About Us
When was the last time you were asked to step inside the work area of an automotive repair shop? Probably never. In fact, most shops give you plenty of reasons why you can’t. But at Auto Smart, Inc., you’ll find a different attitude. Customers are welcome in this shop’s clean, state-of-the-art service bays to see their vehicle being worked on. In fact, the garage is so clean that on Customer Appreciation Day, Owner Scott Bahruth brings in tables and chairs to serve homestyle barbeque to his customers. At such times, it’s not uncommon to find the parking lot full of vintage cars or one of the latest vehicles Bahruth has sponsored or helped out on, such as a gotta-see motorcycle being readied to break a world’s record at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
So what happened with the 2/32 tires on the car? Get this – when the car had traveled the distance required to stop with new tires, it was still going 55 miles an hour. Stopping distance was nearly doubled to 379 feet and it took 5.9 seconds.
Wow! That means if you barely have room to stop with new tires, you would hit the car in front of you at 55 miles an hour with the worn tires.
Now, with the partially worn tires – at 4/32 of an inch – the car was still going at 45 miles an hour at the point where new tires brought the car to a halt. It took nearly 100 feet more room to stop and 1.2 seconds longer. That's a big improvement. We can see why Consumer Reports and others are calling for a new standard.
Of course, stopping distances were greater for the heavier pick-up truck.
How do you know when your tires are at 4/32 of an inch? Easy; just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn't cover George Washington's hairline, it's time to replace your tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.
You may remember doing that with pennies. A penny gives you 2/32 to Abraham Lincoln's head. The quarter is the new recommendation – 4/32.
How do people feel about replacing their tires earlier? Well, tires are a big ticket item and most people want to get the most wear out of them that they can. But do you want that much more risk just to run your tires until they are legally worn out?
For us, and we would guess for many, the answer is "no".
