After how many km, roughly, do people normally replace the tyres on their car? Based on what I've read I've seen around the 40,000 - 50,000km mark. Is this a fairly good 'rule of thumb?'
Also asking specifically in relation to Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres if anyone has any experience with them and their longevity.
Thanks
Bonus points for that comment !
why do tyres have the little tiny rubber "hair" things?
Why does Donald Trump?
https://www.toyotires.com.au/news-and-stories/why-do-my-tyre…
Decided to look it up and learnt something new today :P It's a by-product of the manufacturing process.
@keyman: From memory it has something to do with making sure there's no air bubbles if I am not mistaken?
They are from the mould and are supposed to be buffed off before leaving the factory.
It's also a good idea to wipe the tread area with buffing compound (it's like alcohol / methylated spirits) to remove the release compound that is quite oily. Super dangerous on motorcycle tyres.
Yeah type pubes. Meant to get cut a the factory
This, I had destroyed a set of expensive Bridgestone OEM tyres with only 5000km after my first track day, so yes definitely YMMV.
For me on average, 4 years, 40,000km thereabout, with tyre rotation, good alignment, not driving like an ass. Even if the tread might be ok the tyres can become hard and thus grip level falls off.
It's based on tread depth or age, not outright mileage.
large 4wd's can be as little as 20,000k's small cars as much as 60,000k's. My mums Mazda 3 is on it's original set which are still legal at 75,000
Just replaced Michelins on a Kluger after 80,000km.
Could have easily done 20-30,000 km more but I dont like to wear tyres down to near the wear bars.
The Jap factory Dunlops were done at 35,000 km.
You will find that cars with small diameter rims will wear out tyres faster. Driving style is also a major factor.
USA car forums have a lot of discussions about tyres with a large variation reported in wear life.
I don't think the 4WD tyres at 20,000km is accurate. Mine has done well over 40,000km and have plenty more tred to go. This is kind of a problem for me as I'm keen to get bigger tyres
Did state "as little as" not that all 4wd's will last 20,000km. I do know of a few Q7s, Cayennes and Touaregs which would burn through tyres within 20-30,000 k's
Understood. Cayennes and Touaregs are not 4WDs. They are sporty AWDs
Yeah! Our Mazda 6 is needing new tyres due to old age! Never had that occur in a car before. Must be the build quality as I drive it pretty hard (Kuhmo KHs).
I replaced my Kuhmos at 65k not because they were worn but because they offered so little grip. Haven't looked back with the Michelin replacements.
There is no guideline.
Some of the variables below
What sort of tyre compound, what sort of tread pattern?
What sort of vehicle?
What circumstances are you driving in (peak hour only, highway only, a mix of both, multistory parking, long straight roads or lots of turns)?
What road surfaces are you driving on?
How aggressively do you drive?
How well do you maintain your air pressures, rotation, balance and alignment?
Years since date of manufacture (some states)
"Tyre age
It is important to know the age of tyres, especially when buying second-hand vehicles. Most tyres have date markings and those older than five years, even with little wear, may need to be replaced, as rubber materials deteriorate over time."
https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/vehicles….
Although it states "may need to be replaced" it is a finable offence to drive on tyres 5 yrs or older in NSW and even transporting a vehicle on a trailer with tyres outside the age limit can bring about a fine, a cop went through the cars on trailers waiting to enter a car show and fined the owners for each tyre over age.
Unfathomable to the point of being a myth surely?
If the vehicle is not on a public road (ie stationary on a trailer), how can there be any penalty?
Noob question, what are you meant to do if you have a >5 year old full spare tyre that's never been used? Just bin it and buy a new one?
Or is it worth it to have a 5 tyre rotation within the 5 years?
@John Kimble: The spare in my Octavia is 13 years old. It's done around 200km. I wouldn't put it on as a permanent tyre but it's fine as a spare.
The Liberty was the same.
