Penny Test

By Brian Freeman

Tires on a car are one of the most important components for overall car safety, and unfortunately, are also one of the often most forsaken items by drivers.

Car tires provide grip in all weather conditions and most importantly the ability to break. Excessive tire wear can greatly reduce these abilities.

The best way to measure if your tires have had to much wear is to use a common penny.

Grab a penny and stick Lincoln’s head first into the grooves of the tire if the top of Lincoln’s head can be seen it’s time for new tires. A penny is a great tool for this measurement because the distance from Lincoln’s head to the top of a penny is 2/32 of a inch, which, according to most states' laws, tires are legally worn out when they have worn down to 2/32 of remaining tread depth.

If your tires have reached this level use common sense and buy new tires because in some States you are breaking the law and your tires ability to resistance hydroplaning in the rain at highway speeds has been significantly reduced, and traction in snow has been virtually eliminated.

A more expensive test (24 cents more) which requires a quarter and using the same process as the Lincoln test. Stick Washington head first into the groove if his head can be seen then you 4/32 of inch tire thread left. If you live where rain and wet roads are common, you should consider replacing your tires when they reach approximately 4/32" of remaining tread depth.

Your tires will have problems compressing the water. You need enough tread depth to allow rain to escape through the tire's grooves. If the water can't escape fast enough, your vehicle's tires will be forced to hydroplane (float) on top of the water, losing traction.