When Should You Buy New Tires? Before They Get Bald!

BEAVERTON, Ore. - Feb. 17, 2014 - PRLog -- As car tires wear, they all diminish in performance at some point.  For the last decade the safety issues associated with performance loss has been a matter of debate.  Organizations like Consumer Reports, The Tire Rack,  and Icon Tire are a few of the stakeholders in tire and consumer safety that believe drivers  should consider replacing tires before  the 2/32’s of an inch  minimum tread depth required by many states.  Other major manufacturers believe that the 2/32’s standard is appropriate, and modern tires can perform at a high enough level that performance and safety can be maintained up to 2/32’s tread depth.  Who do you listen too?

“From our perspective, tire performance and safety is an industry wide concern.  The vast majority of the tires on the road today will see performance in wet or wintery conditions diminish at or below 5/32’s remaining tread depth.  By the time a tire is to the 2/32 remaining tread depth, it is beyond what we consider to be safe,” said owner of Icon Tire, Pat O’Brien.  “The data backs up our position.”

That data, according to O’Brien, can be found in a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) report released in April, 2012.  The study looked at crash data from 2005 thru 2007 to study the relationship between tires and reported accidents.  The study showed that tire related crashes were much more likely to occur as tire tread diminished.  Driving on new tires the percentage of tire related crashes was at 2.6%.  When at 2/32’s or below, the percentage rose to over 26%, and over 8% when below 4/32’s remaining tread.

“Tire performance is not just an issue when roads are wet. Performance diminishes with poor tire maintenance as well,” continued O’Brien. “Vehicles with alignment issues or tires with improper air pressure are going to have performance issues and accidents.  Unless, you are physically checking your tires on a regular basis, those issues can be hard to identify.”

Every tire has “Tread Wear Indicators” built into the tread.  These are rubber bars that connect to the ribs of the tire tread and become visible once the tire reaches 2/32’s remaining tread.  Many people do not see them or know what they are, and as O’Brien mentioned, 2/32’s may be too late to avoid an accident.  What can a driver do to avoid this eventual situation?

The Rubber Manufacturers Alliance and the USDOT, suggest that we should physically check our tires air pressure, tread depth (with a tread depth gauge, penny, or a quarter) and general condition once a month.  Many people do not. According to government statistics nearly 13% of all vehicles are driving with at least one tire at or below 2/32’s remaining tread depth.  That is a lot of unsafe cars.  There is an answer.

“We do not claim to be able to identify all tire safety concerns, but the Visual Tire Performance Indicators employed by the Icon Innovator, do address a number of them.  We believe that VTPI provides the best possible solution to identify tread wear and maintenance issues that impact performance in common driving conditions.  These indicators are not gimmicks, they are a part our program to educate and inform before tire related accidents occur.  We are passionate about improving tire safety!” O’Brien stated.

When you decide to replace your tires is up to you.  Icon Tire and other safety advocates believe it should be before you reach 2/32’s.  Checking your tires monthly is certainly going to help you make a sound decision about your family’s safety when on the road, and buying Icon tires with VTPI will help you do that.