Typically how long to car tires last before you need to replace them?
- Thread starter Phokus
- Start date
Right. The driving conditions change everything and it's impossible to put a real life-span on them. Check the treads.
spacejamz
Lifer
- Mar 31, 2003
- 10,938
- 1,605
- 126
it will vary signficantly based on the type of car and the tires that are on it...
my wife's 2004 sentra had 35,0000 miles on it and the stock tires still had plenty of tread on it...
my 05 TL, the stock tires lasted 23,000 miles before I replaced them which is around normal according to the acura forums...
my wife's 2004 sentra had 35,0000 miles on it and the stock tires still had plenty of tread on it...
my 05 TL, the stock tires lasted 23,000 miles before I replaced them which is around normal according to the acura forums...
When you start seeing steel poking through the rubber... think about changing them.
Seriously, I use the penny trick.
Seriously, I use the penny trick.
Depends on the car and tire. If you can notice the treads being worn out just by looking at them then they are probably hazardously worn out. 40k is probably the upper limit. high or ultra high tires often wear out after 20-25k.
- Oct 10, 1999
- 31,268
- 12,784
- 136
different tires have different rubber compounds. Some are softer for improved handling and dry road traction and wear out quickly.
The higher the treadwear rating, the harder the compound is and the longer the tread life.
The only way to tell for sure is to inspect your tread depth and tread wear pattern.
The higher the treadwear rating, the harder the compound is and the longer the tread life.
The only way to tell for sure is to inspect your tread depth and tread wear pattern.
BoomerD
No Lifer
- Feb 26, 2006
- 66,002
- 14,402
- 146
Way too many variables to give an estimate on tires, like road conditions, driving habits, maintenance issues. Even if the tire comes with a mileage warranty, how you maintain the tire can & does affect how it will be warrantied. If you don't maintain air pressure, nor front end alignment, odds are, they won't warranty the tire regardless of the mileage and how many miles the tire is "warrantied" for.
A good way to judge how many miles the tire SHOULD get before replacement, is to use the "Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards (UTQG)"
From the Tire RAck:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=48¤tpage=38
"The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards (UTQG) were originated to provide consumers with useful information to help them purchase tires based on their relative treadwear, traction and temperature capabilities. While it is required by law for most passenger car tires sold in the United States, it is not required for deep treaded light truck tires or winter tires.
When looking at UTQG ratings it is important to realize that the Department of Transportation does not conduct the tests. The grades are assigned by the tire manufacturers based on their test results or those conducted by an independent testing company they have hired. The NHTSA has the right to inspect the tire manufacturer's data and can fine them if inconsistencies are found. While most new tire lines have their grades established when they are introduced, they are allowed a 6-month grace period to allow the tire manufacturer to test actual production tires. Once a grade is assigned it must be branded on the tire's upper sidewall and printed on its label.
Unfortunately, the rating that is of the most interest to consumers is the one that appears to be the least consistent. While the Treadwear Grade was originally intended to be assigned purely scientifically, it has also become a marketing tool used by manufacturers to help position and promote their tires.
Treadwear Grades
UTQG Treadwear Grades are based on actual road use in which the test tire is run in a vehicle convoy along with standardized Course Monitoring Tires. The vehicle repeatedly runs a prescribed 400-mile test loop in West Texas for a total of 7,200 miles. The vehicle can have its alignment set, air pressure checked and tires rotated every 800 miles. The test tire's and the Monitoring Tire's wear are measured during and at the conclusion of the test. The tire manufacturers then assign a Treadwear Grade based on the observed wear rates. The Course Monitoring Tire is assigned a grade and the test tire receives a grade indicating its relative treadwear. A grade of 100 would indicate that the tire tread would last as long as the test tire, 200 would indicate the tread would last twice as long, 300 would indicate three times as long, etc.
The problem with UTQG Treadwear Grades is that they are open to some interpretation on the part of the tire manufacturer because they are assigned after the tire has only experienced a little treadwear as it runs the 7,200 miles. This means that the tire manufacturers need to extrapolate their raw wear data when they are assigning Treadwear Grades, and that their grades can to some extent reflect how conservative or optimistic their marketing department is. Typically, comparing the Treadwear Grades of tire lines within a single brand is somewhat helpful, while attempting to compare the grades between different brands is not as helpful.
Traction Grades
UTQG Traction Grades are based on the tire's straight line wet coefficient of traction as the tire skids across the specified test surfaces. The UTQG traction test does not evaluate dry braking, dry cornering, wet cornering, or high speed hydroplaning resistance.
