How Does Tire Tread Depth Affect Braking Distance
The tread depth of your front tires is crucial when it comes to maintaining a reasonable braking distance. TireRack conducted a test a few years ago in which they compared two identical cars on an identical surface with the only difference being that one car had exactly 2/32-inch of tread left on its front tires while the other one had a minimum of 4/32-inch.
The test concluded that the car with 2/32-inch of tread depth took an additional 88.8 feet to stop when compared to the car with 4/32-inch. That is rather concerning to hear, but the worse part is that a set of brand-new tires takes less than half the distance to stop when compared to tires with 4/32-inch of tread depth left.
How Do I Check My Tire Tread
Tire tread has the capacity to affect your vehicles safety and performance while on the go. While you might not think about your tire tread every time you drive, it is important to check in every once in a while to ensure that your tires are in good working order. Ready to talk about tire tread depth? Lets dive in.
What Does Tread Depth Affect
When it comes to safety, your tires are literally where the rubber meets the road. Sufficient tire tread depth is necessary for safe turning and braking.
Low tire tread depth can spell disaster for your drive, including:
- Reduced stopping distance
- Less traction in snowy or icy conditions
- Increased risk of hydroplaning in wet conditions
- Increased risk of a tire blowout
- Reduced acceleration power
If you live in an area where it rains or snows frequently, consider replacing tires when they reach 4/32 of an inch. With worn tires, you are at risk of hydroplaning on wet roads. This is when the tire cant channel the water through the grooves. The car rides along the top of the water instead of staying in contact with the asphalt. As such, the tires cant respond to the steering system. If you have experienced it, you know how terrifying it can be. In icy or snowy conditions, low tread depth makes it harder to stop. You can also fishtail when accelerating or slide sideways when turning.
There are special considerations for driving in hot weather as well. If you are heading into summer and your tires are near the end of their lifespan, be aware that they wear down faster on hot roads.
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Inbuilt Semi Tire Tread Depth Monitor
Some semi-truck have tire tread depth for tractor-trailer inbuilt monitors, also called wear bars. They are implanted between the ribs of the semi-truck at 2/32 of an inch or vary depending on your semi-truck. You can look outwardly at the track to check whether it is flush with the marker bar. If you notice this, it is time for you to replace your tire. At TC Truck and Trailer, we supply different repair materials and offer repair services. Inbuilt semi-truck tread depth monitors save you unnecessary stress if we help you install the likes of the tires.
What Is The Minimum Legal Tread Depth
Tread depth must not be less than the legal minimum limit of 1.6 mm. The tread is the part of the tyre in contact with the road in normal conditions. Your vehicle’s safety and performance particularly in wet conditions are reduced as your tyres wear. Make sure your tyres have the legal minimum tread depth of 1.6mm.
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How Do You Measure Tread Depth On Your Tires
Are you wondering how much life your tires have left? Learning how to check tread depth is the best way to tell if your tires are safe for another season or if theyre almost ready to retire. Tires that dont have enough tread depth put you at greater risk of hydroplaning, punctures and reduced traction. Fortunately, measuring tread depth regularly is a simple way to help ensure your tires can perform safely.
How We Can Help You
If you entrust your vehicle with us at TCtruck And Trailer, you may not bother about the tire tread depth for a semi-truck. At least, well oversee the disturbing aspect of maintaining a good and healthy vehicle. Your life is secure with us. If at all you need to check the tire tread, you have the assurance that we have overseen all the necessities. Why dont you put the burden of your truck on experts like us? Contact us today, as we are ready to overcare for your truck.
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What Does 7 32 Mean On A Tire
When measuring your tread depth, it is important to know that the US Government requires that any tire sold must have at least 2/32 inches of tread depth on all areas of the tire.
This is a measurement on the top of the tire around the entire circumference of the tire, not just one spot in the middle.
What Happens If You Have An Accident On Illegal/bald Tyres
Driving with tyres that have a tread below the legal limit – or even worse, are bald – is dangerous.
It can put you and other motorists at risk.
If you are involved in an accident and the car you are driving has illegal or bald tyres, you should be aware of the consequences.
Any insurance claim as a result of an accident could be invalidated, so potentially your insurer won’t pay out any money any repairs needed to your vehicle.
However, driving with dangerous or defective tyres also puts drivers at risk of a fine of up to £2,500 and three points on their license.
That is per tyre, so four illegal tyres could mean a fine of £10,000 and 12 penalty points.
