I drive a 2001 Honda Accord (101,500 miles). There is no problem with the car, but everyone keeps telling me that I need new tires. The little wear ridges are not quite up to the tread level. The service personnel measured 2/32, 2/32, 3/32, and 9/32 of tread remaining. My tires are round, hold air and roll down the road. What else would new tires do for me? There is no particular pattern of wear. My question is: Has any statistical or scientific study been done to show that having more tread makes the tires safer. How does the highway surface know whether there is 2/32 of tread or 14/32 of wear?
. How does the highway surface know whether there is 2/32 of tread or 14/32 of wear?
The highway doesn’t…HOWEVER…Water does.
Race cars have 0 tread on them…Great for a dry track…but SUCK when the track gets wet. The less tread you have the less traction you’ll have on wet or snowy surfaces.
The grooves in the tires allow the tires to stay in contact with the road in rain and snow. Contact with the road is a good thing. Get the new tires.
Going into the winter driving season is the perfect time to buy a set of new tires. You will think you have a new car. Just do it!
Caddyman is right; years ago I totalled my car during a surprise snow storm. I had planned to get new tires, but posponed it. I slid sidways off the road into a concrete post. Good tires would have made the car more controllable. I wore my seat belt, and escaped with only a scratch.
Going into the winter driving season is the perfect time to buy a set of new tires.
YUP…Can’t agree more. Perfect time to buy new tires. If I’m close to needing new tires before winter…then I’ll buy them now. Don’t want to find out that I need them the first snow fall.
I concur winter time is the best time too. Also the worst time for nearly worn (<5/32") tires which are awful in the winter conditions. I throw away good all-season tires if I am below 5/32" wear just before winter.
Watch this video and decide for yourself>>>>>> http://www.tirerack.com/videos/index.jsp?video=5&tab=tires
No drama or spin, just the truth on worn tires.
Agree with all the above. 2/32 is an absolute minimum, it is much better to replace at 4/32 if you get any rain at any time.
These Are Probably The Original Tyres On Your 2001 Vehicle, Correct?
My Tyres Ordinarily Last That Long.
You have been given excellent advice by “everyone”.
Your vehicle was manufactured in the later half of 2000 or the earlier half of 2001.
Your tyres, if you haven’t replaced them already, are 8 1/2 to 9 1/2 years old.
Many traffic accidents, some fatal, are caused each year by people driving on old tyres. Brand new tyres older than six years old should not be sold and tyres in use beyond ten years should never be used, regardless of tread remaining.
Should these be the original tyres, you have both worn-out tyres and aged tyres. Replace them before you become a “statistic” or become part of a “scientific study”.
CSA
Everyone who has responded so far is correct.
The OP needs to get new tires now, before she injures herself and others when the present tires lead to a skid on a rainy road surface.
Trust me, if you think that tires are expensive, wait until you see the costs involved with the accident that will result from not replacing the tires now.
When you get down to that little tread left – you are missing something else – that you can only see when comparing the same tires, new and old, side by side.
— Wet traction is attained largely by the LITTLE spaces within the blocks of tread.On a new tire these can appear as small slits or lines within each block. They DO NOT reach down the full depth of the tread. With tires that age this grabbing capability of your tire is gone…GONE ! Those blocks of tread are now just smooth chunks of rubber. Yes, you are driving on rubber that has some thickness left, But it does not have it’s grip anymore.
— Other grip is attained by the spaces between tread blocks. These too, depending on tire type, can be reduced, or even eliminated with wear. When you look closely at some new tires you can see that some of these spaces don’t reach the full depth as some of the others.
Therefore, at half wear, you are now riding on half of the tread divisions as when those tires were new.
— With that little tread depth left there’s another factor that plays into grip.
– age. –
As rubber ages it hardens and does not grab as well as new. this is the same reason to get new tires when there’s still tread left on OLD tires.
Waiting for those wear indicator bars is equivilent to driving your gas tank all the way down to running out of gas ! When you knew all along that you were low.
Get the new tires.
2/32, 2/32, 3/32, 9/32…
In the rain, 3 out of 4 of these tires could easily get you and your passengers (those that you hold dear) KILLED.
KG said it best, get the tires. And, when the tire guy tries to sell you an alignment, pay the man and see if he can explain why one tire is at 9/32.
Replaced tire.
Having one tyre (or two tyres on one side of the car) different than the others can cause handling conditions under emergency conditions, which, while you may never encounter, you will be very happy to have proper tyres if you do.
You should have closely matched tyres side to side and the two best tyres on the BACK wheels, no matter FWD RWD or AWD.
Aviatrix, I’m Surprised An Aviatrix Would Operate A Vehicle That Is Not Airworthy Or “Groundworthy”, For That Matter.
I’d have somebody check the brakes, safety check the underside of vehicle, put on new windshield wiper blades, and have somebody help do a walk-around inspection of all exterior lights.
There are bold pilots and there are old old pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots!
CSA
Thanks for the video, that was quite enlightening.