Among the periodic checks that every good driver should do, there is certainly that of the tread. But how to check the tire tread ? What are the risks of omitting this verification?
Contents hide
1 Worn tires, what risks are there?
2 How to measure the tread
3 Tips for measuring the tread
Worn tires, what risks are there
Let’s start by remembering that, even if it should even be taken for granted, the tread of the tire is the part of the vehicle that remains in contact with the road, and therefore its quality ends up significantly influencing the driving and safety conditions. and vehicle stability.
Driving with a worn tire , in fact, harms the road holding because it decreases the conditions of adhesion of the vehicle to the asphalt, especially when the conditions are very particular, such as when driving on an icy or wet stretch of road.
Hence, the need to understand if your tread is still in shape or if, on the other hand, it needs an immediate replacement intervention. But how to realize the worn tread? How to check the tread?
How to measure the tread
Measuring the tread is not difficult at all . What we advise you to do is to first place your car on a flat surface and turn the steering wheel until you have a full view of the tire you want to check. Of course, this applies to the front wheels and not the rear ones, but in principle you shouldn’t have any difficulty in accessing the tire.
Once this is done, the most careful measurement of the tread is done with a tool that you can also find online at low cost, which is called a depth gauge, or depth gauge. It is a small accessory, which is positioned on the groove of the rubber, and which is able to measure its depth in a very precise way, so as to tell us whether or not it is time to go to the tire dealer to replace the tires.
Alternatively, and if the tires allow it, another effective way to measure the tread is to use the wear indicators that some manufacturers have placed in the tires themselves. TWI (Tread Wear Indicators) are small raised bars positioned in the main longitudinal grooves: once they are exceeded, it means that the legal limit has been reached.
Of course, in addition to these certainly more technical and more reliable methods , there are other less specific and more homely, but no less reliable tread measurements.
One of these home tread measurement techniques that you are probably already familiar with is the coin method. To use it, it will be enough – intuitively – to take two coins: one for one euro, the other for two euro.
To measure the wear of the summer tire you will need to use the smallest coin , the one euro: just place it in the groove and check if the stars on the edge are visible or not. If they are, then it means that the guard limit has been reached and the tire needs to be changed substantially. The same procedure must be carried out for winter tires, with the only difference that in this case you will have to use the two euro coin: if the silver edge exceeds the groove, then it will be necessary to proceed with changing the tire.
Tips for measuring the tread
At this point we advise you to carry out this operation periodically, in order to avoid that your carelessness could seriously jeopardize the goodness of the road holding of your vehicle.
Also remember that it is a good practice to check the thickness of the tread in different points of the tire, to verify that the wear is constant or not throughout the tire.
Finally, always avoid that the thickness of the rubber falls below the legal limit, which is generally set at 1.6 mm, and balance the wheels periodically to avoid vibrations and reduce wear of the tread.