Both had the stupid idea of having a full size spare on a steel wheel that didn't match the alloys
It is true that Police can inspect a registered vehicle even if it is not being used on the road. See
http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/rta201318…
But I call BS on the 5 year old tyre rule. Can you quote a piece of legislation?
Check the Standards for Tyres:
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2018C00788
The tyre shops would be having an advertising field day if there was compulsory replacement of 5 year old tyres!
it is a finable offence to drive on tyres 5 yrs or older in NSW
under which section of the law? link please
i remember reading an article at surmised that the guy from 2Fast2Furious who died in a porsche did so because the tyres were really old and lost grip
I think he tried to do the same corner at the same speed and found it was fine
edit: https://www.thedrive.com/article/5189/the-truth-behind-what-…
https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/paul-walker-d…
Paul Walker wasn't driving, he was the passenger. A somewhat ironic demise.
Do it when they wear out. Also should do it every 5 years or so if they don't wear out by then.
Ahhhhhh.
Front wheel drive cars will wear the front tyres faster - I tend to get at least 20000km extra from my rear tyres compared to front (same brand, same pressure, etc)
You should rotate them, so they wear evenly
Some of us don't have the same tyre size front and back :(
If you can afford a BMW, then you can afford lots of new tyres :)
@oscargamer: That's pretty impressive how you knew that straight away… Good call though.
For actually contributing to this thread:
Front tyres replaced at 50,000kms
Currently just under 60,000 but because I'm in Melb and everything is locked down, I can't change them yet… they're starting to show its wear and tear. Should replace ASAP.
5 year old car, so pretty much spot on with what everyone is saying in this thread.
You don't rotate?
My tyres do.
The tyres have indicator nubs that you can use to gauge when to change the tyre.
The amount of mileage you get will vary on a number of things like driving style, keeping tyres correctly inflated, alignment, etc.
Depends whether your drifting with diesel or McDonald’s trays
Tyres must have 3mm thread on them to be legal.
Though I have often found that grip decreases before that point.
Sporty tyres may not last as long if they are "softer" to provide better grip.
WHAT?
1.6mm is the legal minimum.
'Grip' doesn't necessarily decrease with wear. Usually wet weather driving is negatively affected. Usually dry weather grip is improved.
My bad - 3mm is the point at which it is recommended to change tyres. 1.5mm is when it is legally required.
Obviously grip decreases when it is wet. But with new tyres, the difference in grip between a cold and a wet road is nowhere near as noticeable as with balding tyres. By the time my previous tyres were due for replacement, I was drifting around corners.
The opposite in my case. Just replaced my Bridgestone S001's and the dry cornering of these (as they wore down) just got better and better.
@oscargamer: I always found Bridgestone to be great in dry, but poor in wet roads.
I don't buy them anymore.
If you drive regularly, then when the tread indicators say so or when the tyres are 5 years old.
If you just let your car sit there for months on end without moving it, then you might get a flat patch and have to replace the tyres before that.
When i am racing, probably every 2000km
Depends on how you drive more than the KMs. Check the tread instead!
I had MPS4S on my M4C and had them on for 20,000km, they were probably at 50% tread at least. I now have the MPS4S on the X3M but I've only done 3,000km so far. Coming from the Pilot Super Sport it was night and day for performance, handling and longevity.
Not sure what you're driving but it's good to see others on the MPS4S, they truly are one of the best you can buy and considering they're what keeps the car gripped to the road, I find it crazy when people stick $200 worth of shitty compound tyres on their cars to save a few dollars. I'd take a cheaper car with good tyres any day over an expensive one with shitters.
but it's good to see others on the MPS4S, they truly are one of the best you can buy..
I definitely agree with you on that. I found that it sticks to the road like glue, even in wet weather.
When I had them for about 5000km, I took my car in for service at Audi and they wrote on the report that I need to change my tyres because "they had 1mm left". Because the tread pattern goes out and wraps around the sidewalls a little more than usual before it tapers off, the service tech measured from the outer edge. I looked at them and just shook my head.
