Hurricane Car Prep Checklist: The Tire Check First

Why tires go at the top of the list

Every South Florida hurricane checklist covers water, batteries and shutters. Fewer mention the four things that have to carry you out if an evacuation order comes.

Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, per NOAA. That leaves the rest of October and all of November. The best time to find a worn tire or a flat spare is on a quiet weekday afternoon in Sunrise, not on the shoulder of I-95 with half of Broward headed the same way.

So here's the order we'd do it in: a 15-minute tire check now, a short list for when a storm is forecast, and what to look at after it passes.

Now, while the sky is clear: the 15-minute check

1. Tread depth

Grab a penny, a quarter or a tread depth gauge and check three grooves on each tire: inside, center and outside.

• 2/32 of an inch is where NHTSA says to replace. That's the depth where the built-in wear bars sit flush with the tread, and where Lincoln's whole head shows in the penny test.
• 4/32 is where AAA recommends replacing. In its wet-road testing at 60 mph, tires worn to 4/32 took an average of 87 feet longer to stop than new ones.

An evacuation drive in tropical-storm rain is exactly the wet road AAA tested for. Slide the gauge to see where your reading falls:

Our tread depth chart has the full breakdown in 32nds and millimeters.

2. Pressure, cold

Set all four tires to the pressure on your door placard, not the number on the sidewall. NHTSA defines "cold" as parked for at least three hours, so do it first thing in the morning before the car moves. A loaded car with low tires on a long, hot drive is the combination you want to avoid.

If your TPMS light is already on, handle that first. Our TPMS light guide explains what solid and flashing mean.

3. Sidewalls

Look along both sidewalls for cuts, scrapes, bulges or cracks. Run a hand around the tread for nails or screws. If you find anything, have it inspected now, while shops are open on a normal schedule.

4. The spare, and what kind it is

NHTSA's advice is to check pressure monthly on every tire, spare included. Pull the trunk floor up and find out what you actually have:

• A full-size spare. Check its pressure and its date code like any other tire.
• A compact temporary spare. Its speed and distance limits are printed on the spare or its label, and in your owner's manual. Read them now.
• A sealant and inflator kit, or nothing. Some cars have no spare at all. Know that before you're relying on it.

Our guide to spare tire types covers each one.

Know your zone and keep the tank half full

Two Florida Division of Emergency Management resources are worth five minutes this week:

• Know Your Zone. Enter your address on FloridaDisaster.org and it shows whether you're in an evacuation zone. Save a screenshot; a storm is no time to find out.
• Halfway Full, Halfway There. FDEM asks residents to keep at least half a tank of gas all season, because storm prep and evacuation orders drive up demand at gas stations and chargers. For electric vehicles, its guidance is to keep the battery between 50% and 80%, depending on the vehicle and what its manual recommends.

Half a tank you already have is worth more than a full tank you're waiting in line for.

When a storm is in the forecast

Once there's a named storm with Broward in the cone, the to-do list gets long fast. Keep the tire part short:

1. Recheck pressure cold on all four and the spare.
2. Handle any tire you flagged earlier as soon as you can. If a tire is at or near 4/32, has a bulge, or keeps losing air, this is not the week to hope.
3. Pack a small kit: a tire gauge, the owner's manual, a phone charger and a flashlight.
4. Photograph your DOT codes and tread if you want a record for later.

Extreme Tires in Sunrise installs tires in the shop and by mobile van across its local install area, and repairs punctures after an internal inspection. Storms change everyone's schedule, including ours, so we won't promise availability around one. Call (954) 773-1896 to ask.

After the storm passes

The roads you drove last week may not be the same roads now. What to watch for:

• Floodwater. Don't drive into it. The National Weather Service says 12 inches of rushing water can carry away most cars and 2 feet can carry away SUVs and trucks, and the road underneath may be damaged. Turn around.
• Debris. Roofing nails, screws and broken glass end up in the street during cleanup. After driving through debris, walk around the car and look at the tread. If you find a nail or screw, have the tire inspected. Our post on storm cleanup nails covers which punctures can be repaired.
• A car that sat in water. NHTSA's guidance is not to drive a flooded vehicle until a technician has checked it, because damage may not be visible. For hybrids and EVs, NHTSA also says not to park a flood-damaged vehicle with a lithium-ion battery in a garage or within 50 feet of a home, another vehicle or anything combustible. More in our post on a car that sat in floodwater.
• Warning lights. A TPMS light, a pull to one side or a new vibration after driving through storm damage are all reasons to have the tires and wheels looked at.

The checklist, in one place

Want a second opinion on your readings? Run them through Do I Need Tires Yet?, and if a tire needs replacing, shop by size with installation in Sunrise or by mobile van in the local install area.