Mass Inspection Stations
  • Mass Inspection Stations
  • Motorcycle Inspections
  • TNC Inspection Stations
    • Uber Inspections
    • Lyft Inspection Stations
  • Auto Repair Shops
    • Auto Body Shops
    • Engine Rebuilding Shops
    • Emission Repair Shops
    • Muffler & Exhaust Shops
    • Transmission Shops
    • North Shore Towing
    • Mass Junk Yards
    • Junk Car Removal
  • Inspection Sticker Reminder
  • About Inspections
  • Recommended Car Maintenance Products
  • Top Auto Repair Shops in Medford, MA

News

When Should I Replace My Tires? 

7/3/2013

1 Comment

 
Picture
Answer: Probably before you take your car for an inspection sticker.  But first read on!


While it is simple to place a Lincoln penny in the tread groove of a worn tire and use Abe's likeness as a guide, we don't think Honest Abe knows what's best for today's drivers.

The Lincoln penny tread depth test has been touted for years to be a suitable method of determining when it's time to get new tires. It's based on the premise you're driving on legal tread depths anytime the top of Lincoln's head is obscured by the tread and that a tire's ability to grip the road isn't greatly reduced in adverse conditions (rain, slush and snow) until the tread wears to about 2/32" of remaining depth. It then maintains you're ready for new tires at 2/32" and can see the penny above Lincoln's head. (See Photo #1) Is it as simple as that? No. Read on.

Photo #1: Honest Abe doesn't always tell the truth.

A driver's ability to control their vehicle depends on the traction between their tires and the road. Tires don't require tread designs or even much tread depth to deliver traction on dry roads. A practical example of this is the racing slicks used on stock cars and open-wheel racers that provide traction at over 200 mph. However, tires do require tread designs to generate traction on wet, slushy and snow-covered roads. Liquids can't be compressed and require time and energy to move them out of the way as our tires drive through them. Those same racing slicks would lose traction at amazingly slow speeds anytime something prevented them from maintaining contact with the road.

So a tread design is necessary to direct water and slush from between the tire and the road, as well as provide edges that bite into snow. But that's only half the equation; because we've seen that tread depth also contributes to how well the design does its job.

The air our tires encounter at highway speeds can easily be compressed and moved out of the way with relative ease. However the same isn't true of liquids. When water collects on the road surface during rainstorms, the water depth, vehicle speed and vehicle weight, as well as the tires' tread designs and tread depths collectively determine when and if the tires will be forced to hydroplane and how quickly they can stop a vehicle. Read More...

1 Comment
used car inspections link
1/29/2014 06:51:11 am

This is useful information for providing tire maintenance. Most people do not know much about the specifics of the tread of a tire, which makes this information necessary for maintaining the longevity of vehicle tires.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    MassInspectionstations.com Logo

    Archives

    March 2025
    January 2020
    August 2018
    March 2018
    March 2016
    December 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013


Home
Mass Inspection Stickers | Mass State Inspection Stations
Car Inspections | Truck Inspections | Motorcycle Inspections
RV Inspections | Bus Inspections | Emission Repair Shops | Mass Auto Repair Shops


Read our Guide to Recommended Car Maintenance Products
​

News Blog | Get Your Shop Listed
MassInspectionStations.com Logo
Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2015 - 2025