Tire check in 60 seconds

Legal minimums

4/32"

Steer tires (front wheels of a truck or tractor): tread depth at any point in a major groove

2/32"

All other tires: tread depth in a major groove

Cold

Pressure: never below the cold inflation pressure specified for the load being carried

• Don’t measure where tie bars, humps or fillets are.
• No regrooved tire rated 4,920 lb or more on the front wheels of a truck or tractor.

The walkaround

1. Gauge it cold. Check pressure with a tire gauge before driving and compare it to the pressure specified for the load. Thumping a tire won’t tell you whether it’s low.
2. Hot tire? Correct, don’t bleed. Heat raises pressure. For tires rated over 4,000 lb, subtract at least 15 psi if the average speed in the past hour was 41–55 mph to estimate cold pressure. Don’t let air out of a hot tire.
3. Measure tread. Use a tread-depth gauge in a major groove at several spots: 4/32" or more on steers, 2/32" or more on all other tires.
4. Look at tread and sidewalls. Parked if body ply or belt material shows through the tread or sidewall, if there is any tread or sidewall separation, or if a cut exposes ply or belt material.
5. Listen for leaks. A flat tire or one with an audible leak means the truck doesn’t move.
6. Check wheels and nuts. No cracked or broken wheels or rims, no elongated stud or bolt holes, and no loose or missing nuts or bolts.