Identifying Tire Wear
So, your tires are getting worn down but how long can you go safely before you need to replace those tires?
First and foremost. Check your local laws. In California we surprisingly do not have a safety check each year to ensure cars on the road aren’t running around with bald and dangerous tires.
There are laws however indicating that In California, the minimum depth for tire treads on any two adjacent grooves is 1/32nd of an inch. For major grooves, the minimum depth for tires on the vehicle's steering axle (front tires) is 1/8th of an inch. For all other tires the minimum depth is 1/16th of an inch (rear tires).
Driving with bald tires is a traffic infraction in California, punishable by a ticket, fines, and/or up to six months in jail. While parts of California like Souther California don’t get rain for months on end. You might find many folks really trying to get all the possible mileage out of their tires. When it rains however, it becomes VERY dangerous to drive on worn tires. Bald tires are more likely to hydroplane as the water has nowhere to go. But generally, the more worn the tire the more likely it is to get punctured, or blow out.
But make sure you’re aware of local laws. In Utah where we travel often, the laws are different as they get more snow and ice. Utah law requires that tires have a tread depth of at least 2/32 of an inch to be legally safe for operation. This is the same in Washington state.
Wear bar showing that the tread is at it’s limit for safe driving.
Here is a picture perfect image of where the tires are at they limit bar. The wear bar is that rubber bridge that is shown that the main tread has worn down to the same level as that bar. Tires with tread wear indicators should not be worn down to the point where the indicators are worn out an no longer visible.
The tire you see here is a Michelin Agilis LTX that started with a tread depth of 10/32". The wear indicator here is show that the tread now has only 2/32”.
With the Michelin Agilis LTX, you can still see the grooves on the tread blocks showing that even at this minimal level this particular tire still has some tread, but barely. More tread means more grip and more channels for water to escape. All that equates to a safer (and quieter) tire.