Pretty standard from the stealership… should see the defect my missus got from a dealership regarding a chip on her windscreen which was thankfully overturned by higher up.
Nowadays I buy my tyres from Tyresales, ship them to the dealer (BMW) and have them fit it. Usually save 5-10% which is enough to make it count on MPS4S's, and i buy them when I think they are required, not when BMW tells me so.
Minimum legal tread depth is 1.5mm across the full tread width of the tyre which is the depth of the tread wear indicators.
Below 3mm wet weather performance deteriorates severely.
I try and change my tyres at 2-3mm.
The mileage you get depends on the weight of the vehicle, how and where you drive, what tyre pressure you run, how often you get the tyres rotated, wheel alignment and many other factors.
On my current car the worst I've ever got was 32k km Conti CSC2) and the best 70k km (Michelin Primacy).
I had a set of Goodyear NCT on a V8 Commodore once and they lasted 5,000km. I had a 5.9l Valiant once and that got new rear tyres every 2 months but I worked in a tyre place and they were cheap.
Minimum legal tread depth is 1.5mm across the full tread width of the tyre which is the depth of the tread wear indicators.
What if it's less than 1.5mm but only on the outer edge?
then it's legally fuxored but you might get away with it sometimes
@ Drakesy 'large 4wd's can be as little as 20,000k's'
Please tell me how I achieved 123,000 from a set of A/Ts and still hadn't hit the wear marks?
Let me help you.
Don't drive like an idiot.
Same here. I get far more k's with quality tyres on a suv with 18" rims than we do on our sedan.
Tyre quality and not driving like an anxious rabbit helps a lot. :-)
🤦🏽♂️ Depends on your dealer/service mechanic and how honest they are……
Depends how your drive, what roads you drive on and the compound. I know one person who got over 80,000 km, another with over 110,000 km. They drove fairly straight highways to work and went easy around corners.
I personally usually get 25,000km to 45,000km on semi premium's. I was in a rush last time and choose comfort premiums. These tyres look like they will barely make 15,000km (with light driving, they are stupidly soft but have next to no grip… they suck)
What brand?
I have used most. Conti Comfort 5's are the one's wearing stupidly quick. I have found them to have no grip, poor tread life, but they are smooth and quite compared to semi premium Continentals, Pirelli and Michelin .
Yeah I often get 70k plus. I had one set at 125k but they started delaminating so I changed them despite at least 30% tread
300-70,000
replace them before you hit the wear marker…. its not rocket science to just look at your tyres whenever you put air in them.
Until the wire shows bahahaha
Yasssss!!!! Real men roll on sparks!
Michelin PS4 about 25k km on last set changing at 3 - 2 mm (Subaru WRX)
It depends on tyre size, quality, compound, weight and driving style. So, potatoes is the answer.
Tyres are made from a polymer. When new, the polymer connections are pretty 'loose' so the tyre is soft and grippy. As the tyre is used and time elapses it is subject to thermal events that increase the cross linking of the polymers so the rubber gets harder, less grip and more prone to cracking. If you are using tyres more than 7 years old then keep a close eye on where the tread blocks connect to the main carcase, any crack should condemn the tyre for all but very low speed/low load use.
Also, grip is a function of the ageing, especially in wet weather. The tread 'sipes' (gaps between the blocks) are only for shifting standing water. Older tyres grip less in wet conditions mostly because the compound has hardened, not because the sipes are less capable (aquaplaning happens in extremis, regardless of compound state). Obviously an almost shagged tyre is a double whammy in the wet weather, poor grip from compound and cant tolerate > 2 mm of standing water
Tall tread blocks (new tyre) also bend and distort and can reduce grip. The rally boys take new tyres and shave them down to min legal depth so they get stiff tread blocks and new (grippy) rubber (no thermal cycling to cure the rubber). Great thing to do if you only need 100km of tyre life, and can run the 100 km in 30 seconds less
Most tyres have a wear indicator on them. When it's worn down it's time to change.
