How to Measure Tire Tread

Become a tire tread scanning expert

What you’ll learn

The Anyline Tire Tread Scanner harnesses advanced computer vision and machine learning technologies, allowing users to accurately measure tire tread depth directly from their mobile device. In this guide, you’ll discover step-by-step how to become a tire tread scanning expert, along with answers to frequently asked questions.

You’ll learn how to:

Receive training from an Anyline expert
Request access to the Tire Tread Showcase app
Activate test license
Configure app settings
Measure tire tread
Interpret results

Click here for a list of FAQs.

1. Receive training from an Anyline expert

The first step is to ensure you have received thorough training on how to use the tire tread scanner. An Anyline expert will arrange a comprehensive training session, guiding you through the entire process of successfully measuring your tire tread depth using the Anyline scanner. This session also gives you the chance to ask any questions, ensuring you’re fully prepared and confident before you begin testing the scanner on your own.

2. Request access to the Tire Tread Showcase App

To access the Tire Tread Showcase app, reach out to your contact from Anyline. You will receive an invite to download the Showcase app, together with a test license key.

3. Activate test license

To activate your test license, follow these steps

Open the Showcase app
Tap “Settings“
Enter your license key manually in the field or scan the QR code of your license key
Confirm and save by tapping “OK“

4. Configure app settings

To configure your app settings, open the showcase app and tap “Settings“.

Here are some settings you can configure:

Measurement system: The default measurement system is metric. To change the measurement system to imperial, check “Use Imperial System“

Scan speed: Select “Fast” for passenger car tires and “Slow” for heavy vehicle tires (trailer, steer, and drive tires)

Device compatibility mode (Android only): For Android devices with lower specifications, device compatibility mode can be enabled to improve measurement accuracy. To do so, check the box “Device Compatibility Mode”, and enter the tire width when prompted to do so during the scan

To save your settings, tap “OK“

5. Measure tire tread

Before your start measuring your tire tread, take note of the following:

For Android devices only: Use the Device Compatibility Mode if your device has lower specifications
Ensure no other tires are visible during the scan apart from the tire you are measuring – especially if they are directly next to or stacked on top of each other. When scanning dual tires, focus solely on the selected tire
Ensure strong and stable internet connection
Ensure that the screen orientation lock setting of your OS is not active

Once you’ve entered your license key and finalized your settings, you’re ready to start the scan. Watch the video above for an in-depth tutorial on how to scan or follow the step-by-step guide in the next section.

NOTE: It’s perfectly normal if the first attempts are not successful. We recommend doing a few practice scans to get comfortable with the motion before conducting actual measurements.

Step-by-step guide

Launch the Anyline tire tread scanner and tap “Open Scanner”

An unmounted tire or having your vehicle lifted will allow you to scan the tire with the greatest ease.

If the tire is mounted on the vehicle, or if the vehicle is not lifted, find a comfortable position for you squat or kneel so that you can access the tire. This is similar to how you would take a manual measurement with a gauge.

PRO TIP: Having your tires turned outwards will ensure you can access the tires more easily

Find a spot across the tire where you can freely move the smartphone across the entire tread, from one tire shoulder to the other.

PRO TIP: Ensure that your line of movement is clear of any obstacles. If you find that the bumper of the vehicle is obstructing your movement, move your device closer to the ground.

For iOS users, initialize the tire detection by pointing your camera at the tire and move your device back and forth slowly. For Android users, proceed to Step 5

Align the camera with the outer tire shoulder and ensure a distance of 20 cm (8 in) between your device and the tire.

PRO TIP: To get used to the distance, use a measuring tape to measure 20cm (8 in) and mark this distance by drawing a line, or placing an object (preferably something long like a pen or stick) down on the ground at this distance. Perform a practice scan and align your device with the line/object, ensuring that your device does not go beyond it.

NOTE: This distance should be maintained throughout the entire scan. If this distance is not kept, your device will vibrate slightly and audio feedback will be heard. Once the distance is corrected, the vibration and audio feedback will stop.

To ensure accuracy, ensure that the tread’s surface is the focus of the camera. Avoid having the ground or any other object in the frame as this will affect the measurement. This might feel unnatural at first, but we promise it’ll get better the more you do it.

