Tread Depth: How is it important?

The quality of our tyres are made with a combination of various features together. And among these features, a greatly important one is the tread depth. The depth of the grooves on your tyres, as insignificant as it may seem, is a crucial feature of your radials. It is this aspect of our radials that fits the right performance and safety when our vehicles tread on wet surfaces, among many other important things. As a result, it is greatly necessary to have the right tread depth, for without it, many features of the vehicle's performance would suffer a compromise.

The tread depth is an essential feature in the ability to provide grip on wet roads, and in drainage action. In other words, the tread depth helps to remove water between the tyre and the road surface. Without the right depth between the tyre and the grooves, the vehicle would suffer a poor handling not only on regular grounds, but especially on wet surfaces.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdPMRMUbMuE[/embed]

Here are some of the important features that rely on the tyre's correct tread depth:

1) Grip and traction:

The car is driven by these four wheels and the tyres adorning them are all that separate good control and bad control. The vehicle's grip on the roads is a feature that is presented by the tyre's tread depth. The tread depth of the tyre is the crucial element in providing the vehicle with the traction that keeps it anchored to the ground and within safe driving. With deep grooves, the tyre supplies its vehicle with a far better hold on the ground, while with a worn out depth, its ability to grip the roads is also degraded. Therefore, the most crucial element of road safety, which is the grip provided by the tyre, is a feature that is enabled by the tyre's tread depth.

2) Stopping distance:

This is the most important of the functions that the tyre's tread depth performs. The correct tread depth arms the vehicle with the right braking ability. This is because in a situation where a quick braking is needed, your vehicle relies on your tyre's tread depth to grip the road and to be brought to a stop in the shortest distance possible. As a result, the vehicle's braking is directly dependent on the tyre's tread depth, and with an lower tread depth, the car suffers from uneasy braking and longer stopping distances as well.

The tread depth and the braking ability are directly related. Therefore, as the tread depth wears, the tyre's ability to grip the roads is decreased and, consequently, the braking and the stopping distances are also deteriorated.

3) Performance on wet grounds:

Another vital element that is affected greatly by the tyre's tread depth is the car's performance on wet surfaces. When driving on wet surfaces, the tyres have to work far harder to preserve the necessary grip and safety. As a result, this function is given a boost by the deep grooves that enable a better traction on wet surfaces. The vehicle's ability to remain safe and stable when treading on wet grounds is borne by the tread depth that it has.

4) Aquaplaning resistance:

When driving on wet surfaces, a great hazard that the vehicle faces is known as aquaplaning, or hydroplaning. This occurs when the water between the tyres and the road surface cannot be displaced swiftly enough, leading to loss in control for the driver. When this happens, the control of the vehicle is compromised completely, and the driver is unable to brake or steer at all until his tyres regain firm contact with the ground. This is a hazardous situation, and the tread depth is the most important factor that helps to prevent it. Besides providing grip, the tyre's tread pattern is also designed for the function of removing water from the road surface as it rolls forward. This, as a result, ensures that a nasty hydroplaning scenario does not arise. With the right tread depth, a tyre can approximately displace enough water to fill a bucket every seven seconds! As a result, the tread depth of the tyre is a vital element in preserving safety on wet grounds, and it keeps the control of the car in such situations.

Altogether, the tread depth is not only an important part of the tyre's overall design, but a part without which, the tyre would be incomplete. It enhances grip for the vehicle when driving, provides control on wet grounds and prevents dangerous situations on slippery surfaces. The vehicle is dependent on its tyres and the adequate tread depth that they provide, for drive safety and experience.

Difference between tread patterns:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0N-a14aKbg