Your tires form the essential bond between your vehicle and the ground. The tread grips the road as you drive. But if it's not deep enough, your car loses traction and suffers extended braking times. Shallow tread grooves make it harder to control the vehicle in wet weather and the chance of aquaplaning increases. To ensure your safety, measure the tread depth as part of your regular vehicle maintenance.
Tread is the rubber on the tire that touches the road. New tires have an average tread depth of 8 to 9 millimeters (10/32 to 11/32 inches). As you drive, the tread will wear down. A tire with a tread depth below 1.6 millimeters (2/32 inches) lacks grip. Braking distance and vehicle control are impaired. These tires are not safe for driving and must be replaced.
Please consider that safe driving in wet and snowy weather conditions is affected by the tread depth, the pattern design and the rubber compound of the tread of your tires. On wet or snow-covered roads braking performance will progressively decline with lower tread depths. On wet roads there is an additional increased risk of aquaplaning with fading tread depths.
Therefore, check your tires regularly, reduce your speed on wet and snowy roads and consider replacing your tires in good time.
Ensure your vehicle is equipped with the correct winter, summer, or all-season tires.
Tread wear indicators, or wear bars, are spaced evenly through the main grooves in the tire tread. If they are flush with the level of the tread, then the tire should be replaced.
Several winter tire models are equipped with winter tire wear indicators. If they are flush with the level of the tread, the tire is no longer suitable for winter driving conditions. In some locations, they may also no longer legally qualify as winter tires.
The tire tread grips the road and wears down as you drive. To ensure your safety, measure the tread depth as part of your regular vehicle maintenance.
If you have a tire tread depth gauge, use it to measure the tread depth. Insert the probe bar into the groove and push the shoulders flush with the tread. Check the top of the gauge to see the measurement. Alternately, a small ruler can be used.
Be sure to check in various locations. A misaligned wheel may result in uneven treadwear. Keep an eye open for any areas that look more worn than the surrounding surface. The tire's tread should be judged by the lowest depth you measured.
If you are uncertain of the measurements, take your vehicle to a service center.
While measuring the tread, look for cupping, or scalloping. These are small scoops, or divots, carved from the tread. They can indicate misalignment or other problems with your vehicle. Take your car to a service center.
Also, watch out for bulges in the tire tread or sidewall. They are not safe. You need to get a new tire.
When it comes to checking tire tread, there are a number of methods that can help you know if it’s time to replace a tire. Heavily worn tread will prevent a tire from performing as designed and can lead to unsafe driving conditions. One of the simplest, most common ways to check tread depth requires nothing more than a penny and a few moments of your time.
In the United States, tire tread depth is measured in 32nds of an inch. New tires typically come with 10/32” or 11/32” tread depths, and some truck, SUV and winter tires may have deeper tread depths than other models.
The U.S. Department of Transportation recommends replacing tires when they reach 2/32”, and many states legally require tires to be replaced at this depth.
The idea of the penny test is to check whether you’ve hit the 2/32” threshold. Here’s how it works:
Place a penny between the tread ribs on your tire. A “rib” refers to the raised portion of tread that spans the circumference of your tire. Tire tread is composed of several ribs.
Turn the penny so that Lincoln’s head points down into the tread.
See if the top of his head disappears between the ribs. If it does, your tread is still above 2/32” , If you can see his entire head, it may be time to replace the tire because your tread is no longer deep enough.
When performing the penny tire test, remember not only to check each tire, but to check various places around each tire. Pay special attention to areas that look the most worn. Even if parts of your tread are deeper than 2/32”, you should still replace the tire when any areas fail the penny test.
Consistent wear around the whole tire is normal, but uneven tread wear could be a sign of improper inflation, wheel misalignment, or a variety of other things. If you see uneven tread wear, you should have a technician inspect your vehicle.
A simple way to check your tire tread depth is by using a tread depth gauge. You can find tire tread depth gauges at your local auto parts store. There are many models available, but an inexpensive simple graduated probe gauge will work just fine. All you have to do is stick the probe into a groove in the tread and press the shoulders of the probe flat against the tread block and read the result. All gauges should measure in both 32nds of an inch and millimeters.
Another indicator of worn out tread already lives in your tires themselves. Every performance, light truck, or medium commercial tire comes equipped with indicator bars (or wear bars) embedded between the tread ribs at 2/32”.
They’re there to help you monitor tread depth and make decisions about tire replacement. Just look to see if the tread is flush with the indicator bars. If they are, it’s time to replace the tire.
While the penny tire test does deliver on what it promises – indicating whether tread has reached the legal limit – it may not be the best indicator of whether your tires are safe for the road. Tire performance can diminish significantly before your tread hits 2/32”. Even though the law deems fit for safe driving may not prevent you from hydroplaning or losing control in rainy, slushy conditions. If you think your tires may be close to needing replacement, have them checked out by a licensed mechanic.
Today we will tell you about the tread height of summer and winter tires allowed in Russia.
The tread height is one of the important characteristics of the condition of car tires.
Tires are subject to natural wear and tear as they constantly experience friction during acceleration and deceleration. That is why the tire tread height gradually decreases.
Modern tires are most often equipped with so-called wear indicators. These are numbers and pictograms printed directly on the tread. As the wear progresses, the numbers change from larger to smaller, indicating the degree of wear. Usually, a droplet symbol appears after the numbers - this means that the tire is already very worn out and you need to be especially careful on wet roads. When this symbol appears, it's time to think about replacing tires with new ones.
Legislative requirements for the residual height of the tire tread in Russia are prescribed in the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union. According to this document, the minimum allowable tread height of summer tires for passenger cars is 1.
