Winter Tire Wear

ATSR · 12-08-2008, 09:14 PM

Do you guys know how much wear on winter tires is acceptable for the tires to still be effective?

The squiggly ridges on my front tires are starting to fade and I was wondering if I should get new ones.

ATSR · 12-09-2008, 10:23 AM

Anyone?

I wanted to add that the tread depth of the tires is still above 70%. It's just the little ridges that are starting to fade, and I'm wondering if those are one of the main features for a winter tire to work on snow/ice.

anerbe · 12-09-2008, 10:39 AM

those sipes (squigly cuts in the blocks) help tremendously. they trap a bit of snow for snow traction, each one of those edges are corners to bite into the ice, etc.... they contribute a big amount.

the actual depth of the blocks (amount of void) does help with aquaplanning (in slush, etc..) and moving snow.

since the performance reduction in snow is gradual, you are the only person who can answer the question of what's acceptable tire performance. with 30% wear, obviously the snow traction will go down, but it's still useable. my first season with snows were awsome, and it degraded per year. got close to the wear bars before it started becoming a chore to move around. i then replaced them.

CirrusSR22 · 12-09-2008, 12:10 PM

Tirerack.com says 6/32" (from memory, maybe wrong) is the lowest you want to go in the winter. Check their website.

Gary@TireRack · 12-09-2008, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CirrusSR22

Tirerack.com says 6/32" (from memory, maybe wrong) is the lowest you want to go in the winter. Check their website.

Correct. A good rule of thumb is that you'd still get acceptable winter traction if entering the season with 6/32nds of an inch or greater tread depth.

ATSR · 12-09-2008, 02:26 PM

Thanks for the replies guys! This is GREAT info

12-08-2008, 09:14 PM	#1
ATSR Captain 43 Rep 852 Posts Drives: 1977 Honda Civic Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Wellington, FL iTrader: (0)	Winter Tire Wear Do you guys know how much wear on winter tires is acceptable for the tires to still be effective? The squiggly ridges on my front tires are starting to fade and I was wondering if I should get new ones.
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12-09-2008, 10:23 AM	#2
ATSR Captain 43 Rep 852 Posts Drives: 1977 Honda Civic Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Wellington, FL iTrader: (0)	Anyone? I wanted to add that the tread depth of the tires is still above 70%. It's just the little ridges that are starting to fade, and I'm wondering if those are one of the main features for a winter tire to work on snow/ice.
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12-09-2008, 10:39 AM	#3
anerbe Lieutenant Colonel 121 Rep 1,568 Posts Drives: Red E90M 6MT Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: BH, MI iTrader: (2)	those sipes (squigly cuts in the blocks) help tremendously. they trap a bit of snow for snow traction, each one of those edges are corners to bite into the ice, etc.... they contribute a big amount. the actual depth of the blocks (amount of void) does help with aquaplanning (in slush, etc..) and moving snow. since the performance reduction in snow is gradual, you are the only person who can answer the question of what's acceptable tire performance. with 30% wear, obviously the snow traction will go down, but it's still useable. my first season with snows were awsome, and it degraded per year. got close to the wear bars before it started becoming a chore to move around. i then replaced them.
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12-09-2008, 12:10 PM	#4
CirrusSR22 Major 342 Rep 1,325 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Minnesota iTrader: (0)	Tirerack.com says 6/32" (from memory, maybe wrong) is the lowest you want to go in the winter. Check their website.
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12-09-2008, 02:26 PM	#6
ATSR Captain 43 Rep 852 Posts Drives: 1977 Honda Civic Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Wellington, FL iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the replies guys! This is GREAT info
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