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Safe tire tread depth.

Fatstrat
Heard on the news this AM that the Lincoln head Penny meathod of gauging safe tire tread depth has been revised. They now say you should use a Quarter.
Same deal. Stick the coin in the tire grooves and if you can see all of Washingtons head, you need new tires.
The difference between the depth shown by Lincolns head (on a penny) and Washingtons head on a Quarter is 1/16".
Obviously the deeper the tread on your tires, the safer you are. But do you think this revised check system is in the interest of safety, or selling more tires?
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Comments

12 comments

Date Votes
  • Odawgp
    they won't get any more money from my either way, i've run'em till the chords show.[:D]
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  • Permanently deleted user
    Most all tires have wear bars that you can go by!

    When the tread reaches the wear bars you replace the tire!
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  • Sig220_Ruger77
    If there is very little tread left on the tire and your sliding all over the road in the winter or in a heavy rain then you probably need new tires[;)]. Most people rely on them 4 hucks of rubber at least a few times a day. There are enough risks in life, no need to add to the list. Sometimes it's just simple as that. Just my opinion though.

    Jon
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  • Marc1301
    And to add to this,.......what is the average mileage that you folks get from a set of tires?
    I know that driving habits, and the roads one runs on impact replacement, but just looking for an average!
    I tend to always get right at 40K, regardless of the tire brand I use.
    I DO rotate my tires, and check inflation pressures about once a month. Also keep the front end aligned.
    Almost time for the first replacement set for my Avalanche,.......should be real "cheap"![xx(][8D]
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  • Permanently deleted user
    quote:Originally posted by Marc1301
    And to add to this,.......what is the average mileage that you folks get from a set of tires?
    I know that driving habits, and the roads one runs on impact replacement, but just looking for an average!
    I tend to always get right at 40K, regardless of the tire brand I use.
    I DO rotate my tires, and check inflation pressures about once a month. Also keep the front end aligned.
    Almost time for the first replacement set for my Avalanche,.......should be real "cheap"![xx(][8D]
    Mine have over 20000 miles on them and they still have the little teets that new tires have.

    I seldom really pay attention to how many miles I get on a set of tires but I know how many miles that I have driven my bronco since I got it and they were new tires then.
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  • beneteau
    Wife has Michelin tires on her 2000 Lexus with 54,000+ miles on them. I keep them rotated and pressure checked.
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  • cce1302
    quote:Originally posted by Fatstrat
    Heard on the news this AM that the Lincoln head Penny meathod of gauging safe tire tread depth has been revised. They now say you should use a Quarter.
    Same deal. Stick the coin in the tire grooves and if you can see all of Washingtons head, you need new tires.
    The difference between the depth shown by Lincolns head (on a penny) and Washingtons head on a Quarter is 1/16".
    Obviously the deeper the tread on your tires, the safer you are. But do you think this revised check system is in the interest of safety, or selling more tires?


    I'd say it has something to do with inflation. (Is there a smiley for a lame joke[?][xx(])
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  • dbain99
    On our trucks we run 2/32 on the trailer, 4/32 on the drive axels, and 7/32 on the steer.
    But they are usually flat spotted by dumbass drivers long before they are worn out.
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  • dlrjj
    I usually get around 80,000, and I never let them get lower than the wear bars.

    Tires and brakes are two things I will not scrimp on at all. You can get by with many other factors, but if either of those two fails you, you are in trouble.
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  • pitbud5
    quote:Originally posted by beneteau
    Wife has Michelin tires on her 2000 Lexus with 54,000+ miles on them. I keep them rotated and pressure checked.





    Must be a LS or a SUV model because and SC, IS, or GS is going to have problems with inside tire wear or cupping. You should check out the new models............we are replacing tires on the SC's, IS's, and GS's at about 10k to 15k due to tire cupping and or inside tire wear. This is mostly due to driving habits. The people with this problem do a lot of in town driving and sharp turns, the suspensions is set up for highway speeds and driving. The Lexus SUV's are good on tires and the LS models also.
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  • collector14
    I just had the air in my tires on the Porsche replaced with nitrogen. The guy at the tire store said it would increase fuel economy, extend the life of the tires, prevent or slow dry-rot and improve safety in case of a blow-out. He said that Nascar racers all use nitrogen instead of air. It cost $28, so I thought it was worth a try.
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  • dolfan
    quote:Originally posted by Fatstrat
    They now say you should use a Quarter. But do you think this revised check system is in the interest of safety, or selling more tires?
    Its economics. Due to the CPI and the adjusted rate of inflation, a penny is now a quarter.[:D]
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