The Traction Grade is determined by installing properly inflated test tires on the instrumented axle of a "skid trailer." The skid trailer is pulled behind a truck at a constant 40 mph over wet asphalt and wet concrete test surfaces. Its brakes are momentarily locked and the axle sensors measure the tire's coefficient of friction (braking g forces) as it slides. Since this test evaluates a sliding tire at a constant 40 mph, it places more emphasis on the tire's tread compound and less emphasis on its tread design.
In 1997, the UTQG Traction Grades were revised to provide a new category of AA for the highest performing tires in addition to the earlier A, B and C grades. Previously the A grade had been the highest available and was awarded to tires that offered wet coefficients of traction above 0.47 g on asphalt and 0.35 g on concrete. Today the grades and their traction coefficients are as follows:
Traction
Grades Asphalt
g force Concrete
g force
AA Above 0.54 0.41
A Above 0.47 0.35
B Above 0.38 0.26
C Less Than 0.38 0.26
Unfortunately the immediate value of this change to tire buyers will be limited. Use of the AA grade will first be seen on new tires that are introduced after the standard was enacted and will then appear later on tires that have had the required wet traction all along, but were introduced when the single A was the highest available grade.
Temperature (Resistance) Grades
The UTQG Temperature Grade indicates the extent to which heat is generated/ or dissipated by a tire. If the tire is unable to dissipate the heat effectively or if the tire is unable to resist the destructive effects of heat buildup, its ability to run at high speeds is reduced. The grade is established by measuring a loaded tire's ability to operate at high speeds without failure by running an inflated test tire against a large diameter high-speed laboratory test wheel.
Temperature
Grades Speeds
in mph
A Over 115
B Between 100 to 115
C Between 85 to 100
Every tire sold in the United States must be capable of earning a "C" rating which indicates the ability to withstand 85 mph speeds. While there are numerous detail differences, this laboratory test is similar in nature to those used to confirm a tire's speed ratings.
Unfortunately for all of the money spent to test, brand and label the tires sold in the United States, the Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards have not fully met their original goal of clearly informing consumers about the capabilities of their tires. Maybe it's because tires are so complex and their uses can be so varied, that the grades don't always reflect their actual performance in real world use."
For lots more info on tires, go to:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=38
A good way to judge how many miles the tire SHOULD get before replacement, is to use the "Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards (UTQG)"
From the Tire RAck:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=48¤tpage=38
"The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards (UTQG) were originated to provide consumers with useful information to help them purchase tires based on their relative treadwear, traction and temperature capabilities. While it is required by law for most passenger car tires sold in the United States, it is not required for deep treaded light truck tires or winter tires.
When looking at UTQG ratings it is important to realize that the Department of Transportation does not conduct the tests. The grades are assigned by the tire manufacturers based on their test results or those conducted by an independent testing company they have hired. The NHTSA has the right to inspect the tire manufacturer's data and can fine them if inconsistencies are found. While most new tire lines have their grades established when they are introduced, they are allowed a 6-month grace period to allow the tire manufacturer to test actual production tires. Once a grade is assigned it must be branded on the tire's upper sidewall and printed on its label.
Unfortunately, the rating that is of the most interest to consumers is the one that appears to be the least consistent. While the Treadwear Grade was originally intended to be assigned purely scientifically, it has also become a marketing tool used by manufacturers to help position and promote their tires.
Treadwear Grades
UTQG Treadwear Grades are based on actual road use in which the test tire is run in a vehicle convoy along with standardized Course Monitoring Tires. The vehicle repeatedly runs a prescribed 400-mile test loop in West Texas for a total of 7,200 miles. The vehicle can have its alignment set, air pressure checked and tires rotated every 800 miles. The test tire's and the Monitoring Tire's wear are measured during and at the conclusion of the test. The tire manufacturers then assign a Treadwear Grade based on the observed wear rates. The Course Monitoring Tire is assigned a grade and the test tire receives a grade indicating its relative treadwear. A grade of 100 would indicate that the tire tread would last as long as the test tire, 200 would indicate the tread would last twice as long, 300 would indicate three times as long, etc.
The problem with UTQG Treadwear Grades is that they are open to some interpretation on the part of the tire manufacturer because they are assigned after the tire has only experienced a little treadwear as it runs the 7,200 miles. This means that the tire manufacturers need to extrapolate their raw wear data when they are assigning Treadwear Grades, and that their grades can to some extent reflect how conservative or optimistic their marketing department is. Typically, comparing the Treadwear Grades of tire lines within a single brand is somewhat helpful, while attempting to compare the grades between different brands is not as helpful.
Traction Grades
UTQG Traction Grades are based on the tire's straight line wet coefficient of traction as the tire skids across the specified test surfaces. The UTQG traction test does not evaluate dry braking, dry cornering, wet cornering, or high speed hydroplaning resistance.
