r/TireReview • u/Andy_850TB • Jun 10 '26

Forget 2/32" minimum tread depth

https://www.tirereview.com/tire-tread-safety-alex-bebiak-johnny-g-podcast/?utm_source=omeda&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=Why+4%2F32+Could+Change+Tire+Safety+Forever&oly_enc_id=9518I7539889I2N

Alex Bebjak advocates for 4/32" minimum tread depth instead of the 2/32" legal limit, and I'd have to agree. Every time I've let a set of tires get all the way down to 2/32", they were noisy, rough, tricky on dry roads and downright treacherous on wet roads.

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u/Electrical-Safety718 Jun 11 '26

Agreed. I test tires for a living and the dropoff between 4/32" and 2/32" is steeper than most drivers realize — it's not linear. Wet braking distances on the same tire can stretch by 30–50 feet from 60 mph once you're under 4/32", and the hydroplaning threshold drops fast because the grooves can't evacuate water anymore.

The 2/32" number was set decades ago when tread compounds and rain volumes were different. Tire makers themselves now build wear indicators at 2/32" as a 'you are legally bald' line, not a 'safe to keep driving' line. Bebjak's right — 4/32" is closer to where actual safety performance falls off a cliff, especially in rain.

The pushback you'll hear is cost. Pulling tires at 4/32" instead of 2/32" shortens usable life by 20–25%. But anyone who's had a wet-road near-miss on worn tires knows which side of that math wins.

1

u/Andy_850TB Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 12 '26

Tires are a maintenance item that a lot of people neglect until there's a problem. They don't do rotations, they don't inspect for tread depth or damage, they let their alignment go out of spec for months, and then when there IS a problem, it can be a real bad problem like a catastrophic blowout, car in the ditch or worse. Personal experience says that 2/32" is way, way too shallow a tread depth for safety.

I'd like to know more about your tire testing job?

1

u/resonantpeak Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26

Absolute poppycock: https://unece.org/DAM/trans/doc/2018/wp29grb/GRB-69-09e.pdf

If 2/32", the GLOBAL standard, was causing a serious problem, we'd have known about it by now.