How to check tire wear

Checking Your Tires for Wear. You should check your tires for wear at least once a month and before and after long trips. To determine whether you need to (a) buy new tires , (b) have your wheels balance (c) have your wheels aligne or (d) change your driving habits, simply read your tire treads for clues. Table and Figure show you what to look for.

Disregard all those other , they make no sense, First of all get yourself a GOOD tire gauge, second of all never trust the gauge on the air compressor they are never accurate. The penny trick is just that it measures out to be about what is legal. You take a penny and stick t in the groove head first. If its not up to abes head they need.

Tires are manufactured to have a particular amount of air pressure in them. When the tires are inflated to the correct pressure, the head -on profile of the tire will look like an U, with a flat bottom.

This allows all the tire to make. It will be easier to read when you perform the test.

Hold the penny between your thumb and your forefinger. Choose a point in your tire tread that appears to be low. If any part of Lincoln’s head is obscured by the tire. Place a penny into several tread grooves across the tire. A simple way to check your tire tread depth is by using a tread depth gauge.

There are several popular ways to check your tire tread depth. You check them to determine whether you need to buy new tires , have your wheels balance have your wheels aligne or change your driving habits. Excessive wear on shoulders may signal problems such as under inflation of the tire. Uneven tread wear indicates poor wheel alignment.

If the treads on the outer section become knobby, it may signal problems with the toe-in value. How to check your tire tread with a penny. Insert the penny into the tire tread grooves upside down so the top of Old Abe’s head is heading into the groove. Be sure to insert the penny into various tread grooves across (left to right) and around the tire. If uneven tire wear is extreme or if tires wear out much faster than expecte have a competent tire workshop check your suspension and correct it as necessary before replacing tires.

Use a tread depth indicator or gauge. Know the legal requirements. Make note of any irregular tread wear. Once every month, or before you embark upon long road trips, check your tires for wear and damage problems. Using a toonie to check your winter tire tread.

One easy way to check for wear is by using the penny test. The tread depth is that much. But, like all tires, the bottom section. Tire tread depth gauges are a fast and easy way for you to know for sure if your tires are safe or if they need to be replaced. Keep one in your glove compartment for easy access.

Find the shallowest groove of the tread and insert the pin of the gauge until the base is flush with the tire. Reach into your pocket and pull out your spare change. Give the penny test a try – it only takes a few minutes – and find out if it’s the right time to replace your tires. If you’re short on change, just find your nearest Firestone Complete Auto Care.

A feather edge on the inside of the tread bar indicates excess toe-in, while a feather edge on the outside of the tread bar indicates toe-out. Because toe angle is affected by changes in camber and caster angles, it’s always the last angle to be adjusted during the wheel alignment process. Your tires contain wear indicators built into the tread.

Tread Wear Indicator Bars.

Look for a bar molded into the bottom of the tread voi in the circumferential grooves. When your tread blocks wear to become level with these bars, they are completely worn out and need replacing. The old penny test is still true, Regan says. CAMBER WEAR : Camber is the tilting of the wheel during operation, measured in degrees.

If the Camber is out of line , it will cause the tire to wear more quickly on one side of the tread. Tire alignment, also known as wheel alignment, refers to the adjustment of the vehicle’s steering and suspension components – the system that connects and controls the motion of the wheels. It is not an adjustment of the tires or wheels themselves. Pump up your tires to the right tire pressure according to your manufacturer’s recommendations. When the tread wears down to become even with this level, the tire should be replaced.

You can also check the tread wear indicator. To avoid potential problems, have your tires checked at. Tire wear directly affects the driver’s safety and the performance of the vehicle.

It is essential for the driver to be well-informed about how to check for tire wear regularly. Stick the probe into the valley of the trea press the shoulders of the probe flat against the tread bloke, and read off the result. All gauges should measure in both 32nds of an inch and in millimeters.

You should use a tire depth gauge to check tread depth every month or so, and check multiple spots as well. The amount of tread on a tire is critical in determining how well it will vacate water to maintain contact with the road in the rain. If your tires wear out quickly, your safety may be at risk. Center wear is exactly what it sounds like: the tire is worn down in the center.

There will be tread on the sides of the tire and a smooth, narrow strip of wear around the center of it. When a tire is overinflate the tire , in essence, bulges out more in the center.