Remaining tread depth is deeply related to the following 2 major performances.
Stopping distance at brake
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Tire remaining tread depth is deeply related to stopping distance of a truck when brake is applied on wet surface. There is not much difference in stopping distance worn to approximately 4 mm. However, in less than 4 mm, stopping distance dramatically increases, i.e., the shallower the remaining tread depth is, the more slippery the truck is on wet road. The graph in the left is the stopping distance for bias, but radial is basically the same.
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When remaining tread depth gets shallower, which means that cushion rubber gauge under tread also gets thinner, so there is more chance to receive tread cut or chipping in service. The graph in the left shows that at least 2.5 mm is necessary to save the casing, still there is a chance to lose 11.1% of casing.
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