Tires — Connecticut Permit Test

Tires on the Connecticut permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

Worn or bald tires increase your stopping distance and make turning harder when the road is wet.

Tread cuts water out from under the tire. Without it the rubber rides on the water instead of the road.

Worn or bald tires can increase your stopping distance and make turning more difficult when the road is wet.
Connecticut Driver's Manual, p.11

Unbalanced tires and low pressure wear tires faster, cut fuel economy, and make a car harder to steer and stop.

Pressure is what holds the tire's shape. Soft tires flex, run hot, and answer the wheel late.

Unbalanced tires and low-pressure cause faster tire wear, reduce fuel economy, and make the vehicle harder to steer and stop.
Connecticut Driver's Manual, p.11

The recommended tire pressure in psi is in the vehicle owner's manual or on the driver's side door jamb.

The figure on the tire wall is the tire's limit, not the car's setting. The car's own figure is the one to use.

You can check tire pressure using the recommended psi (pounds per square inch) located in the vehicle owner's manual or the driver's side door jamb of the vehicle.
Connecticut Driver's Manual, p.11

Check tires for wear and damage once every month, or before a long road trip.

Tread goes slowly and a sidewall cut goes fast. A monthly look catches both before they strand you.

Once every month, or before you embark upon a long road trip, check your tires for wear and damage problems.
Connecticut Driver's Manual, p.11

The penny test is done by finding the point where the tread looks lowest and placing Lincoln's head into one of the grooves there.

It turns a measurement into something you can do at the curb with a coin from your pocket.

Select a point on your tire where the tread appears to be lowest and place Lincoln's head into one of the grooves.
Connecticut Driver's Manual, p.11

Once the tread falls below what the penny test shows, the car's ability to grip the road in bad conditions is greatly reduced.

Grip does not fade evenly. Below that mark the tire stops clearing water and starts sliding on it.

If your tread gets below that, your car's ability to grip the road in adverse conditions is greatly reduced.
Connecticut Driver's Manual, p.11

On the test

What do worn tires do on a wet road?

Increase stopping distance and make turning harder. Tread cuts water out from under the tire. Without it the rubber rides on the water instead of the road. Connecticut Driver's Manual, p.11: “Worn or bald tires can increase your stopping distance and make turning more difficult when the road is wet.”

How this works

Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.

You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.

What it costs

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Connecticut Driver's Manual, published by the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-16.