Posted on 2/21/2017
Consumer Reports found that even tires with half of their remaining tread intact can still lose their footing, especially in foul-weather. Naturally, tires lose their ability to grip the road in wet weather as the rubber wears away. The lower the thickness of rubber, the more likely they are to lose their footing. However, tests are finding that tread can give up a significant amount of grip even when it’s still at its halfway point. Half-worn tires can be treacherous on wet roads, as their grooves may not be deep enough to disperse water out from under the tread. The consequence is hydroplaning where the water becomes a barrier between the tire and the road making steering unresponsive. The faster you drive, the greater the risk of hydroplaning, since higher speeds allow less time for water to escape through the tread grooves. During the Consumer Reports testing, half-tread tires began to skim over the water’s surface at as slow as 40 mph ... read more