America's Tire evaluates tires using a winning combination of real-world data from millions of tire inspections, controlled testing at the Treadwell Research Park, and predictive modeling. Test performance is analyzed to understand each tire’s traction, braking and overall lifespan.
Get to Know Your Treadwell Trusted Expert, Josh Sortor
Josh Sortor is the Product and Quality Director and product owner of the Treadwell tire recommendation tool. WIth over 23 years of experience in products, equipment, vehicle fitment, and product data analytics, he is the go-to expert on Treadwell. Josh gained his knowledge base while studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arizona. A big auto racing enthusiast, he also spends his spare time enjoying board games, family time, and mountain biking.
WHAT IS TREADWELL AND HOW DOES TIRE TESTING WORK?
Treadwell is America's Tire’s smart tire buying tool. It helps customers find tires that fit both their vehicle and their driving needs. It is powered by a combination of:
- Real-world tire data collected from customer vehicles
- Controlled testing under repeatable conditions
- Predictive modeling for new and emerging tire models
This allows America's Tire to generate objective, data-backed tire recommendations based on how tires perform, not just manufacturer specifications.
What Makes Treadwell Different?
The Treadwell tire shopping tool does not:
- Rely on manufacturer claims
- Use basic tire rating systems
- Ignore real-world driving situations such as weather or road conditions
Treadwell does utilize:
- Rigorous testing for real-world situations
- Tire performance data
- Customer tire wear data
- Advanced predictive computer modeling
REAL-WORLD TIRE DATA COLLECTION
A major part of Treadwell’s insight comes from ongoing tire inspections performed at America's Tire and America’s Tire stores nationwide.
Real-world data ensures that tire recommendations reflect how tires actually perform in everyday life.
What Data Is Collected?
- Tire tread depth measurements
- Tire model and vehicle fitment
- Geographic and environmental conditions
No identifying personal customer information is collected. With millions of tread depth measurements collected each year, we calculate how quickly different tire models wear under real-world conditions.
Why This Matters
Tire wear is influenced by:
- Driving behavior, from aggressive to cautious
- Tire maintenance, including air pressure, alignments, rotation and balance
Treadwell provides a range of expected tire life rather than a single fixed number due to potential variations in conditions, driving behavior and maintenance.
CONTROLLED TIRE TESTING AT THE TREADWELL RESEARCH PARK
To compare tires consistently, we conduct controlled testing under repeatable conditions.
What Is Standardized?
- Vehicle type
- Tire pressure
- Load weight
- Driving behavior
What Conditions Are Evaluated?
- Highway and city driving
- Wet and dry surfaces
- Varying road conditions
When we control these variables, differences in performance can be attributed to the tire itself and not external factors.
HOW WE MEASURE TIRE TREADWEAR
Manufacturers are required to label their tires with treadwear ratings. However, these can only be used to loosely compare treadwear from tires of the same brand. Treadwell provides actual data-backed estimates on each tire based on your vehicle and driving location.
Treadwell analyzes millions of tire inspection measurements made each year at America's Tire and America’s Tire store locations nationwide to calculate the wear rate of each tire model down to the vehicle and location where it is used.
Due to variations in driving style and tire maintenance, Treadwell shows tire shoppers an expected tire life range that more accurately reflects true treadwear compared to the mileage warranty.
Why Treadwear Testing Matters
Treadwear testing helps you:
- Choose tires based on real performance in real conditions
- Understand how long tires are likely to last
- Compare cost-per-mile across tire options
HOW TIRE LIFE IS ESTIMATED
For new tires without sufficient real-world data, we use accelerated wear testing.
Here’s how it works:
- A new tire is tested on real vehicles on real roads
- Wear is measured under controlled conditions in intervals up to 16,000 miles
- Results are used to calculate estimated expected tread life
Once enough real-world data is collected, typically within about six months, we can generate a new data-driven tire life estimate.
WORN WET TIRE STOPPING PERFORMANCE TESTING
Tires behave differently as they wear, especially in wet conditions.
Testing Method
- Tires are worn down to the recommended replacement level of 4/32"
- Tires are tested against a new tire and a reference tire
- Grip is measured in friction against a wet surface at speed
- The difference between new tire and worn tire directly corresponds to the worn tire’s stopping capability
Validation
Testing is validated by comparing results with naturally worn tires and on-vehicle performance on the track. This helps predict how a tire will perform in real-world wet braking conditions as it wears down.
WINTER PERFORMANCE TESTING
Winter conditions are some of the harshest that average drivers experience. As such, winter performance testing is as vigorous as possible in Michigan’s frozen Upper Peninsula.
Winter capability is measured using a test vehicle equipped with specialized instruments to measure performance on controlled packed snow surfaces. We test all tires that claim some winter capability.
What Is Measured?
- Acceleration from 5 to 30 mph
- Stopping distance from 30 mph
- Handling and control during maneuvers
- Cornering grip, measured in g-force
These tests are our deep dive into snow performance. For any tire, even those not specifically designated for winter conditions, we run the same traction test used to evaluate three-peak mountain snowflake capability so you know what any tire can do if you encounter unexpected winter driving situations.
HOW TREADWELL USES THIS DATA TO RECOMMEND TIRES
The Treadwell tire shopping tool combines test data with user inputs like:
- Vehicle type
- Driving habits
- Local weather conditions
It then recommends tires optimized for:
- Tread life, or longevity
- Safety, including traction and braking
- Control and handling
- Efficiency
- Comfort, including ride quality and noise
Treadwell allows for personalized recommendations based on objective, performance-based data, taking the guesswork out of tire shopping.
FIND THE RIGHT TIRES WITH TREADWELL
Shopping for tires is easy with Treadwell. Simply tell us:
- What vehicle you drive
- How you drive
- Where you drive
And it will generate the best tires possible that fit your vehicle and your needs. Each tire listing includes a full performance report so you can comparison shop with ease.
GET STARTED WITH TREADWELLFAQ
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