Tires
Warning lights, pressure, tread and when a tire needs replacing.
3 answers
Do I really need winter tires, or are all-season tires good enough?
If you regularly drive on snow or ice, yes. In Tire Rack's October 2026 test, an all-season tire needed about 25 more feet than a winter tire to stop from 25 mph on snow and about 18 more feet from just 12 mph on ice, and all-wheel drive doesn't change that because it helps you get moving, not stop. If your winters are mostly cold, wet and only lightly snowy, an all-weather tire with the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol is a reasonable middle ground.
How do I know when my tires need replacing?
Replace a tire when its tread is worn to 2/32 of an inch, which is when Lincoln's whole head shows in the penny test or the tread is flush with the built-in wear bars. Start shopping at about 4/32 inch (the top of Washington's head shows on a quarter), because wet braking and hydroplaning resistance drop off well before a tire is fully worn.
- Get it checked soon
Why is my tire pressure light on?
A solid tire pressure (TPMS) light means one or more tires is significantly underinflated, often about 25% below the recommended pressure. Check all four tires with a gauge and fill them to the pressure on the sticker in the driver's door jamb; if the light flashes for a minute or so before staying on, the monitoring system itself has a fault and needs to be checked.