MANY drivers do not realize that their tires are among their vehicles’ most important pieces of safety equipment.
Since tires are the only things that connect a vehicle to the road, it is of utmost importance to ensure that they are not excessively worn out. Perhaps, due to tires’ longevity—some new tire models are now designed to last 100,000 kilometers—many drivers have a tendency to overlook checking their tires for wear. Excessively worn out tires are bad news, as they could lead to longer braking distances, loss of traction and vehicle control, or even a high-speed blowout that, at worst, could cause a vehicle to roll over.
Thankfully, it’s very easy to tell whether your tires need to be replaced due to wear since they come with tiny rubber blocks, called tread wear indicators (TWIs), built into them. When the tread wears out down to the level of the TWIs, then it is time to replace your tires. It’s that simple. There are about a dozen TWIs all over a regular passenger-car tire.
In these photos, the white arrows point to the tread, while yellow circles show TWI pointers on the tire’s shoulder that help you locate the TWIs. The tire’s shoulder is the section where the sidewall and tread meet. Most tires, such as those in Photos 2 and 3, use triangles or arrowheads for TWI pointers, while other brands use the acronym “TWI” printed on the shoulder. A well-known French tire brand uses a tiny image of their mascot for TWI pointers. Orange circles in the photos indicate the TWIs.
The tread of the tire in Photo 1 is so badly worn out that even the TWIs have been totally erased. This tire should have been replaced a few thousand kilometers before this blowout.
Photo 2 shows a virtually new tire that has barely logged a thousand kilometers. It’s clear from the photo that the tread is still very thick and is very far from wearing down to the level of the TWIs.
Photo 3 shows the same tire with a TWI pointer visible. This tire should be good for another 30,000 km or so.
Photo 4 shows an old tire whose tread has worn out down to the level of the TWIs. In fact, the TWIs have started to wear out too. The owner of the car from which this tire came from has smartly replaced his tires with new ones.
Remember: it’s simply foolish—and downright dangerous—to scrimp on tires and extend their use beyond their normal service life. So, every time you inflate your tires once a month, make it a point to check the wear level of your tires, too, and replace them as soon as necessary.
1 comment
See http://www.icontire.com for the only tires with colored “Tire Performance Indicators.” You can easily identify tread wear issues, and know when to replace your tires. When the indicators turn yellow, performance is diminished. When they turn red it is time to replace your tires.