Treadlife and warranty

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jul 13, 2005
Messages
2,163
Location
New Hampsha
How accurate is it? Say a certain tire says it is good for 80,000 miles(Goodyear Comforttred) and another says it is good for 45,000(Michelin Pilot Exalto's)

I drive about 30k a year and the majority of it is highway miles.

Does that mean if I got the Michilen's that I'd be replacing them in a year and a half?

Never really had to worry about tires as far as miles goes before so I've never paid all that much attention to those stats.

Now it matters
 
I had some Michelins that were supposedly good for 60K and they were getting worn at 40K. So I got a discount on a new set, paying less than $300 for a new set installed and balanced.
 
ucandoit:

I'm in a similar boat as you. I drive approximately 40K miles/year in our family car for business use. Since I spend so much time on the highway, I use all-seasons to quiet the road noise. I also live in an area where traction is a concern in the wintertime. Because of that and the amount of miles I drive per year I try to buy tires with a 40K to 50K treadlife and plan it so they need to be replaced just before each winter driving season. That way I'll have maximum tread for bad weather driving. The treadlife warranty is a good indication how long the tire will last....give or take 5K miles or so.
 
The way you worded the question makes wording the answer difficult.

First, tire wear is a function of many things. Here's a list of factors that, IMHO, are the most influential (in order):

Turns per mile (country vs city driving)
Agressive vs gentle driving
Alignment
Inflation pressure
Tire wear rating

What I'm trying to say here is that the wear rating is a little far down the list to be used for predictive purposes.

Wear Rating - is based on a government test. However, the tire doesn't actually have to be tested - the rating has to be justifiable! Which means you have to take the ratings with a grain of salt, factoring each tire manufacturer's appraoch to this rating (Some see it as a marketing tool, and some see it as an implied warranty.)

Warranty - has nothing to do with either of the things listed above. It is merely a statement that if you don't get the wear, they'll supply you with another tire at a reduced price. But if the alignment is off, or the tire isn't rotated regularly, then the warranty is void.

So accuracy??? NONE!!!

Words of advice. Take some time every month to do maintenance on your car. It will make your car safer.

I spend Saturday mornings listening to CarTalk (It's a radio program about car repair with 2 very entertaining hosts.), and I use the time to perform oil changes, tire rotations, brake inspections, etc.
 
I hear wahat you are saying Capri...like I said, almost all of my driving is highway driving as I literally drive down the street, jump on Rt 3 south to 128 North and don't get off the highway until 50 miles later. Then in the afternoon same thing just reversed so 100 miles highway a day.

I REALLY like the looks and the reviews of the Pilot Exalto's but I don't want to get a tire I'm going to pretty much have to replace in a year or so. That's why the Comforttreds or maybe the TRZ's appeal to me.

Belive me, I say again...I understand what you are saying BUT shouldn't it stand to reason that with the exact same driving style that the GY's should last longer than the Exalto's with everything being equal?

Someone please feel free to correct me if I still am making no sense
patriot.gif
 
As I understand it, treadlife rating is just a value used to compare one tire with another, based on standardized industry testing. It cannot be translated into real world miles.

Somewhere I once read that treadlife rating of 100 equals 30K miles. I don't think that's true, considering a treadlife of 450 would equal 135K miles. I've never seen that happen.

In light of your driving situation, I'd say that a high treadwear rating should be high on your list of considerations for tire purchase.
 
If I understand correctly, the tire rating system is meant only be used to compare tires made by the same company, and not between the manufacturers. We all seem to do that though.
smile.gif
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top