Contrary to popular belief, the treads on the tires of your vehicle aren’t just there for show and play a very important role in the functionality of your car. These treads go a long way in providing traction and help maintain the performance of your vehicle.

The problem with these treads is that they get duller the more you drive your car. Because of the constant friction that your tires feel when you drive, these treads start to disappear, leaving you bald tires (pictured below) which seriously impair your vehicles ability to brake!

Because of the seriousness of the issue, you address tread trouble before it becomes problematic. We’ve compiled a small list of factors that serve as precursors to the problem and massively increase your chances of dealing with this issue preemptively.

Without further ado, here are a few signs that your car is experiencing tread trouble.

1. Be Mindful of Tread Depth:

The depth of the tires is severely impacted by the terrain that you drive on. So, if you drive on rugged surfaces, your tires will lose depth at a faster rate. Regardless of the terrain that you drive on, you should never drive a vehicle if its tread depth is less than 1.6 millimeters.

Luckily, you don’t need a professional gauge to monitor the tread depth of your tires; all you need is a penny! Take a normal Lincoln-head penny and put it in the tread of your tires. If good ol’ Abe’s face is still visible, your tires are unfit for the road!

2. Is the Tread Wear Indicator Bar Visible?

Another useful trick that you can use to monitor your treads is by monitoring the tread wear indicator bar. This indicator bar runs perpendicular to the tread and is barely (or completely) visible when you buy a new set.

However, once you’ve driven thousands of miles, the tread wear indicator bar pops up, telling you that it’s time you get new tires. Therefore, if you want to make sure that the performance of your tires doesn’t falter, just see if the indicator bar is visible. If you can’t see this bar, you’re good for a few hundred miles, however, if it’s visible, get new tires ASAP!

3. Bulges and Blisters:

Continuous driving leaves your tires exposed to mechanical dangers as well. So, if you drive for long periods of time, there’s a high chance that there can be bulges or blisters running along the side of your tires.

It goes without saying that these are the black mark of death as far as tires are concerned. Simply put, if you see bulges and blisters on your tires, it’s time to invest in a new set, and that too fast.

And that concludes our list of signs that serve as precursors to tread trouble. If you analyze the tires in your vehicle and spot any of them, we strongly urge you to visit our shop as soon as possible.

The Deol Auto team was founded to give people a comprehensive tire repair experience and we go out of our way to help our clients. Our auto repair shop in Edmonton offers tires balancing, installation and rotation services, etc. that go a long way in ensuring your road safety.

Don’t gamble with the lives of your loved ones. Contact us today to guarantee your safety on the road!