You can buy tyre tread gauges that help you assess the tread depth of the tyre, plus you can also get more basic colour-coded tools that let you know if a tyre is legal or not at a glance.
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Is The Legal Minimum Tire Tread Depth Enough
No doubt this morning was an intensely exciting one for a driver that I passed by. She had obviously done some panicked steering on the rain soaked highway judging from the marks in the median and the amount of grass and mud in the fast lane. Others had already stopped to help and aside from being stuck in the median she and her vehicle appeared relatively unharmed.
This turned my thoughts to the tread on my tires and the question of how much tread is needed to stop and steer properly on wet roads. We know that tires are considered to be worn out at 1.5 mm or 2/32nds of an inch unless they are winter tires, in which case the limit is 3 mm or 4/32nds of an inch of tread depth. Is that really enough?
It appears that if you intend to drive on wet roads 4 mm may be the minimum tread depth needed to stop and steer effectively. Without at least this much tread the tire cannot move water away from the tread fast enough to maintain adequate traction. To drive with less tread is not illegal until you reach the legislated minimums, but it may not be safe.
One last thought and that is to buy a decent tire guage to keep in your glovebox. Use it every couple of weeks before you start out and make sure that the tires are inflated to the specifications on your vehicle’s tire placard. Proper inflation helps tread do its part to prevent hydroplaning.
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Go For Tire Rotation After Every 5000 Miles
Most vehicles on the road use two wheels at a time. And this can contribute to uneven tread wear, thus prompting their removal from service prematurely. For instance, if you drive a rear-wheel vehicle, the rear wheels will wear out faster than the front ones. And if you drive a front-wheel vehicle, then the front wheels will wear out faster than the rear ones.
To prevent such issues, you should go for a tire rotation every 5,000 miles or so. A technician will move the tires around, thus making sure they wear out uniformly. Furthermore, rotation can help to improve your tireâs tread life.
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Replace Tires With Identical Ones
Your vehicle should always run on an identical set of tires until they wear down to their treadwear indicators. However, you may sometimes be forced to replace one or two tires, which have been removed from service due to workmanship defects, road hazards or irregular wear. In such a situation, you should make sure the replacement tire is identical to the existing ones. Driving on an identical set of tires will ensure uniform tread wear, again helping to extend your tiresâ tread life.
Is It Ok To Replace Just One Tire
Unfortunately, not all tires are repairable or worth saving. Replacing only one tire mostly depends on how much tread is remaining on the opposite tire on the same axle. … The tread depth of brand-new tires is typically 10/32 or 12/32 in inches of tread. Therefore, the safest thing to do is to replace them both.
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Lincoln Vs Washington Test
Rather than using a Lincoln penny, a Washington quarter is more realistic, so say some tire aficionados. With a 2/32 of remaining tread on a Lincoln penny, the typical tire is already close to bald in rainy or snow conditions.
However, with a Washington quarter showing his head, it will show 4/32 remaining which is a more realistic tread depth, especially in rainy conditions.
A better method of measuring stopping distances is to actually measure rainy tire distances. Using a school bus for stopping distances, Good Morning America, got the following figures:
New Tires 10/32 tread School bus on a wet road:
Stopping distance 195 feet
Compare Used Tires To New Tires
It is generally not recommended to buy tires that older than three years are, because not only the minimum tread depth has a negative impact on driving behavior. While there is no recommended lifetime for tires, but the rubber coating of a new tire simply grips much better. Even correct storage contributes to the preservation of the tires. The ADAC recommends tires no longer than 10 years to use. Even with low mileage, these should be 10 years for reasons of age be respected, even if the minimum tread depth is still there. In addition, new tires always have the advantage of being more advanced in their development, from which the vehicle driver can only benefit.
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How To Keep Your Fleet In Check With Motives Safety Platform
Accurately measuring tire tread depth and pressure while regularly rotating tires has a positive impact on commercial fleet operations. So does monitoring alignment. Monitoring your drivers aggressive and risky practices can also help with overall tire health and optimizing vehicle performance.
With the tools to minimize hard braking, hard cornering, and hard acceleration, you can reduce excessive wear on tire treads as well. Motives vehicle diagnostic solution is just one part of our fleet safety solution. Proactively monitor driving behavior to detect issues and identify drivers who could benefit from coaching or more training. Learn more today about how the Motive Fleet Dashboard helps you stay on top of vehicle health and prolong the life of commercial vehicle tires.
What Is Tire Depth And Why Is It Important
Tire depth is the measurement of a tires tread. When a new tire is made, its tread depth is around 10/32 of an inch.
