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what's a good way to check tire tread (front, back)to see if i need new tires for my speedy?



Most tyres these days have a built in wear indicator. In the main groove of the tread, there should be slightly raised bumps around the tyre that you can see/feel when checking. These are set to the minimun tread depth that the tyre is deemed safe at. If the tread is deeper than the bump, you have wear left, if the tread is smooth with the bump, time to change. If you have no tread left watch out!

Failing that, get a gauge from a parts store.