Are Your Tires Safe to Drive? Put Them to the Penny Test and Discover If You Need to Invest in New Ones!
This post includes affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my links, I will receive a commission for the sale.

Think that your tire tread may be dangerously low?
Wonder if your tires need to be replaced?
At this point in time, tread depth is one of the most essential aspects of tire performance that needs to be taken into consideration. There are, in point of fact, a variety of techniques that can assist you in determining whether or not it is time to replace a tire. The Penny Test, on the other hand, is recognized as being among the least complicated and most frequently used methods for determining the tread level. You won’t need anything more than a penny and a few minutes of your time to participate in this activity. Keep reading and you will discover what I mean when I refer to the “Penny Test,” as well as how straightforward it is for you to measure the tread levels already present on your own tires. To begin, it is important to have an understanding of tread level for this article. Following that, we will proceed to the next section, which is referred to as the “Penny Test.”
Tread Depth
1. What is Tread Depth?
The tread depth of a tire is determined by vertically measuring the distance from the top of the tread rubber to the bottom of the channels that are the deepest in the tire.

32nds of an inch is the standard unit of measurement for tire groove depth in the United States. The standard tread depth for brand-new tires is either 10/32″ or 11/32″, although some truck, SUV, and winter tires may have greater tread depths than other versions. What your tires’ tread level reveals about their condition is as follows:
- 6/32” Your tire’s tread depth is sufficient.
- 5/32” If wet roads are a concern, consider replacing your tires.
- 4/32” – 3/32” Seriously consider replacing your tires as soon as possible.
- 2/32” Your tires are legally bald and need to be replaced.
When tires have reached 2/32 of an inch of tread depth, it is recommended by the United States Department of Transportation that they be replaced. It is against the law in the majority of states to use tires with a tread level of less than 2/32 of an inch. On the other hand, the majority of tire manufacturers recommend that you should replace your tires when the tread depth approaches 4/32 inches in the winter and 2/32 inches in the summer. If your tires’ tread density wears down to those levels, they are considered bald and present a safety risk to you and other drivers.
2. Why it is Important

It’s easy to lose track of the tread level of your tires when you’re so preoccupied with the destination you’ve set for yourself as life continues to get busier and busier. When it comes to the maintenance of your tires, having the appropriate tread depth is one of the most important things you can do to guarantee both your safety and your vehicle’s performance.
If the tires are worn, the vehicle will have a reduced ability to channel water, which will increase the likelihood that it will hydroplane, particularly at higher velocities. Worn tread causes your vehicle to respond more slowly in inclement weather (rain, snow, ice, etc.), which can result in loss of traction on snowy or icy roadways. This is another cause for concern. In addition, tires with poor tread depth are more likely to sustain punctures and may also experience a loss of air pressure, both of which may result in unexpected tire blowouts. In addition, because punctures have the potential to cause tire failure, you run the risk of losing control of your vehicle, which is especially dangerous when traveling at high velocities.
Because of all of these different factors, it is imperative that you check the tread depth of your tires and make sure they are in a secure enough condition for you to continue driving on them. The tread on worn tires needs to be replaced, and the penny test is one of the first techniques that many people who own cars learn to use for preventative maintenance.
The Penny Test
After gaining a comprehension of tread depth and the role it plays, the next step would be to determine whether or not the level of tread on your tires is adequate. Grab a penny from the depths of your pockets, the crevices of your settee, or the pigeon hole you’ve dug for yourself, and we’ll meet you in the garage. Now comes the moment for the test with the penny.
How Penny Test Works
Even though the penny test isn’t particularly complicated, many people aren’t sure how to conduct it correctly on their tires or what the results indicate.
To begin, you need to understand how to properly position the coin in order to get an accurate reading of the groove depth of the tire. Put a penny in your tire’s groove, with Abraham Lincoln’s head facing the opposite direction, so that the coin is facing you. The phrase “head into the tread” is a helpful rhyming memory aid that you can use when attempting to recall how the penny test is performed.

The raised section of tread that extends around the entire circumference of your tire is referred to as a “rib.” The tread of a tire consists of a number of ridges.
On a tire that has a sufficient amount of tread, the top of Abraham Lincoln’s cranium will be worn away. If you can make out his eyes, forehead, and chin, that’s fantastic. If you can see the top of President Lincoln’s cranium, however, you know that the treads on your tires are too worn and too shallow. If the entire head of the man can be seen, it is an indication that the tread has worn down too low. If you have 2/32 inches of tire tread remaining or less, it is time to start looking into purchasing new tires for your vehicle.

FRIENDLY REMIND: If you are going to use the penny tire test, you SHOULD NOT inspect a single tire. Make an effort to inspect all four tires, making sure to inspect a variety of spots around each wheel and paying particular attention to areas that appear to have the most wear. It is conceivable that some parts of your tire will not pass the penny test, whereas other parts of the tire may be deeper and therefore pass the test. Even if some sections of the tread are deeper than 2/32 inches, you should still replace the tire if there are any areas that fail the penny test.
However, a significant number of motorists are unaware of the fact that the penny test might not accurately represent all of the legal requirements for tread depth. In point of fact, by the time you can see Abraham Lincoln’s entire head, the treads on your tires will have worn down to the point where they are in violation of safety regulations and need to be replaced as soon as possible. Therefore, you can attempt other methods to check the tread on your tires, such as using a tread depth gauge, the quarter test, or looking at the tread wear indicator bar. These are some examples. And finally, whenever you have any reason to believe that it may be time to replace your tires, you should get them inspected by a certified technician as soon as you can.
Tire traction is of the utmost significance when it comes to matters of public safety. Because the Penny Test isn’t always the most accurate method, you should also think about using other methods to examine the depth of the tread on your tires. Despite this, the Penny Test is still an effective method for tire maintenance. Additionally, it makes quickly and easily scrutinizing the tread depth of your tires possible.

In conclusion, it is important to frequently check the tread depth of your tires using the Penny Test so that you can anticipate when you will need new tires and purchase them accordingly. Every motorist should be familiar with this approach because it is the simplest and most typical one. After reading this article, it is my goal that you will have a better understanding of this method and will be able to put it to use to increase the life of your tires and protect your own safety.
Good luck with doing The Penny Test!