Hey there Kia lovers! We’re back with another week of helpful car-owning information and this week, we hope you’ll put this information to good use before winter creeps upon us! When to know whether your tire’s tread is in need of replacing – this can sometimes be a difficult thing to understand. There are measurements to pay close, close attention to and if you don’t, you might put yourself at risk. So how can we keep you and your passengers out of harm’s way? Well, just check out how to check your tire tread below and be sure to schedule a service appointment at your earliest convenience to have your tires serviced before winter hits! 

Your tire tread is still in good shape when the tread is at least 4/32 inches deep or deeper. This is your best case scenario but not always what we find when checking our tread. It’s time to replace those tires soon when they reach 3/32”, so if your tires fall here, be sure to keep a close eye on them and perhaps make a service appointment for somewhere down the line. And it’s critical to replace your tires as soon as possible when they hit 2/32” or below. If you’re at this point, hurry on in today and have your tires replaced because keeping you safe is a #1 priority! 

Now, how are you supposed to check that tread? We got you covered there! Below you will find a few ways to check your tread and for most of them, you’ll only need a few coins to get the job done! Take a look and let us know if you are in need of help! 

The penny test

• Insert a penny into your tire’s tread groove with Lincoln’s head upside down into the tread facing toward you. If you can see all of the head, your tread depth is less than 2/32” and it is time to replace your tires. 

The quarter test

• Do the same test with a quarter and if the tread reaches Washington’s head, you have at least 4/32” of tread remaining. Which means your tires are still happy and healthy – no need to worry about replacing, just yet! 

No change? No problem!

• Take a look at your tread wear indicator bar that is molded into the tread of your tires. Bars are located at the bottom of tread grooves in multiple locations; when these bars are visibly flush with the adjacent ribs, your tire has no more than 2/32” of tread left. This is a visible indication that you need to swap out these tires!