Checking your tire tread is an easy job that doesn’t take long at all, but your vehicle can suffer for it if you don’t check it regularly. If your tires go bald, you’re at a very high risk of accidents due to losing traction on slick surfaces, either icy or wet. It’s a lot easier to check your tread than having to figure out what to do if you start hydroplaning!

There’s a great way to check your tire tread using only a penny – seriously! Put the penny with Lincoln’s head down into your tire tread. If you can see all of Lincoln’s head, you need to replace your tires!

You can also do this with a quarter. If you can see the top of George Washington’s head, you should definitely get your tires checked, if not replaced.

There are a lot of things that contribute to your tire treads wearing down. There’s the classic driving – if you drive your car, your treads will wear down. Another factor is tire air pressure. If your tires have low pressure, they can wear down faster, leading you to need to replace your tires more frequently. Another issue that might be contributing to your tire tread wearing down quickly is your vehicle’s alignment. If your alignment is off, your tires can wear down unevenly, causing you to need to replace them sooner than you might have planned to do so.

A way to keep your tires’ wear even is to have your mechanic rotate your tires every time you go into the shop for an oil change or any other maintenance. You should also have your mechanic check your tires’ PSI and re-inflate them if they’re a little low on air pressure.

We hope these tips have helped you – remember, it’s better safe than sorry! Checking your tires’ tread is very easy and quick and can save you a lot of hassle in the end.