Over time and with normal wear, that number decreases as the tire wears down. Tire depth is important because it affects the traction of your vehicle on the road. The deeper the tread, the more traction you have on wet and slippery roads.
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Diy Guide: How To Measure Tire Tread Depth And Other Top Tire Tips
Tires are one of the most commonly replaced items on your vehicle as they endure thousands of miles of high-speed revolutions on hard pavement. As they shed their tread due to everyday use, they become less effective bit by bit.
Knowing how to measure tire tread will help you determine when itâs the right time to replace your tires. Without this basic understanding, you risk changing them too late and putting your safety at risk or changing them too early and wasting money.
Below, we’ll cover how to measure tire tread and other tire-read-related topics to help you stay safe, save money, and know what to look out for when tire shopping.
How Does Tire Tread Depth Affect Aquaplaning
Aquaplaning or hydroplaning happens when a layer of water gets between the tire and the road surface which leads to complete loss of traction and the inability of the tire to respond to any of the drivers control inputs. Tires that have low levels of tread depth are unable to channel the water through the grooves effectively which means that even the smallest puddles can cause aquaplaning.
This is obviously a huge safety hazard, but the same can happen if you go over softer ground such as mud or slush. Tire treads are designed to throw and channel water, snow, slush, and mud away from the tire, but they can only do so if the tread depth is sufficient. As such, dont attempt to drive bald tires in wet conditions, especially at high speeds when aquaplaning can end catastrophically.
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The Relationship Between Tire Tread And Stopping Distance
Tread depth and stopping distance have an inverse relationship: the shallower the tread, the longer it will take for a vehicle to stop. Exact differences in stopping distance will vary based on a range of factors . However, in many cases a tire with a tread depth of 2/32nds of an inch will take nearly twice as long to stop on a wet roadway as a new tire with full tread depth. A tire with a tread depth of 4/32nds of an inch will generally stop half again as fast as a new tire. This means stopping power drops off exponentially below 4/32nds of an inch, which is why many advocate for replacing tires before they reach the legal limit set by most states.
Its Important That You Know How To Check Your Tyres Tread Depth After All The Tread Depth Affects Handling And Provides Grip With The Road Surface The Deeper It Is The More Grip Youll Have
Tested by Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH at the test location Contidrom . Test conditions: 225/45 R 17, PremiumContact 6, wet road, from 80 km/h to 0 km/h, temperature 19,8 – 25,6° C. VW Golf 7 1.4 TSI. The graphics shown here are for illustration purposes only. The braking distance of a vehicle depends on its type, its age, the brakes and the tyres used, as well as the road surface. The full test report is available at www.continental-tires.com/car/tires/test-report-wet-braking-summer
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Checking Your Tyres Tread Depth
- First of all, check out the tread wear indicators that are built into the grooves of your tyres. These small horizontal bars are evenly spaced around the tyres circumference. Once your tyre has worn level with these bars, you have reached your minimum depth and your tyre will need replacing.
- Bear in mind though that these indicators tell you when youve reached 1.6mm and safe driving in wet and snowy weather might already be affected as mentioned above.
- A more accurate measurement can be taken using tyre gauges. These come in many different forms from laminated cards with colour indicators to digital tyre depth gauges.
- Simply place the gauge into the tyres groove and you will see how close you are to reaching your minimum depth.
Avoid Driving At Excessively High Speeds
Whenever you are driving on the highway, you may sometimes be tempted to drive at the maximum speed limit allowed. While it may be a thrilling experience, you will also be increasing your tireâs treadwear rate.
High-speed driving will generate more heat for the tires, thus degrading the rubber compound used to make them faster. And if you do it often, you will be forced to replace your tires sooner than someone who drives at average speeds.
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Importance Of Proper Tread Depth
To properly explain when tread depth is too low, we need to briefly cover why tread depth is important and how it works.
As tires wear, their performance slowly decreases. Every little bit of tread wear reduces their ability to properly grip the road surface in an emergency situation.
Your tires tread is ultimately all about performance in bad weather primarily rainy conditions. The tread groove is designed to funnel water out and away from underneath the tire tread so it can properly grip the pavement.
The less tread depth there is, the less ability the tires tread has to channel water out and away and the more difficult it will be for the tire tread to provide traction.
How To Best Maintain Tyres To Optimise Tread Depth
While tyre tread will inevitably wear down over time, there are several measures that you can take to slow this process and keep the tread deep and effective:
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