I’m new to this so have patience. What does everybody think about how many miles a set of appropriatley matched tires should last on a recent 4 door luxury sedan under average conditions/driving habits and no mechanical issues? Mine started to show signficant wear at 15,000 miles. RobG
A lot depends on the tire. What make and model (tire and car)? H or V rated?
If it’s front wheel drive, the front tires will wear much faster than rear. My rear tires hardly wear at all. Overall I’d expect about 60-70K miles out of all of them. But I rotate front to back every 20K miles or so. I also drive a 2,500 pound car. Some nice sedans are 4,000 pounds.
Tire tread durability varies considerably.
The variables include whether the tire is considered to be a “sport” type tire, whether the OP is careful about checking and correcting tire inflation on a regular basis, whether the tires have been rotated, how hard the OP corners the vehicle, and even how much of a load the vehicle typically carries.
If the OP would reveal the details regarding the make and model of the tire and the car, that would be helpful. Additionally, I would be interested in knowing the wear rating number that appears on the tire’s sidewall.
At this point, there are too many unknowns to be able to comment with any real value, IMHO.
Tires can be designed to get good grip, or good wear, or good fuel economy, but they can’t be designed to be good at all 3. For example, OE (Original Equipment) tires, aren’t designed for good wear. They’re designed for good fuel economy - and that means sacrificing wear.
So depending on what your tires were designed to do, 15K might be a good number.
You didn’t tell us what tires you have and you didn’t tell us what “signficant wear” actually means. It’s hard to help without basic details.
I always get good mileage from my tires. With Goodyear 15" I used to get over 90,000 with a full sized Olds. Never had a tire I didn’t get at least 60,000 with.
You also haven’t told us anything abou the car. “4 door luxury sedan” could be anything from an old Buick to a BMW 8-series.
Here’s more details. 2011 Lexus LS460 AWD: GVWR 5810lbs, GAWR FR 3130lbs, RR 3130lbs. Tires: original equiptment, Bridgestone Turanza EL42, 235/50R/18, DOT EL5V, Treadwear 260, Traction A, Temp A. Inflation checked regularly and rotation done every 5,000 miles. No hard cornering and majority of miles with only driver and one passenger.
When the time comes replace them with an appropriate set of Michelins, I bet you’ll get more miles.
“Treadwear 260”
Therein lies the explanation.
Treadwear ratings on tires are more typically in the 400-500 range, and if I am not mistaken, I have seen one Michelin with a treadwear rating of 800.
In my experience, a tire with a treadwear rating of only 260 is not likely to have much tread left after ~22k-25k miles.
260 isn’t very high on the Bridgestone scale. Their longest lasting is a 700.
http://www.vehicletire.com/Rating/Bridgestone
But understand that there’s a tradeoff between wear and traction. Softer compounds permit better wear but don’t last as long. And in that size tire you’re probably not going to get good wear.
The only thing wrong with the car that’s contributing to treadwear is that it’s a classy car. Economy isn’t it’s forte.
How do you know there isn’t a mechanical problem? You have a number of factors working against you here.
The tire wear rating is quite low.
You rotate far too often.
By rotating this often, you would mask any alignment issues. You need to run at least 10k to see if a wear pattern develops. First you should get a tire depth gauge, you can get these for about $3 and measure the tread depth periodically. You have an AWD, so it is necessary to maintain a fairly equal tread depth between all your tires.
Tread depth gauges measure in MM and 32nds of an inch. Most people are used to the 32nds. A new tire typically has a tread depth of 10 to 12/32" tread depth. A tire is legally worn out at 2/32" but most people will recommend replacing any tire that is below 4/32", especially if winter is approaching.
When ever the difference in tread depth between the deepest and shallowest tire is approaching 2/32", it is time to rotate for an AWD vehicle. I think that using the tread depth as the criteria for rotation is much better than miles.
Also measure across the tread of each tire. Each rib should have about the same depth. If they don’t, then there is a problem. If the center ribs have a different depth than the outers, then you need to adjust your air pressure. If the centers are deeper, add more air, if shallower, reduce the pressure. If the tread depth varies between one side of the tire and the other, you need an alignment. Even brand new cars sometimes need an alignment.
I do not recommend that anyone get an alignment unless either the vehicle doesn’t drive straight or the tires are not wearing evenly. Don’t even allow the tire place to give you a free check. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
BTW, don’t get too hung up by the numbers alone. Each manufacturer sets their own criteria for the number. A Bridgestone with a rating of 400 will outlast a Michelin with a rating of 400, but on the whole, since Bridgestone has discontinued the Turanza LS-T, I now prefer the Michelin Primacy.
@the same mountainbike
Softer compounds permit better wear but don't last as long.
Am I correct in thinking that you didn’t write what you intended here…a simple mistake? I would think that you intended to write “softer compounds permit better TRACTION but …”
Or do I misunderstand?
You are correct. Nice catch. Mea Culpa.
Pleased to assist, especially to you good sir, who adds so much value to this forum.
;=)
–Roadtripper
I agree with @VDCdriver. A rating of 260 is a sporty type tire designed for grip, not longevity. If the OP drives mostly highway the tires will last nearly twice as long as city/suburban stop and go driving. The car in question may be a bit harder on tires than most. An example of this is a Honda S2000 that will consume rear tires in as little as 9000 miles while getting 20,000 from the fronts. It is a design flaw that gives superior handling and lousy wear. Check the Tire Rack website for your Turanza’s and see what the reviews for wear say. That will lead you to a longer wearing tire.
Western, I bow to your kindness. Lord knows I try. And I know you do too.
Thanks again.
Tire Rack’s survey results on that tire are pretty low in the treadwear category.
Personally, I would never consider the purchase of tires with a treadwear rating that low and would shoot for a 450, 500 or higher even if a little sacrifice in traction was involved.
Granted, there is no firm standard on those treadwear numbers but they can provide a general indication of how long they will last in comparison to others.