How important is tire tread depth? Well, lets dive into that question. Tires typically start off with 10/32 inch to 12/32 inch of tread depth and are officially worn out at 2/32 inch. I have always preached that tires loose there ability to stop in the rain as they where designed to at 5/32 inch and new compelling research confirms this. AAA just came out with a study where they tested tires at a tread depth of 4/32 inch in the rain the results where astonishing. First 4/32 inch tires in the rain took up to 87 feet longer to stop and also degraded the drivers ability to control the vehicle by 33%. Second 4/32 tires stoping in the rain at 60 MPH verses new tires 10/32 inch stoping in the rain 60 MPH the results say it all. The vehicle with the worn tires was still traveling at a speed of 40 MPH when the vehicle with the new tires had already stoped. According to the NHTSA 9% of vehicle crashes are due to tire related issues. Just some food for thought. If you are unsure of your tires tread depth you can come by our shop and we will check your tires for you and top off your air for free. You could also do the quarter test where you put a quarter in your tread with Washington’s head upside down if you can see the top of his head you have less than 4/32 inch tread and need to start looking for tires if you want to be able to stop in the rain as if your tires where new.