CAR & SUV TIRES

Tires are designed with treads that provide your vehicle with traction. This traction keeps your car driving along the road - even in inclement weather. Without tread, the elements would literally lift your tires off the road. When you drive through snow or a puddle, the grooves in between the tread blocks of the tires become channels that divert the water or snow away from the tires, allowing the tires to maintain traction in these slick conditions.

 

When the tread gets worn down, the water, snow, and other slippery substances don’t have anywhere to go except directly under your tires severely decreasing your vehicle’s traction. If your tires are nearly bald, traction will be eliminated completely. Decreased traction will negatively affect your control over the car, making the vehicle unsafe for you and your passengers.

 

Tread depth will determine whether or not you require new tires. You can easily tell if your tires’ tread is too worn by using a penny or a quarter.

 

TIP! The penny test is the gold standard for measuring tire tread-depth because it is easy and it works. Just take a penny and, with Lincoln’s head upside down, put it between the tread blocks of the tire. If you are not able to see the top of Lincoln’s head – if his head is “buried” between the tread blocks – then you still have more than 2/32 of an inch of tread remaining. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, it’s time to go tire shopping because the tread is worn down to or beyond 2/32 of an inch.