…measuring tire tread depth with a coin, here are some basic rules to remember as tires wear to the critical final few 32nds of an inch of their remaining tread depth. At 6/32" of remaining tread depth, we expect snow traction to be affected, while drivers will notice a difference compared to…
…accidentally using different sized tires, tires with different tread designs, tires made by different manufacturers, different inflation pressures or even tires worn to different tread depths. As an example of different tire diameters resulting from tires worn to different tread depths, we compared…
When rotating your tires, it is also important to measure their tread depth to help determine if your vehicle has an alignment issue. You may find that when the edge of a tire wears differently than another it can point to camber. * Negative camber is wear on the inside edge of a tire and is pretty…
…a pair of tires, the new pair should always be installed on the rear axle. Installing the new tires (with full tread depth) on the rear axle will ensure that any differences in traction between the two pairs of tires will not lead to a dangerous oversteer situation. In an oversteer situation,…
…under a tire's tread pattern, it can lift the tread until it loses contact with the road. Tires with less tread depth will hydroplane in shallower water and at lower speeds than tires with deeper treads. Whether the front or rear tires hydroplane first can make all the difference. Hydroplaning front…
…Friend Tire Tech: Shaving Tire Treads to Maintain Equivalent Tread Depths for Four-Wheel Drive & All-Wheel Drive Vehicles Four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles are equipped with differentials and/or viscous couplings that are designed to allow momentary differences in wheel speeds when the…
…using different sized tires, tires with different tread designs, tires made by different manufacturers, different inflation pressures or even tires worn to different tread depths. As an example of different tire diameters resulting from tires worn to different tread depths, we'll compare…
…rates. The minor differences in tread depth between tires that might be encountered immediately after periodic tire rotations at 5,000-7,500 mile intervals won't upset the vehicle's hydroplaning balance and should not preclude rotating tires. For that matter, any differences in wear rates actually…
…in pairs (rather than sets of four) due to a lack of maintenance or when equivalent tread wear can't be achieved through periodic tire rotation. While it can't make up for performance differences due to tread depth, it is most important to match new tires to those originally used on the vehicle when…
…temperatures affect different tread compounds. Summer tires get too hard when temperatures drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that in the winter, even when there is no snow or ice on the roads, summer tires do not provide strong enough traction regardless of tread depth. Wet conditions:…
…tread depth remains. If snow is not an issue but rainy days are, then new automobile tires are recommended when you have approximately 4/32" of remaining tread depth. To see how tread depth makes a difference in your vehicle's stopping distance, watch "Panic Stopping: How Much Tread Depth…
…tread depth for dry conditions only. As mentioned earlier, when it comes to winter driving, nothing performs better than a dedicated winter / snow tire. To see how an all-season tire compares to a snow tire in winter conditions, read "All- Season vs. Winter (Passenger Vehicle): The Difference…
…tires are molded with beginning tread depths of 10/32" to 12/32", the tires will be approximately 1/2" to 6/10" shorter in diameter when they've worn to the minimum tread depth of 2/32". In order to determine how much odometer error this dimensional difference might cause, the Tire Rack team drove…
…Measuring the tread width of rounded-shouldered tires is more challenging because identifying the tread edges is difficult. Unfortunately there isn't an industry standard that establishes a single procedure for how to measure tire tread widths. And since tire manufacturers can use different methods,…
…proper tread depth can greatly reduce your risk of a rear-end collision during wet conditions. As you can see in this video a vehicle with tires worn to 4/32" will take nearly twice the distance to stop during emergency braking. As you will see, proper tread depth can be the difference between…
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