PRO TIP: If your tire is mounted or if your vehicle is not lifted, tilting your device at an approximately 45 degree angle will help you ensure that the tread’s surface is the sole focus of the camera.

When you’re satisfied with the distance and angle, tap anywhere on the screen to begin the scan. Your device will vibrate strongly once to indicate that the scan has started.

For an accurate measurement, a stable and steady recording is required.Make sure to use the full duration, moving slowly across the tire tread to get a high-quality recording. The scan will automatically finish once the timer stops, with a strong vibration signalling the end.

PRO TIP: Perform a practice scan, keeping an eye on the timer. If you can’t watch the timer directly, try verbalizing the countdown by saying, “One Mississippi, two Mississippi, etc.” Keep in mind that the overall scan duration often feels shorter than it actually is, so take your time and use the full duration to ensure optimal results.

Move your device laterally from one tire shoulder to the other and ensure that the entire tread is recorded.

NOTE: The movement should be lateral across the tire, not back and forth from the tire.

PRO TIP: Think of this action as filming a video or taking a panoramic shot of the tire tread. Perform a practice scan and focus on the movement of capturing the outer tire shoulder to the inner tire shoulder.

The scan will automatically conclude after the on-screen timer finishes the countdown and will vibrate strongly once. You can also manually end the scan by tapping the screen again. At this point, your scan will be uploaded and processed before you are shown the results.

Scanning Tips

Rely on haptic feedback

It may be difficult to look at the screen throughout the scanning process. Hence, haptic feedback is available to guide you throughout the scan.

Here are the haptic feedback available and what they mean.

Strong vibration: A strong vibration will be delivered both at the start and the end of the scan
Slight vibration: During the scan, slight vibrations may occur if there are distance issues, signaling that your device is either too close or too far from the tire. If you feel these vibrations, gradually adjust the distance by moving your device closer or farther from the tire until the vibrations stop, indicating the distance has been corrected

PRO TIP: Perform a practice scan without looking at the screen and familiarize yourself with the haptic feedback (vibrations).

Capture only one tire

Ensure that only ONE tire is visible in the frame during the scan to avoid inaccurate readings.

The tire tread scanner measures the tread depth of only one tire at a time, so it’s crucial that no other tires are in the frame. This is especially important when scanning dual, stacked, or side-by-side tires.

Enable device compatibility mode (Android only)

If your Android device has lower specifications, enabling device compatibility mode can improve measurement accuracy.

6. Interpret results

If your measurement was successful, you will be redirected to the results page.

Depending on the measurement system selected in the settings, the tread depth will either be displayed in mm or 32″.

Here is a description of what each value means:

Top of Page Value: The value displayed at the top of the page represents the global tread depth of the entire tire. This value is calculated based on over 100,000 individual measurements across the tread and gives an indication of the condition tire by displaying the most representative value. The top of page value may not always correspond to the lowest tread depth value on the tread surface.
Bottom of Page Values: The values displayed at the bottom of the page represent the tread depth of each zone on the tire. It does not represent the measurement of individual grooves. The distribution of the zones can be seen in the heatmap below.

To view the heatmap on your device, tap “Details“

Comparing your results with a manual gauge

Read this article on how to cross-check Anyline’s results with a manual gauge,

NOTE: Anyline’s tire tread scanner captures over 100,000 measurement points, whereas a manual gauge measures just a single point. Hence, comparing the results from these two methods may not provide a fully accurate representation.

FAQs

More information about integration can be found on the documentation here.

Make sure your device is not on “do not disturb”
Make sure your device is not on “silent” mode
For Android devices, go to Settings > Sounds and Vibration > Vibration Intensity; check that the intensity for System is turned on

No. The tire tread scanner can only be tested via a separate tire tread showcase app. To receive access, refer to the section on “Request access to the Tire Tread Showcase App“

You can find the version number by tapping “Settings” in the showcase app.

Device Compatibility Mode enhances tire tread measurement accuracy on lower-spec Android devices by allowing users to input tire width information. The tire width can be provided via

Anyline Tire Sidewall scanner, Tire Size scanner, or Barcode scanner
ERP system
Manual input