How to Check Your Tire Tread (the Penny Test)

Worn tires take longer to stop, especially on wet or snowy roads. You can check your tread in about a minute, with a single penny. Here's how.

1. Step 1: Penny, Head Down

Hold a penny with Lincoln's head pointing down, toward the tire. Push it into one of the grooves in the tread.

2. Step 2: Read It

If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, your tread is worn down to about two thirty-seconds of an inch. That's the point to replace the tire. If part of his head is covered by the tread, you still have some left.

3. Step 3: Check Several Spots

Tires don't always wear evenly. Check a few grooves across the tire, inside, middle, and outside, and at a few spots around it. Go by the lowest reading.

4. The Wear Bars

Tires also have small raised bars down in the grooves. When the tread wears down flush with those bars anywhere on the tire, it's time for new ones.

5. Want More Margin?: The Quarter Test

Many tire pros suggest replacing tires sooner, around four thirty-seconds, for rain and snow. Try a quarter the same way. If you can see the top of Washington's head, you're at about that point.