How to Check Tire Tread Depth

Your tire treads grip the road, so you can stay in control of your car. However, as time passes, your tire tread depth will decrease, lessening the amount of traction between your tires and the road. As you can imagine, if your tire tread depth isn’t deep enough, you won’t have as much control of your vehicle on the streets of Van Buren as you should. This could put you in dangerous situations when you’re out and about. 

So you might be wondering, “How do I check tire tread wear?” There are a few ways, but before we teach you how to check tire tread depth, you should know the recommended tread depth and other important facts:

• A new set of tires usually have a tread depth of about 10/32 or 11/32 of an inch (about a third of an inch).
• Winter tires, tires designed for off-roading purposes, and some truck & SUV tires have deeper tread grooves. 
• According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, you should replace your tires when their tread depth is measuring at 2/32 of an inch.

Let’s find out if your tire tread depth is measuring at 2/32 of an inch with one of the following methods! 

How Do I Check Tire Tread Wear with a Penny?

You can use a ruler to get an accurate measure of your tire tread depth, but if you don’t have a ruler, you can use a penny instead. The design of the U.S. penny makes it a perfect and convenient tool for measuring tire wear. Here’s how to check tire tread depth with the penny test: 

1. Insert the penny with Lincoln head-first into a tire tread groove.
2. Check if Lincoln’s head is covered and no longer visible between the grooves.
3. If you can see all of Lincoln’s head, your tire treads are 2/32 inches deep or less and it’s time to replace them.
4. Repeat this process on all four tires and in multiple locations on each tire.

How Do I Check Tire Tread Wear with a Tread Depth Gauge? 

Besides the penny test, you can also buy a tread depth gauge from any Findlay or McComb-area auto parts store. Insert the probe into the shallowest tread groove, then press the top bar of the gauge flat against the tire to see the tread wear rating.

How Do I Check Tire Tread Wear with Tread Wear Bars? 

Most tires have tread wear indicator bars built into them. Check to see if yours has them when you look at the bottom of the tread grooves in multiple locations across the tires. If the bars are flush with the surrounding tire ribs, this means that the tread depth has reached 2/32 of an inch.

Learn More Car Care Tips With Spitzer Nissan

Now that you know how to check tire tread depth near Arcadia, feel free to read our other guides on car maintenance. We’d love to tell you more about brake pad longevity and the 6 essential car fluids!