The Traction Grade is determined by installing properly inflated test tires on the instrumented axle of a "skid trailer." The skid trailer is pulled behind a truck at a constant 40 mph over wet asphalt and wet concrete test surfaces. Its brakes are momentarily locked and the axle sensors measure the tire's coefficient of friction (braking g forces) as it slides. Since this test evaluates a sliding tire at a constant 40 mph, it places more emphasis on the tire's tread compound and less emphasis on its tread design.
In 1997, the UTQG Traction Grades were revised to provide a new category of AA for the highest performing tires in addition to the earlier A, B and C grades. Previously the A grade had been the highest available and was awarded to tires that offered wet coefficients of traction above 0.47 g on asphalt and 0.35 g on concrete. Today the grades and their traction coefficients are as follows:
Traction
Grades Asphalt
g force Concrete
g force
AA Above 0.54 0.41
A Above 0.47 0.35
B Above 0.38 0.26
C Less Than 0.38 0.26
Unfortunately the immediate value of this change to tire buyers will be limited. Use of the AA grade will first be seen on new tires that are introduced after the standard was enacted and will then appear later on tires that have had the required wet traction all along, but were introduced when the single A was the highest available grade.
Temperature (Resistance) Grades
The UTQG Temperature Grade indicates the extent to which heat is generated/ or dissipated by a tire. If the tire is unable to dissipate the heat effectively or if the tire is unable to resist the destructive effects of heat buildup, its ability to run at high speeds is reduced. The grade is established by measuring a loaded tire's ability to operate at high speeds without failure by running an inflated test tire against a large diameter high-speed laboratory test wheel.
Temperature
Grades Speeds
in mph
A Over 115
B Between 100 to 115
C Between 85 to 100
Every tire sold in the United States must be capable of earning a "C" rating which indicates the ability to withstand 85 mph speeds. While there are numerous detail differences, this laboratory test is similar in nature to those used to confirm a tire's speed ratings.
Unfortunately for all of the money spent to test, brand and label the tires sold in the United States, the Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards have not fully met their original goal of clearly informing consumers about the capabilities of their tires. Maybe it's because tires are so complex and their uses can be so varied, that the grades don't always reflect their actual performance in real world use."
For lots more info on tires, go to:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=38
I've had tires last 40k miles and I've had tires last 5-10k. It depends on how hard someone drivers the car, softness of the tire, type of vehicle, FWD, AWD, or RWD, weather, and some other factors. Generally, Sports Cars eat tires while SUVs and Passenger Cars tend to last much longer.
Zenmervolt
Elite member
- Oct 22, 2000
- 24,514
- 42
- 91
Depends on the car, the tires, the driver, and how often you rotate the tires.
On my father's Explorers, we'd get 75,000 miles from a set of Firestone Wilderness AT's (yes, the supposedly infamous tires, in our esperience they were amazingly good). On my Old Accord, I got about 50,000 miles from a good set of Bridgestones (Potenza RE930).
If you rotate the tires, keep the alignment in spec, keep the air pressure correct, and don't over-drive the tires, you should get at least 40,000 (probably 50,000) miles out of a set of basic all-season tires.
Truck tires like on our old Explorers are typically harder rubber and deeper treads, which means they will last longer, so don't compare it to the treadlife of truck tires.
ZV
On my father's Explorers, we'd get 75,000 miles from a set of Firestone Wilderness AT's (yes, the supposedly infamous tires, in our esperience they were amazingly good). On my Old Accord, I got about 50,000 miles from a good set of Bridgestones (Potenza RE930).
If you rotate the tires, keep the alignment in spec, keep the air pressure correct, and don't over-drive the tires, you should get at least 40,000 (probably 50,000) miles out of a set of basic all-season tires.
Truck tires like on our old Explorers are typically harder rubber and deeper treads, which means they will last longer, so don't compare it to the treadlife of truck tires.
ZV
JulesMaximus
No Lifer
- Jul 3, 2003
- 74,561
- 967
- 126
You need to change them when they are worn out. How many miles you get out of a tire depends on many factors.
Sounds like she needs to replace her tires. I'd get an alignment and check the shocks at the same time.
I've got about 25k on my tires (BFGoodrich Touring T/A's, 185-65-14's) on my 99 civic. The corners are worn (but the center tread is fine) -- I find myself skidding while cornering in rain, snow is pretty difficult to deal with. I'm assuming my car needs an alignment. 
Zenmervolt
Elite member
- Oct 22, 2000
- 24,514
- 42
- 91
If both edges are worn and the center tread is fine, your tires are under-inflated.Originally posted by: wasssup
I've got about 25k on my tires (BFGoodrich Touring T/A's, 185-65-14's) on my 99 civic. The corners are worn (but the center tread is fine) -- I find myself skidding while cornering in rain, snow is pretty difficult to deal with. I'm assuming my car needs an alignment.
ZV
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