It depends on a number of factors. One is wear of the tread. There are depth indicators within the crevices of the tread.
Other factors are damages to the tyre it self.
Rather a silly question if I may add, as it presents itself quite evident as to when to replace tyre.
Consult your tyre specialist for further advice.
As others stated, so many variables. Alignment plays a huge part too.
Excessive toe in/out will eat your tyres like nothing else.
As a rough guide, my Jaguar F Type at 20,000km on the factory Pirelli P-Zero look 80% worn on the rear, 50% up front.
The VW Jetta on Michelin PS3 has 50,000km and the rears look barely touched while the front has maybe 15-20,000km left.
was the Jag still working after 20k?
Haha. Yes, it hasn't missed a beat.
I've owned 'unreliable' cars in the past, including a couple BMWs and never had a problem (touch wood).
Had my car regular tyre rotation, wheel alignment from bridgy's stone tyre care .Maybe poor skills in wheel alignment as went thru 4 tyres in 15K
Yikes. What car and tyres?
Assuming you're not driving like Ken Block, that's very unreasonable.
Not if you drive on semi slick tires, 4 degrees of negative camber, corrected toe and do track days/happy laps every few weeks on a car that makes 300kw at 4 wheels? :P
Yeah, which is why I asked what car and tyres and assuming he's not doing gymkhana.
Judging by his comments, I'm guessing he's not running a set of R888 and hitting up eastern creek every other week.
Depends on so many factors - car, compound, wheel alignment geometry, tire pressure, rotations, driving style, terrain, etc etc.
I usually get 8,000-10,000k kms out of a set of tyres on my cars.
wow.
wow
What a beast :O
Have had Michelin Pilot Sport 4 on my Focus RS and got 14,000km out of them. No track, just road.
The MPS4 and MPS4S might sound the same, but they are very different tyres. If you get the oppotunity, give the MPS4S a go…..
I've got the 4S on now
I'm onto my second set of ps4s on a focus ST. Got 30000 out of the first set. Replaced them earlier than I really needed to because I'd rather be safe than sorry for $600.
Check the tread depth, if you want help just go into any tire shop and ask them.
Agree with the treads or mechanic's advice. It's because people drive on different terrain and some terrain wear out more than others i.e. kms may not be as reliable. And some people drive more aggressively than others.
If I was selling yyres, I'd say every 10000ks, if I'm buying tyres I'd say when they are down to the legal minimum or damaged in some way.
you can drive it to ur nearest police station they will let you know is due or not… (insert wink emoji)
do you need to buy 5 tyres evertyime you replace tyres due to age? Given that the spare would also be old and not used?
Or can you just go for one of the buy 3 get 4th free and use the spare just for emergencies?
I posed the same question I'm guessing one should either just buy a 5th every 5 years or have a 5 tyre rotation…
The 5 year rule is for the tyres that are on the car, which get exposed to all the elements, UV light and anything that is on the road when your driving like oil and other chemicals.
For most cars that store the spare inside the the spare wheel well, it should last a lot longer, since it's a lot nicer environment for the rubber so it won't breakdown as fast.
That estimate seems about right. Ive got a set of PS3, front wore out around 40k, rear about 60k.
Mostly city driving and the car is RWD.
Though you should just replace the wheels when it's worn… there are tread indicators which make it easy to do so
80,000+ kms out of the tyres on the Patrol
not sure on the wagon yet.
1.6mm tread depth
You have to check the tread depth. could 60k…..20k…..5k, depends on the driver, the rubber, the car….
I've never had tyres last that long.
Of the reasons to replace tyres I'd think how far they've driven is a very low consideration.
- tread depth remaining
- age
5000 km around bankstown
Ha, this is actually YMMV