How To Check Tire Tread - Penny Tire Test

Anyone driving a car must know what a tread is, but most people don't know whether or not the tread is wearing thin. If you have worn-out tires, this can affect the safety as well as the performance of your vehicle. The majority of drivers remember to check the tire pressure or have the tires rotated when taking to the auto shop, but the people don't realize that keeping track of the tire's tread depth is also very important.

Although there are a number of ways of checking the tread depth of the tire, there is the easiest test that can be done at home, and all you will be required is just a typical penny coin. The Penny Test can be a great indicator of whether or not it is the right time to purchase new tires, and it doesn’t take too much time to conduct the test. With a few simple steps, the test can be taken at any time, and this can be very helpful to get you back to driving safely.

Why do you need to check the tire tread depth?

Your vehicle is able to grip the road if you have adequate tire tread depth. This becomes important when the roads are wet and snowy or when you are driving on surfaces that are not ideal. When the tread is shallow, you will notice that the tires become prone to slipping, and therefore, it can become a dangerous situation for you and others on the road.

It is also worth noting that the worn tires can make other components of the vehicle wear prematurely, and the reason is that the vehicle already experiences an excess strain. This is why the new tires are an investment worth making, although sometimes it may seem like a big investment.

Measuring tire tread with a Penny Test

You don’t require any expert knowledge or fancy tools if you want to check the tread depth. Therefore, all you need to do is to grab a penny. The following are the main steps of a Penny Test.

• The penny has to be placed into the tread groove facing upside down.
• In the next step, you have to carefully look at the part of the penny that is showing. If you are able to see the top of Abraham Lincoln’s head, then it is a clear indication that the tread is shallow.
• The Penny Test can be repeated in several tires' grooves, and if the top of the head can always be seen, you need to know that the tire is worn and you have to replace it.

Bottom Line

A penny tire test can surely be very helpful to tell you when your tires start getting bald, although the tread depth gauge might be the best way to test the tire, especially when you are headed into a rainy or winter season. You can always stop by the local tire shop and get the services of a professional to evaluate the tires, but a Penny Test can be the easiest and the quickest possible way to test the tires when you have a busy schedule.