As tires are used, it is normal for the tread to gradually become shallower and overall tire performance to change. In addition, irregular tread wear may occur for a variety of reasons that may lead you to have to replace a tire sooner rather than later. Regularly checking the tread depth and wear condition of each tire on your vehicle will not only let you know when it is time to replace a tire, it can also help you detect other needed maintenance and get the most value out of your vehicle and tires.
Too little tire tread can create unsafe driving conditions. When tires can’t grip the road, a driver may lose control of his or her vehicle. When roads are wet or snowy, tire tread depth is very important. Anytime precipitation gets between your tires and the road, you need the tread to cut through it and maintain as much contact with the road surface as possible. The more shallow your tread, the more easily you may lose traction when driving in the wet or snow; reducing speed in those conditions helps you maintain grip.
In the United States, tire tread measurements are usually expressed in 32nds of an inch. For example, all-season passenger tires often have tread depths from 9/32-inch to 11/32-inch when new.
Most states have established a 2/32-inch minimum tread depth requirement, which require motorists to replace a tire when the tire wears down to that depth. Regardless of which state you live in, Bridgestone recommends that a tire be replaced when any portion of the tread is at 2/32-inch depth.
How do you know if you’ve reached the 2/32-inch threshold? Use the tire tread depth indicators found within the tread grooves. Every passenger, light truck, and medium truck tire has these indicators, also known as wear bars, at various places around the tire. Tread depth indicators are there so you can visually determine whether you have reached 2/32-inch in that groove without having to measure the depth with a tool. Replace any tire where the tread ribs become flush with the indicator bars.
Another method of evaluating tread depth gauge is the “penny test.” Place a penny, with Lincoln’s head upside down, into the groove between the tread ribs. If you cannot see the top of Lincoln’s head between the ribs, the tread is at least 2/32-inch deep at that location. If Abe’s whole head is visible at any groove location, you should replace that tire.
Just as vehicles, drivers, and driving habits are different from each other, not all tires are the same and they can wear at very different rates. For instance, high performance tires for sports cars wear more quickly than touring tires for a family sedan. However, a variety of factors can cause a tire to wear out sooner than expected, and/or cause it to wear irregularly and create noise or vibration. Two common causes of early tire wear out and irregular tire wear are improper inflation pressure and out-of-spec alignment conditions.
When a tire is improperly inflated, there’s a good chance it will start to wear more rapidly and/or unevenly. Not only do vehicle manufacturers specify the inflation pressures for the front and rear tires to optimize performance for ride comfort, handling and fuel economy, they also take into consideration tire wear. Proper inflation pressure helps optimize distribution of vehicle load, acceleration, braking, and cornering forces in the tread. If the tire pressure is too low, or even too high, the contact patch of the tire tread is not optimized to handle the wide variety of jobs it is asked to do. Thus, different parts of the tread may be abraded away more quickly and/or irregularly.
Check the pressure in all of your tires, including the spare, every month. Also check it before going on a long trip or when you plan to carry extra load. You can find the vehicle manufacturer’s tire pressure specifications on a placard/label affixed to the driver’s door or along the door jam. You can also check your vehicle owner’s manual for tire pressure recommendations.
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. The key to proper alignment is to adjust the angles of the tires and their contact with the road in accordance with the vehicle manufacturer’s specifications for parameters such as camber, toe, and caster.
Improper tire alignment can cause your tires to wear unevenly and prematurely. Common irregular tire tread wear conditions from improper alignment include the following:
Heel/toe tire wear: This happens when one side of the tread blocks is wearing faster than the other side circumferentially. When you run your hand over the tread blocks, they will feel like saw teeth. Heel/toe wear typically occurs in a shoulder rib and is often caused by excessive positive or negative toe.
Feather edge tire wear: Tires are “feathered” when the tread ribs are worn lower/smoother on one side and higher/sharper on the other. This is often caused by a combination of improper alignment settings, such as excessive toe and caster.
One-sided shoulder tire wear: This type of irregular tread wear means the inside or outside shoulder rib of the tread is significantly more worn than the other ribs. Also known as camber wear, excessive positive or negative camber often causes this type of wear.
As the weather turns cold, are you prepared to face the hazards of winter driving? Drivers should brush up on their winter driving skills each year and remember these easy winter driving tips.
Before you get behind the wheel, it’s important to remove all snow and ice from the windshields, windows, tops, and sides of your vehicle – yes, all of it! Don’t forget to clear any ice blocking your exhaust pipe lest fumes leak back inside the vehicle.
Low gears offer more traction on hills. Vary your speed and gear use very deliberately in winter weather to maximize traction and minimize the possibility of slides or skids. This also means you should almost never use cruise control on snow or ice.
Even with snow tires, your vehicle may require more distance to stop than it would in dry conditions. A good rule of thumb is to allow three times the amount of stopping distance in snow or ice than on a dry road. Excessive speeds make it difficult to achieve this. Don’t stop if you don’t have to, especially on hills. The more often you have to start moving from a complete stop, the more often you risk getting stuck.
If you don’t have to drive in the snow, don’t. It’s dangerous. However, if there’s just no other option, stay focused on the road and be prepared for unexpected hazards. Check the weather forecast, too. Knowing the conditions you’re likely to encounter can help you prepare accordingly.
It might look like a puddle, but it isn’t. It’s ice. And it can cause you to lose control. Remember that if a road looks slick, there’s a good chance it is. Maintain a slow speed and test any possible black ice patches by turning your wheels slightly or lightly applying the brakes.
