How Long Do Tires Last?

 

How Long Do Tires Last?

The short answer is that it depends on a lot of factors. The type of tire you buy, the climate you drive in, your driving style, the tire’s rubber compound, your vehicle, your maintenance routine, and the tire’s overall age will all influence how long a tire will last. Tires wear down over time, it’s inevitable. However, driving with bald tires is a risk of its own and you should be very careful before you decide to take that step.

A general rule is that a tire should last about four to five years or 60,000 to 75,000 miles. If you don’t drive often, you may fit the year threshold first. If you drive a high amount of miles, then you may hit the mileage threshold long before the year guideline.

Different Types of Tires

There are four general categories of tires: all-season, summer, winter, and all-terrain. The type of tire you buy and the climate you drive them in will influence the rate at which the tire wears away. For example, all-terrain tires are meant for driving off-road. If you regularly drive with these tires on pavement, they’ll wear away more quickly than the manufacturer intended because you’re using them in a manner they’re not designed for.

Treadwear Ratings

Tire manufacturers must put a treadwear rating on each of their tires. This is a number rating that’s given to the tire based on its performance against a control tire. The control tire is assigned a treadwear rating of 100.

Each tire is then given a rating based on its comparative performance against the control tire. So a tire with a rating of 200 will have taken twice as long for the tread to wear away as the control tire. If you’re curious about what your tire’s treadwear rating is, you can look them up on the NHTSA database of tire ratings. It also should be printed on your tire, but depending on the age and wear of your tire, it may not be legible.

The bulk of tires on the market today have a rating in the 201-500 range. The higher your tire’s rating, the longer your tire should last.

15 percent are rated below 200

25 percent are rated 201-300

32 percent are rated 301-400

20 percent are rated 401-500

6 percent are rated 501-600

2 percent are rated above 600

Drive Style

The more aggressively you drive, the faster your tires will wear. This is because you’re putting more demand on them. If you’re the type to step on the gas when the light turns green, then you’re wearing away your acceleration tires faster than necessary. To see if this is happening to you, take a look at the tires that receive the power from the engine. If you have a front-wheel drive car, then it’s your front wheels. Rear-wheel drive cars will have you looking at the back tires.

When your acceleration tires are noticeably more worn than your other tires, it means you’re accelerating too hard. The tires are working extra duty to grip the road as increased energy and torque are applied for your vehicle to accelerate.

This same sort of accelerated wear happens if you are braking hard too often. This also requires the tire to work harder, and thereby wear away faster.

Rubber Compounds

Not all tires are built the same. Different rubber compounds are used depending on the final intended use of the tire. Summer and performance tires tend to have softer rubber compounds that are designed to excel in higher heat. Unfortunately, the softer rubber also tends to wear faster.

Winter tires tend to have harder rubber compounds because the rubber needs to stay functional in frigid temperatures. While this means you’ll have less wearing, it does put the tire at a bigger risk of chipping. This is especially true of winter tires that are meant for driving on snow and ice. Take them for a cruise on asphalt, and you’ll find them wearing away incredibly fast.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? READ HERE.