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September/October 2002
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AUTO TALK

Checking Your Tires' Condition

One of the easiest things you can do to protect yourself and your family is to consistently check your tires. Good tires provide the traction you need to drive and stop in all sorts of weather and road conditions. Worn or damaged tires can be a serious hazard.

The first step in checking the condition of your tires is a visual inspection. Examine the tires, starting with the sidewalls. The sidewall should be relatively smooth and flat. Look for signs of bubbles, knots, gouges, or cracks. If you are unsure whether something is a problem, have it examined professionally.

Then look at the tread, which should be even and flat all the way across the tire. The front tires tend to wear slightly more on the edges than the back tires. That is normal and is caused by the additional stress during turns. Here's what to look for when examining the tread:
  • Single-edge wear—Indicates an alignment or suspension problem.
  • Extreme double-edge wear—Usually caused by low tire pressure.
  • Center-tread wear—An uncommon problem, usually due to excessively high tire pressure.
  • Feathered wear—Each tread is worn more on one edge than the other. This is an alignment problem, and the tires are scuffing down the road, causing the treads to wear this way.
  • Cupping or flat spots—Usually indicates a worn or loose component or is caused by a tire imbalance.
  • Bubble or tread shifting to one side—Probably a belt or ply separation inside the tire. This is a very dangerous condition, and you should have the tire checked immediately.
  • Cuts, gouges or cracks—Road hazard damage that should be checked for safety.
  • Bald band evenly across the tread, possibly multiple bands 8 to 12 inches apart—This is normal wear. The bands are wear bars, designed to indicate when the tires are due for replacement. If you see the wear bars, take the car in and have the tires checked professionally.

    • Measuring Tread Depth

    New passenger car tires have 12/32-inch tread depth. This is the number the dealer or repair shop uses when calculating how much tread is worn away for inspection or warranty information.

    The best way to measure the amount of tread left on the tire is to use a depth gauge, a small pin gauge made specifically for tires that is calibrated in thirty-seconds of an inch. You can get one at any auto parts store. To measure the tread depth:
    • Press the gauge all the way in to force the pin all the way out.
    • Slip the pin into the tire tread and press down so the gauge bottoms.
    • Lift the gauge away from the tire and read the depth on the gauge.
    • Repeat the procedure in a second location at least 15 inches from the first measurement.
    • The tread depth is the average of the two readings. In general, 12/32 of an inch is new; 7/32 of an inch is half-worn; 2/32 of an inch is worn out and should be replaced.


    Excerpted from AAA Auto Guide: Making Sense of Car Care, available at AAA offices, e-store: Books & More! at aaa.com, and most major retail bookstores.

    Play It Safe

    Stock an emergency kit with the following items to help ensure your safety during snowy weather:
    • Cell phone or quarters for pay phone, plus phone numbers
    • Blankets
    • Cloth or roll of paper towels
    • Extra clothing, including a hat
    • Work gloves
    • Flashlight
    • First-aid kit
    • Warning devices (flares, reflective triangles and battery-powered flashers)
    • Traction material (sand, salt or kitty litter) or traction mats
    • Snow shovel
    • Plastic ice scraper
    • Booster cables
    • Tire chains
    • Drinking water and nonperishable snacks

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