Whether you’re in a front-wheel or rear-wheel skid, the following procedures will help you regain control of your vehicle:
Take your foot off the pedals. Neither the accelerator nor the brake will help you in a skid. If anything, they could make it worse. Steer gently in the direction you want to go. Common skid recovery advice is to steer “in the direction of the skid,” but in a real skid you may not have time to think through the situation so carefully. As the vehicle regains traction, gently apply the brakes or the accelerator. This is where front-wheel and rear-wheel skid procedures differ slightly. In a front-wheel skid, gentle pressure on the brakes will help you regain control. However, in a rear-wheel skid, slowly accelerating will achieve the same.
Recovery procedures for full-on vehicle slides are similar. Remove your feet from the pedals and steer gently in the direction of intended travel.
In rainy weather, driving conditions can become dangerous pretty quickly. Oil and engine fluids can float atop rainwater, creating treacherous driving surfaces. Water creates a barrier between the road and your tires, which can cause you to lose traction and hydroplane. If this occurs, take your foot off the gas, hold the steering wheel in place, and lightly apply the brakes. Dangerous driving surfaces, coupled with reduced visibility, contribute to the thousands of accidents on wet roads every year. Fortunately, this can be prevented with a little preparation and smart thinking in the moment.
When the forecast calls for rain, it's important to confirm that a car's headlights, brake lights and windshield wipers are clean and functioning properly. Turn your headlights on in the rain to help other drivers see you. Also, replace windshield wipers that leave streaks or don't fully clear the windshield each swipe and fill the washer reservoir bottle with a washer solvent.
Before heading out, check your tires by looking for proper tire tread depth and tire inflation:
The dynamics of driving change dramatically when the roads are wet, which means driving habits must change, too.
Driving more slowly reduces your risk of losing contact with the road and hydroplaning. Reduce your speed by 10 mph for each degree you increase your windshield wiper speed.
Leave extra room behind the car in front of you in case a sudden stop is necessary. Using telephone poles as a landmark, start counting once the car in front of you passes a specific pole. If you pass the same pole before you can count to three, you're following too closely.
If your car starts to skid, don't panic! Continue to look and steer the car in the direction you want to go and avoid slamming on the brakes to maintain control of the vehicle.
If the downpour or spray from other vehicles is too heavy, just stop driving. When visibility is so low that you can't see the edges of the road or the vehicles in front of you, pull off the road as far as possible, turn on your hazard lights and wait out the storm.
It's that time again: the sun is out, the mercury is rising and the kids are out of school. It's summer, and that means you'll likely be adding a few extra car trips to your already packed driving schedule. Is your car ready for the heat, the highway miles and the extra weight from luggage? You might not know it, but summer conditions can have negative effects on your vehicle and tires. Here are a few things you should know before you hit the road.
Well, it's true, and heat has played a serious part in ruining many summer road trips. On a sunny summer day, pavement surface temperatures can become extremely hot, meaning you're essentially driving atop an oven as you scoot down the road. What does this mean for your car? Several things. First, you're going to want to make certain your cooling system is in top shape. This includes your car's radiator, water pump, thermostat and associated belts and hoses. Be sure to fill your radiator with a high-quality antifreeze, even in the summer (it has a higher boiling point than water), get your water pump checked out by a professional and give your belts and hoses a good visual once-over. If they look dry, cracked or loose, get your car to a mechanic.
The heavy loads, longer distances and hot temperatures of summer trips can have negative effects on your car's tires. Fortunately, there's a few simple things you can check to make sure you roll up to your fun-in-the-sun destination safely. First, make sure your tires don't have any visible signs of damage. This includes cracks or bald spots, worn tread, punctures or bubbles. Next, make sure they're properly inflated. Use a tire gauge to check your tire pressure every month and before long trips or when carrying extra load. The vehicle manufacturer recommendations for tire pressure can be found on a label affixed to the driver's door or door jamb, or in the vehicle owner's manual. Remember that tire pressure should be checked when the tires are "cold," which means when your car hasn't been driven for three hours or for less than a mile at moderate speed. Finally, don't drive too fast or overload your car. Lowering your speed and keeping your luggage under control means better gas mileage, but it also puts less strain on your tires.
Summer tends to get everyone out of the house, which means more volume on the roadways, and a wider variety of drivers and vehicles than you'd normally encounter. For example, younger and less experienced drivers are on summer vacation and add to those already on the road. More motorcycles and RVs on the road during the summer, as well as countless families making their way to their vacation destination, means more crowded roads and highways. More vehicles and less experienced drivers means more opportunities to run into trouble. Be cautious and slow down when driving during the summer months.
While you're packing up the trunk, why not throw in a few extras that could mean the difference between an epic vacation and an epic towing charge? Mount Bridgestone DriveGuard tires on your vehicle before your trip to bypass the tow truck after a puncture. DriveGuard tires are engineered to allow you to drive up to 50 miles at a maximum speed of 50 mph after a puncture or complete loss of pressure.* At least check the inflation pressure and condition of your car's little donut tire or full-sized spare to make sure it will keep you on the road after a flat. Also, pack a quart or two of oil. Even a well-tuned engine can burn oil with sustained driving. A jug of coolant may go a long way, too.
That should do it! Be a prepared driver, and your summer vacation can go off without a hitch, despite the heat, the crowds and the potential wear and tear on your vehicle. Now put your shades on, pack up the sunscreen and get going. It's going to be a fun one this year.
*Reparability of DriveGuard tires depends on the tire damage, amount of pressure loss, and vehicle operating conditions. Contact a Bridgestone retailer for details.