Time Needed: 5 Minutes, Difficulty: Beginner, Cost: Spare change
As the only part of your car that is actually intended to touch the road, it’s easy to see how important your tires are. Unfortunately, they don’t last forever. Over time, normal driving wears away the rubber in your tires, and at a certain point they become unsafe to use. Different types of tires wear at different speeds, though, so it’s important to know how to check your tire tread depth.
You don’t need tools or a shop to check your tire tread. As long as you’ve got some loose change and a safe place to park your car for a moment, you’re good to go. We have had plenty of experience with tires of all types and are here to help you get rolling safely.
How To Know When It’s Time To Replace Tires
Unless you’re riding on a set of Mickey Thompson race slicks, your tires have tread that helps them get traction and remain in contact with the road when it’s wet. In general, there should be at least 4/32 inches of tread depth for a tire to be considered good-to-go. If it’s less than that, it’s time to consider replacing the tire.
Check your tread depth with a penny.
The Safety Brief
Follow these tips for a safety check.
- Find a safe place to check your tires. The side of the road or a busy parking lot are not the best options here.
- Make sure your car is in the park, and/or that the parking brake has been set. There’s nothing worse than the car rolling away while you’re trying to check the tires.
- If you’re unsure of what you’re looking at, or if there appears to be damage to the tire, it’s best to take it to a shop for a repair or inspection.
The Tools And Parts You Need
You won’t need a whole toolbox to check your tire treads.
- Quarter
- Flashlight (optional)
The Job: How To Check Tire Tread
Follow these steps for a quick and easy job.
Put Vehicle In Park
Make sure the vehicle is parked safely and that it won’t roll away while you’re trying to inspect your tires. If your vehicle has a manual transmission, set the parking brake for extra security.
Use Coin To Check
If you don’t have a tire tread gauge, you can use a quarter for this job. Take the coin and insert it into the tire tread with the president’s head going in first. Washington’s head will be your measuring tool. If the tire tread reaches the top of his scalp, you’ve got at least 4/32 inch of tread left. If you can see the top of his head, it’s time to replace the tires.
Use Tire Tread Wear Indicator Bar
Most tires have a wear indicator molded right into the tread. When the tire has worn enough for the wear indicator bar to be flush with the rest of the tread, it’s time to replace your tires.
A tire tread depth tool.