Video: Tire Wear 101

01:34 min

By Cars.com Editors

October 15, 2016

Driving on bald tires can be treacherous even in the best of conditions. Add rain, snow or ice, and the results could be tragic. Cars.com’s Joe Wiesenfelder provides a few tips to check if your tires need to be replaced.

(electronic music) Driving on bald tires can be treacherous in the best of conditions. Add some rain or even worse, snow or ice, and the results can be tragic. We'll show you how to determine if your tires need to be replaced.

(car engine starting) One way to know you have enough tread is to insert a penny upside down into the groove and see if you can see the top of honest Abe's head. If you can't, you have enough tread. If it's more like this, then it's time to replace the tire. (car engine starting) Another is to look for tread wear indicators, which are ribs inside the grooves that run across the tire surface. If the tread has worn down to that level, then you know, it's time for a replacement, but bear in mind, the deeper the grooves, the better the tire is going to be in snow and on rainy roads. (car engine starting) Also be on the lookout for uneven wear. For example, if there's more wear on one side of the tire than the other, it can mean there's a misalignment or a broken suspension component. (car engine starting) This tire shows cupping, which is dishing out kind of high and low spots. Which means that your shock absorbers are dead and your tire has literally been bouncing down the road. (car engine starting) Finally, always takes sidewall damage it very seriously. It can lead to a blowout like we had here, which can be extremely dangerous. Sidewall damage can not be repaired. (electronic music)