When to replace tires?

My PRIME also came with Dunlop Enasave and now have 4/32 tread left after 30K on them. I am planning to replace them before next spring. I will be putting on my snow tires very soon. If you have no snow, you may be OK bit longer. With 4/32 left on mine, I started noticing wet traction getting bad on them. Yeah, I am looking to buy Yoko Avid Ascend for my replacement also, but thinking of trying their new LX instead of GT for longer tread life.

 

OP,

Food for thought...

Better Handling On A Budget ! | PriusChat



Rob43

 

I just hit something on the street and cracked my rear tire a few days ago . So went to Costco and bought 4 Michelin x tour . Drive much better than the factory tires.


iPhone ? View attachment 180547 View attachment 180561

 

That's unfortunate luck.

I would agree that almost any new premium tire will drive much better than the factory tires.



Rob43

 

I swapped out the OEM Toyos for those Avid GTs in May. They were down to 5/32 at only about 24k miles, which I would have been fine with for a while longer, but we were going to be in the Colorado Rockies in May and I wasn't sure they would be up to conditions we might find there. The GTs are wonderful tires. I have 10,000 miles on them now.

 

Wet traction normally starts falling the moment you put any wear on them, so you have to set a threshold where you are comfortable. 6/32" seems quite early for mere wet traction issues for most people.

I had understood CA's minimum tread law is 1/32", as are a few other southern mostly dry states, while most of the country with more wet time puts the limit at 2/32". A common recommendation now is to consider replacing all-season tires at 4/32" for wet traction reasons, and real snow tires at 6/32", but these are not hard fast rules.

Your personal road feel, in your personal driving situation and conditions, is the real determinant.

 

How are your Yoko Avid Ascend GT holding out on treads? GT comes with 65K tread warranty. I had Yoko Avid Ascend (not GT) with 80K tread warranty on my previous HCH. They lasted 5 years, but I did not get 80K out of them. It was more like 60K, but was very happy with them. I am deciding between Ascend GT and their new Ascend LX which has 85K tread warranty for my replacement set.

 

I haven't checked the depth for a while. I should try to remember to do that this weekend. I probably won't have time today or tomorrow.

 

I'm happy to hear about your 10,000 mile success !


Rob43

 

I checked the tread yesterday. They are now at 10/32. Started at 12/32. Going right now for my 2nd rotation, so just over 10k miles on them. Warranty is 65,000 miles.

 

Thanks for the info. I think 2/32 for 10K is a typical tread loss rate for any tires. If the rate hold, they have 40K more down to 2/32. That will be less than warranted 65K. I kinda want to try the new Yokohama Avid Ascend LX with 85K miles warranty. They should last longer than GT. Then there are other long tread life tires I kept in my shortlist, Michelin Defender T+H with 80K, Hankook Kinergy PT with 90K. I have had Conti True Contact with 90K warranty on my last Gen3 after replacing Ecopia 422 Plus which lasted less than 30K despite having 70K warranty. I did not keep the Gen3 with Conti long enough to evaluate the tread wear.

 

If you are that close...and with winter approaching, AND if you can get a good deal?
I think I'd go ahead and replace them.
Tire's are a big safety issue, so if you can afford it? New beats worn.

 

Maybe these tire warranties should have a "rate of wear" proviso. If I'm not mistaken, the only way to collect now is to present (hate that usage of the word...) with tires at the wear bars. A lot of owners don't (sensibly) want to drive with tires in that condition, opt to change tires sooner. As an example:

Tire manufacturer has a tire with 12/32" initial tread depth, wear bars are at 2/32", and warrants that it'll take 100K miles to wear down to those wear bars.

If someone buys/installs these tires, and 50K miles later his tread is 7/32" (a drop of 5/32"), he's right on track to bottom out at 3/32" at 100K miles, what they're warranted to do.

If OTOH, he's at 50K miles and his tread depth is 4/32", it could be argued that he's going to be down to the wear bars well before 100K.

In the latter case, a rate of wear could be established, and if the owner opts to replace the tires sooner (in advance of wear bar time), he could get a pro-rated refund.

 

I agree.
Also tire sellers are making it more confusing.
Because "Heads" have changed.
It use to be pretty much exclusively the Lincoln Penny test. And you replaced when your tires failed that standard.
NOW...
They are using the Quarter to represent the "approaching" period of -you should strongly consider changing your tires.

Bottom line for me?
I would replace ASAP if I ever reached wear bars or failed the penny test.
I replace anytime I want to do so, if I just don't feel comfortable or safe with the tires. You can have what appears to be good tread depth, but just lousy tires.
I have replaced tires that visually looked fine, I just didn't like them. Grip, durability, etc.

This is why my advice to the OP is that if they have found a good deal on a good set of tires, and they are at all of the mindset that they need or will soon need tires...go ahead.

 

As many of us already know, tire manufacturers' tread warranty is mostly useless and only used as a marketing ploy. I have not had any tires with tread warranty actually lasted as long miles as they say it would. For those tires that did no last as long as warranted, even if they do honor the warranty claim, it often does not help the consumer to compensate for the financial loss from the premature tread wear anyway. If you read the small prints on the warranty, it often specifies that the prorated payback is applied as a discount only to the purchase of the same model of tires at MSRP. Individual tire shops may have different policy and it may allow discounts to be applied to other brands and models of tires but that is usually not what the warranty says. I have never paid MSRP on any tire I have purchased. Prorated discount applied to MSRP usually is higher than the street price of the same model. And most of the time you do not want the same model again knowing that it did not perform to your expectations.

That being said, even though I don't find the tread warranty to be useful from the financial point of view, it provides some sense of standard on tread longevity among different makes and models of tires available on the market and gives me some idea, on which tire will last longer albeit often skeptical. Combined with UTQG rating for the tire, tread warranty distance does help a bit in choosing the next tire set IMO.

 

I did take advantage of warranty once. We weren't using winter tires at the time (can be a problematic factor, hard to prove miles on the tires), and we had a set of Michelin Harmony's get down to the wear bars at 60K kms, when they were warrantied for 120K. Went back to the same tire shop, and the math was very simple: they laisoned with Michelin and we got a replacement set for half price.

 

I think that is the key for getting a tread warranty claim honored. Local tire shop wants a customer coming back for future business, they will try everything they can to make you happy. Things are different when you purchase brand tires online at price 50% off MSRP shipped free to your front door.

 

Grip is Everything.

Let me say it again, Grip Is Everything !

*******************************

Warranty is secondary.

MPG's are secondary.

Noise is secondary.

And so on....

**********************

At the end of the day, your tires number one reason for being a tire is to keep you connected to the road surface under varying conditions.

Grip (Safety) is everything, everything else is secondary.


Rob43

 

This is what I had on my Corolla, and what I will look at when my Primes Bridgestone Ecopia's get too worn.
Michelin Premier A/S Tires | Michelin