best options for a new set of tires.
Kit, congrats to your son on his first car
You usually spend a lot when buying a car. Thus, keeping your convertible in a pristine order should be a top priority for you. Skipping one maintenance chore can create a huge trouble in the future. And I don’t think it is good to skip any errand related to your tire. Because it is one of the components that plays a crucial role in keeping you safe on the road. So, you need to take good care of this stuff to avoid unwanted car breakdowns due to the tire failure. Figuring out the right interval for tire replacement can be intimidating for you. But it is five-finger exercise for a skilled car technician. So, you should leave all the maintenance chores to the professional for the effective execution of the undertaking.
You are right. Keeping your tires maintained is extremely important for keeping one safe on the road.
I was surprised to read that we can perform the penny depth test. This seems like an easy test to see the traction on your tires! I have never replaced the tires on my truck, so I think its about time to do so! I’ll look for a tire shop near me so I can get my truck in.
You must believe in driving your car until your wheels fall off
It’s great to know that we can easily check if the tires of our car need replacing already using two ways such as the penny test and the tread wear indicator. However, just by looking at my car, I think we really need to take it to a mechanic and get all of the tires replaced. This is because the wear and tear are too much that the tires look like they are almost smooth enough for a normal tire. It might be due to age since we’ve had this for about two years now.
I didn’t realize that most tires use a little triangle on the edge of the tread to indicate wear. It looks like my car’s treads are pretty flush, so it is probably at the wear limit. Because I will be going on vacation in the next few weeks, I will look into getting my tires replaced as soon as possible to ensure a safe trip.
Yeah, the triangle or arrow on the side of the tread makes it easy to find the location of the tire wear bars. Enjoy the vacation. Always good to do a quick checkup on everything before going on a long trip so you don’t get stranded on the side of the road instead of enjoying your vacation.
You’ve got some great tips for deciding when to get new tires. I did the penny test after reading this and now I know that the tread is really worn down. I could barely see the top of his head, so I think we’ll look at getting new tires soon.
Thanks for the comment. Finally found a good use for them pennies.
It’s interesting to know that you can look on the edge of the tread of your tire for markings showing the wear indicators. My sister bought a pre-owned car, and we are looking for advice about how to take care of it. I will suggest her to check the wear indicators to see if she needs to replace her tires.
Congrats to your sister on the new car. It’s always a good idea to get a pre-owned car checked out, whether that is before or after purchase. You never know the car’s maintenance history unless you also get the receipts.
Thanks for explaining that driving on under-inflated tires results in higher tire temperatures, which can increase the chance of your tire blowing out. Recently, I’ve noticed that there are some problems with my car’s driving, such as pulling one way or the other and shaking. I’ll have to look into getting new car tires.
If you’ve been noticing a problem with your car’s handling, it’s always a good idea to take it in to see if there is an issue. Could be something as simple as an alignment issue or a wheel being out of balance.
Thanks for mentioning that tires should be replaced if you can see the head of Lincoln on a penny. My boyfriend needs his truck worked on, so these tips could really help him. Because it’s winter, it would probably be wise to replace the tires soon.
It’s great you mentioned the ways on how to check if the tires you have are still serviceable because the longer you drive on a pair of tires the faster their treads are going to wear down. I didn’t know that one way to check tire treads is with a quarter test and that the way to tell is if it’s time to get new tires is to see if the tread edge is touching the head of the figure on the coin. Now that you mention it it’s been a while since I last checked my tire’s treads, maybe I should do the quarter test to see if it’s time to get new tires swapped in.
Yes, Eli. The quarter test is a quick and convenient way to check your tread depth on your tires. Almost everyone has a quarter in their couch cushions or somewhere.
Thank you for informing me that inspecting the tread is a great way to know if you need new tires, as the tread wears. About a month ago, I purchased a new car; however, with it getting colder and more slippery outside with the ice, I was wondering if I need good tires. The last thing I want to do is slide on ice and wreck my car. I will have to look into services that could give me options and possibly install new tires.
Assuming the groundhog was right and with spring right around the corner, it probably won’t make sense for this winter, but for next winter if you live in a colder area with lots of ice and snow, you might want to consider a set of winter tires. Winter specific tires and tires with the 3 peak mountain snowflake symbol on them have rubber that remains pliable in colder temperatures and gives better grip in the cold than general all-season tires.
It’s great you mentioned the ways on how to check if the tires you have are still serviceable because the longer you drive on a pair of tires the faster their treads are going to wear down. I didn’t know that one way to check tire treads is with a quarter test and that the way to tell is if it’s time to get new tires is to see if the tread edge is touching the head of the figure on the coin. Now that you mention it it’s been a while since I last checked my tire’s treads, maybe I should do the quarter test to see if it’s time to get new tires swapped in.
You learn something new every day. Not everyone has a pair of calipers or a tire depth gauge handy to check tire treads, but everyone has a quarter somewhere.
I really appreciate you talking about the age of tires and how it can affect their durability. This could be an important thing for us since we regularly go on long road trips in the large family van we have. I’ll keep an eye out for that since our tires are so old and make sure I know of an auto service to go to in advance.
Thank you for informing us that the minimum tire tread for maximum safety is 2/32″, which we can determine by using either a penny or tread wear indicators to see if our tires need replacing. I am going on a business trip next week and since it’ll be a long drive, I need to get the tires replaced first before I leave Elkhart to avoid problems on the road. I’ll take note of this while I look for a tire shop in Elkhart to visit before my business trip to get my tires changed.