Thanksgiving Drive? A Tire Check Before You Leave

The busiest drive of the year

Thanksgiving is when South Florida loads up the car and points it north: up I-95 to family in Jacksonville or Georgia, up the Turnpike to Orlando, or across to the Gulf coast. You're not alone. For Thanksgiving 2025, AAA projected 81.8 million people would travel at least 50 miles from home, about 73 million of them by car, nearly 90% of all travelers. AAA publishes a new forecast each November.

A fully loaded car, hours at highway speed and a chance of rain on the way is exactly when tires matter most. The check below takes about 15 minutes. Do it a week or two before you leave, so there's time to fix anything you find.

Step 1: Pressure, cold

Check pressure when the tires are cold. USTMA defines cold as parked for at least three hours. Use the number on the placard on the driver's door pillar or in your owner's manual, not the maximum printed on the sidewall. Our sidewall max PSI post explains why.

NHTSA recommends checking pressure before long trips and before carrying heavy loads. A holiday drive is both. Two extra points:

• Check after you load the car, if your owner's manual lists a different pressure for a full load.
• Expect the gauge to move. Pressure rises as tires warm up on the highway and drops on a cool morning up north. Only cold readings count.

See how pressure moves with temperature:

Our pressure guide walks through using a gauge.

Step 2: Tread, in three grooves

Measure tread depth in an outer, a center and an inner groove on every tire. USTMA's penny test is the quick version: put a penny upside down in a groove, and if you can see all of Lincoln's head, it's time for new tires. A tread gauge gives you an actual number.

For a long drive, use 4/32 as your line, not the 2/32 wear bars. AAA's testing found tires worn to 4/32 of an inch took an average of 87 feet longer to stop on wet pavement than new tires, and AAA recommends replacing at 4/32. If rain is forecast anywhere along the route, that difference matters. Our guide to checking tread depth shows each method.

Also look at how the tread is wearing. Wear on one edge or in the center usually points to alignment or pressure; get it checked before a long drive, not after.

Step 3: Sidewalls and tread surface

Walk around the car and look at both sides of each tire if you can:

• Bulges or bubbles in the sidewall. That tire needs replacing, not a road trip. Our guide to sidewall bubbles explains why.
• Cuts, cracks or scrapes from curbs.
• Nails or screws in the tread. A small tread puncture can often be repaired properly before you go; see Can My Tire Be Repaired?

Step 4: The spare, or what you have instead

Many drivers find out what's in the trunk on the shoulder of I-95. Find out in your driveway instead.

• A compact spare ("donut"). Check its pressure; it usually needs more than your regular tires, and the number is on its label. Michelin says not to exceed 50 mph on one. It's for reaching a shop, not finishing the trip.
• A full-size spare. Check its pressure and its age. A spare can be as old as the car.
• No spare at all. AAA found nearly one-third of new vehicles were sold without one, with a sealant and inflator kit or run-flat tires instead. Read the kit's instructions now.

Our spare tire types guide explains each option and its limits.

Step 5: The load

A holiday car is a heavy car: passengers, luggage, gifts, maybe a cooler or a roof box. The door placard lists the maximum combined weight of people and cargo your vehicle should carry. Stay within it, and if your manual lists a loaded pressure, use it.

The pre-trip checklist

On the road

• Recheck pressure cold at your destination before the drive home.
• If the car pulls, vibrates or the TPMS light comes on, slow down and stop somewhere sensible to look. Our guide to the TPMS light explains solid vs flashing.
• Rain on the way? Slow down and leave more room. Our post on driving through heavy downpours covers hydroplaning.

If a tire goes on the highway

Most trips end without trouble, but it's worth having the plan in your head before you need it:

1. Hold the wheel firmly and keep the car straight.
2. Ease off the gas and let the car slow down gradually.
3. Signal and move over when it's clear, to a spot well away from traffic: an exit, a service plaza or a wide shoulder.
4. Turn on your hazard lights, and keep everyone out of the travel lanes.
5. Call roadside assistance if changing the tire there isn't practical.

If you used a compact spare or a repair kit, treat it as a way to reach a tire shop, not to finish the trip.

If the check finds a problem

Not sure whether your tires will make it? Do I Need Tires Yet? walks you through it. If it's time, shop by size or vehicle early enough to install before you leave. In Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach we install at our Sunrise shop or come to your driveway by mobile van. Shipping is free to the 48 contiguous states and DC.