6 mm . At lower values, the operation of a car is prohibited, the tires need to be changed.
Those who have recently taken a driving license exam should remember this figure - it is even in the traffic police exam tickets.
Much less motorists already know that there are separate requirements for the tread height of winter tires . These requirements are also spelled out in the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union.
According to the regulations, the tread height of winter tires must be at least 4 mm . In the same regulation, it is written on what grounds a winter tire differs from a summer one. So, on a winter tire there should be a marking:
If there is at least one of these symbols, then the tire is officially considered a winter tire and is subject to the requirements for a minimum tread height of 4 mm.
It is worth remembering here that winter tires themselves have a thicker tread. So, if the tread of a summer tire has a tread height of approximately 8 mm, then the tread height of a winter tire usually reaches 10-12 mm. In addition, for winter tires, the tread height is more critical, since they are used on ice, deep snow, and slush. That is why the tread height of winter tires should be higher.
The most common way to measure tire tread height is with a caliper or ruler. However, you can use other improvised means, knowing their size. For example, the tread height of summer or winter tires can be measured with a coin if you measure the desired value on the coin in advance before one or another element. Tire sellers usually use this method - in ads you can often find photos of tires with a coin inserted. Thus, they show how worn the tire tread is to potential buyers.
But what to do if the erased tire relief does not give the proper level of grip? In this case, you need to take a groover to cut the tread and restore the grip level.
How to do it? Read about it in our article.
Factory cutting of lamellas in car tires involves the creation of grooves with a sufficient depth, but over time their height melts, rubbing against the asphalt and the ground surface.
The minimum admissible knurling depth cannot be less than:
If the tire is worn down to the marker sewn into the rubber, you will have to buy a new tire. If you want to avoid unnecessary expenses, try cutting new grooves in thick rubber before its height drops below 0.8-2.0 millimeters.
To restore rubber, you will need a special groover knife and a good eye. If you have the skills and a special tool, you can cut the tread with your own hands in just one or two hours, saving a lot of money. However, this technology does not work with all tires.
| Photo of UAZ car tire before cutting | Photo of UAZ tire after cutting |
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The widespread fascination with ecology and the threat of global warming has changed the fate of worn wheels. Previously, such tires formed man-made mountains in every landfill. Today, according to the requirements common in the European Union, the following types of tires are subject to mandatory restoration:
Restoration of truck tires and swamp tires for SUVs is possible only with the assistance of a manufacturer who has provided for compatibility with cutting technology at the rubber production stage.
Therefore, it is possible to cut tires at home only if the inscription - REGROOVABLE is read on their sides.
If you do not see such an inscription, contact a car repair shop or abandon the idea of \u200b\u200bretreading. After all, the wheel of a passenger car is pumped up to 2.5 atmospheres, and up to 8 bar is blown into the tire of a truck, so even the slightest mistake when cutting will reduce the life of the tire several times.
Before cutting new grooves on the tread, you need to find a device suitable for the case. In auto repair shops, a special machine for car tires is used for these purposes, and home craftsmen prefer to cut the tire with their hands using knives or machines.
The most popular tread cutter is the electric regrower. This knife-soldering iron hybrid cuts grooves from 0.5 to 5 millimeters deep to create a new tread pattern. Even a cast tire cannot resist such a cutter.
Moreover, the combined (thermal and mechanical) effect on the rubber does not involve great effort when cutting. A professional device for restoring lamellas differs from a tool for garage craftsmen in the ability to change cutting nozzles. Manufacturers of such machines produce special sets of nozzles for each brand of car or truck tires. Some tools allow you to cut several lamellas at once in one movement.
Reducing the tread depth reduces the tire's grip on the road, so to improve stability, you need to deepen the existing grooves without widening them. For these purposes, you need to find a special regrower attachment or make a homemade knife for passenger tires and cargo treads.
If tires are cut with a car regrower, the tool moves from the center of the tread to its edge. In this case, you need to control the position of the elbow - it must remain in a plane parallel to the contact patch.
If you raise or lower your elbow during a cut, an extra hole or an area that is not selected in depth will appear on the tread.
When cutting thick truck tires or cast tires for special vehicles, this error can be corrected by transferring them to a car repair shop. Thin passenger tires do not forgive such failures. You can ruin a tire in just one awkward move. Therefore, most often, owners of old tires for UAZ, ZIL or GAZ take up self-cutting, but it is better for owners of passenger cars to restore their tires only in the workshop.
Winter Disc protection
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2 SUV
Winter Drive Protection Sound Comfort
Rating:
4.5
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2
Winter Disc protection
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+ SUV
Winter Disc protection
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2
Winter Drive Protection Run On Flat Sound Comfort
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+
After that, carry out the entire complex for cleaning the wheels before selling - remove the dust, wash the rubber from the inside and out, perform blackening. It is much more pleasant to work with a clean tire, especially if you do all the work with your own hands and home tools. 
Just do not press the tool on the tire - this way you can cut the rubber through and through. A professional does the job in several passes.
This video shows the sequence of processing a tire by a professional groover. As you can see, the master uses special nozzles that allow you to neglect measuring the depth of cut.
This saves time and improves the quality of processing.
If you want to go that route, first check how much professional cutting equipment costs. It is possible that its price will seem excessive to you, and you will prefer to order this work from professionals.
This video shows how the homemade tool works. A machine made from a conventional soldering iron works no worse than professional equipment. A heavily worn tire is covered with new grooves in just 6-7 minutes. But if you want to go this route, pay attention to the impossibility of adjusting the depth of cut. In fact, it depends on the pressing force. The author of the video suggests “cutting the tire as you like,” which does not guarantee the long life of the rubber and the safety of the vehicle owner.
