Even I’ve thought about this millions of times; I mean, a heavy car on 12″ Used Tires ? How does that happen? 

It all deals with the pressure & the square inches of the Tire. Since there is an approximately 30 psi per square inch, there must be quite a few inches of contact patch to actually carry the weight of that car of yours. If there is more weight on the car or you decrease the pressure of the tire, that just means that you need more square inches of contact patch; therefore, the flat spot gets bigger than usual. 

When you’re tire is spinning (obviously), the contact patch has to move around the tire so that way, it can stay in contact with the road you’re driving on. Considering an underinflated tire needs to bend more to make contact with the road, it takes more strength & energy to push it down the road; which means it leads to more heat.

But you knew this already, right?

Learning something new everyday,
Mykalanne.

The Penny Test is something that has been used for years to determine the tread on a tire. What’s cool is that all you really need is a penny & a couple of fingers; literally. It doesn’t matter if you have 12″ Used Tires or 19″ Used Tires ; it should all be the same.

1. Reach into your pocket, or wallet; wherever you carry pennies, & hold it between your thumb & your forefinger. Make sure Lincoln’s head is the side of the penny that’s facing you. 

2. After you’ve completed this extremely hard task, glide the penny between the tread grooves on your tire. When you do this, be sure that Lincoln’s top part of his head is the part touching the tire; so essentially, the penny will be upside down at this point. 

3. As you’re gliding the penny, if you see Lincoln’s head completely, then I’d say it’d be time to change your tires. If there is any point where Lincoln’s head is blocked by the tread, then you’ll be fine (:

Hope this helps,
Mykalanne.