Tire tread question

When tire tread depth is talked about it is always stated as 2/32nd tread depth or 4/32nd tread depth, is there a reason the fractions are not reduced to 1/16th or 1/8th?

Thanks
CL8

You can, but the industry standard is in 32nds. People tend to be able to relate to that measurement as an indicator of tread life left. If you advertised one tire as having 1/4" tread and other tires as 5/16" it gets harder to compare apples to apples.

Tire treads are cast with a certain tread depth; for instance, 10/32, 16/32. Saying that they have 6/32" left, its an easier reference than 3/16"

Thanks for the reply Curtis. That makes good sense.

It should also be mentioned that the most of the world uses metric units - millimeters. 2/32nds of an inch = 1.6 mm Most tread depth gauges have both units.

good point CapriRacer