The depth of the tread of your tire will tell a lot about the overhaul health and condition of the tires fitted to your car, truck, or SUV. Vehicles with adequate tread depth have shorter stopping distances, which can be the difference between safely stopping your vehicle of having an accident. A new set of tires for most passenger cars will have a tread depth of 9/32″ or 10/32″. Trucks, SUV’s and cars with winter tires may have more tread depth when brand new. There are many factors that impact how quickly the tread on your new tires will wear down. Some more common factors include: tire inflation, rotation, alignment, road conditions, climate, tire construction, and your driving style. Most drivers aren’t aware of what level of tread depth is considered good, and what is considered bad. The experts at Valvoline Tire & Auto are here to help you better identify the health of your tires.
Tires with greater than 6/32″ of tread depth remaining are considered “GOOD”. Keeping your tires properly inflated and making sure they are rotated at the recommended intervals, along with periodically having your vehicle’s alignment checked, will help maximize the life of your tires.
Tires that have tread depth between 4/32″ and 6/32″ are considered to have “MARGINAL” tread. This means the tires are still safe to drive on, but the distance required for the vehicle to stop will be impacted. This is especially important when driving in poor weather conditions (such as rain or snow). This will also serve as a good indicator that it is nearing the time to have a new set of tires installed.
Any tire that has less than 4/32″ of tread depth are “UNSAFE”. When tread depth gets this low, not only do you see a significant increase in the distance needed to stop the vehicle, but it makes operating the vehicle more challenging as there is less grip on the road. When the tread depth wears down to below 4/32″, the tires are worn out and need to be replaced immediately!
The National Highway Traffic Safety Adminisgtration (NHTSA) has deemed that a tire is considered unsafe if any part of the tread is below 2/32″. Further studies have shown how conditions such as weather impact stopping distance, including, but not limited to: vehicle type, loading, road conditions, speed, and tire design. You can see how worn tire impact stopping distance in wet road conditions. An experiement was conducted where over 1000 brake tests were performed on a Mercedes C Class vehicle fitted with 205/55R16V size tires. In this experiement, the stopping distance increased by 15% with marginal tread depth, and by nearly 44% with unsafe tread depth!
If you are unsure as to whether the depth of the tire tread on your vehicle is sufficient, rely on the experts at any of the Valvoline Tire and Auto locations in Tyler, Texas, Crown Point, Indiana, and our newest store in McKeesport, PA! Our team of expertly trained technicians can check your tread and if new tires are needed, assist you with finding the right tire for your vehicle. Call or schedule an appointment today!
Many different locations to service our communities.
Crown Point, IN
CHOOSE LOCATIONMon-Fri: 8:00AM-6:00PM
Sat: 7:00AM-2:00PM
McKeesport, PA
CHOOSE LOCATIONMon-Fri: 7:30AM-5:30PM
Sat: 7:30AM-2PM
Crown Point, IN
CHOOSE LOCATIONMon-Fri: 8:00AM-6:00PM
Sat: 7:00AM-2:00PM
McKeesport, PA
CHOOSE LOCATIONMon-Fri: 7:30AM-5:30PM
Sat: 7:30AM-2PM
Your Safety is Important to Us The depth of the tread of your tire will tell a lot about the overhaul health and condition of the tires fitted to your car, truck, or SUV. Vehicles with adequate tread depth have shorter stopping distances, which can be the difference between safely stopping your vehicle of having Read More
