When do you guys change tires - wear bar, etc

[Nick1994]

Lost a front tire on the Genesis to a pothole this summer, they still had good tread but I wanted a matching pair and got a good deal on some Pirellis.

The rears are under 3/32" now after 14k miles. Going to keep going. Maybe not quite to dragster slicks but I'll use em' up. If there's rain in the forecast I'll drive another car. But I guess it doesn't rain here anymore, so that's unlikely these tires will ever see rain again.

 

[Wolf359]

Dude, you just resurrected a 13 year old thread!

Is that the record?

I probably change mine out around 4-5/32s depending on the weather. I think the consensus is that performance suffers once you get below 4/32's in rain and 5/32's in snow. I get both so I sometimes swap them out just before snow season starts if they're borderline. When I get down to 4-5/32's, the edges are also more worn so it's time anyway.

 

[InvalidUserID]

Once it's nearing 5/32, I start checking more often and watching for deals. If it's my parent's cars or my girl's, I'll change them sooner than my own.

 

[Slick3914]

4/32 or six years.

 

[Sayonara_Sonata]

Although I run them close to maypop status, shy of visible cord, I do acknowledge a much higher incident if picking up a sharp foreign object resulting in flat.

But, only on one side . . .

The last go around before snagging a new set of skins I came across a 20mph posted curve. Without doubt one of the shortest tight curves I've come across. The drizzle had stopped, yet road still wet. Not being familiar with the curve I came in at what I thought was a safe speed under the tyre & road conditions.

About half way through, wheels cocked around 45*, understeer rears its ugly head. And a new oncoming vehicle was feet away from intersecting. I reduced throttle as the front end commenced to intrude a mite on the other side of the road.

The look on their faces was priceless as I maintained steering track until the tyres caught. One hand on the wheel window down arm resting on window sill and poker faced as we passed I just grinned.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Whenever I see the wear bar on them. No reason to change before then. As for stocking up on tires yes because my truck takes P205/75R14 and those are practically extinct as are the 15 inch tires that fit my beetle, my van and my Jeep. Starting next year I think it is my state is going to reject you on your inspection if your tires are older than 7 years old which is ridiculous. The tires on the beetle are from the 90s well two of them are the back two aren’t. We have had the same tires on my van since 2007 they haven’t worn out and only have about 17,000 miles on them but we don’t have to have those inspected since they have antique plates

 

[gfh77665]

If the legal limit is raised to 4/32", will they return in two years showing the same effect compared to 8/32"?

Thats exactly what will happen. TR is in the buisness to sell as many new tires as possible. Anything short of "brand new" will be percieved to be a deathtrap.

 

[gregk24]

I guess it depends, I would change before the wear bars show up. Or sooner if there was dry rotting.

 

[Bighorn2500]

Almost to wear bar or if wet traction really falls off first.

 

[eljefino]

Another feature that I now look for in new tires are full-depth SIPES. Sipes are the little cuts that typically run across the main tread or diagonally to it. Lower-grade tires typically have sipes that only go halfway down the tread, whereas higher-grade tires have sipes that go down the full tread depth. I'm told that sipes are designed to open under pressure and can make a significant difference in both wet and dry handling, but especially wet braking. From my own experience, I think that this is true. Sipes do not make as big of a difference as the depth of the main tread channels, and justifiably do not get as much attention. However, if you have had tires where the sipes wore-away at half tread-depth I think that you probably noticed a decrease in wet braking performance.

I've noticed tires down to just longitudinal grooves, so tread blocks aren't always cut all the way down. The ones on the shoulder in particular don't go far. Some theories come to mind:

1- Tread block stiffness is needed to reduce squirm and wear.

2- They want acceptable snow traction for the first year or two of ownership, to "reward" the owner for buying some new all-seasons

3- Marketing is trying to wow new tire buyers with all the squiggly sipes, and shame someone at 5/32 with a now-ordinary looking tire with fewer grooves. If they take a boring looking shoulder as "excess shoulder wear due to poor alignment", even better.

 

[mightymousetech]

I always change them when I feel the performance of the tires start to fall off. Typically I will pull off winter tires when they have 5-6mm, and can normally sell them for about half of the price of new. Summer tires it can vary. My rear tires are at about 4mm, but can no longer hold traction in second gear in less that 20C. Will replace in the spring and again, will likely be able to sell them for around half the price of the new ones. Surprised how many people are willing to pay money for tires I would not consider using anymore.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I usually run 3 season tires down to 50% tread. I'm not a fan of running on baldies even in the summer. They're also still worth something so I can sell them for a few bucks back. Winter tires I'll usually only run 2 or 3 seasons. My Hankook garbage snow tires only lost 3/32'' of tread for 3 winters, so they're getting sold and I'm switching to new. They are geting offloaded.

 

[supton]

I usually run 3 season tires down to 50% tread. I'm not a fan of running on baldies even in the summer. They're also still worth something so I can sell them for a few bucks back. Winter tires I'll usually only run 2 or 3 seasons. My Hankook garbage snow tires only lost 3/32'' of tread for 3 winters, so they're getting sold and I'm switching to new. They are geting offloaded.

I've thought a few times of running tires to halfway then flipping on CL. If I could find a cheap source for steelies I could see that, maybe just buy all seasons in the fall, run until 6/32's or so, flip and start over. The cheapskate in me has kept from that path though, I just drive slower when it rains (4/32's and even I can tell the drop in wet traction).

 

[tiger862]

When they get dangerous I replaced. Still had 4/32 on tires I just replaced on the Caravan but on accelerating on dry pavement it loved to spin if going up a hump but rain it felt like ice. Hate tires cost about as much as a used car once cost. Even bought used cars for less.

 

[OilReport99]

When the car no longer feels solid at hwy speeds in the rain.

That’s exactly the criteria I use. In Florida, you need tires with good wet traction and hydroplaning resistance. It can be dangerous to not have them. Btw, I had new tires mounted today at the Ram dealership: Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring A/S. Nothing fancy, but they will handle the rain better than the old, lousy OEM Wranglers.

 

[Eddie]

~ 2/32 in dry season and ~ 3/32 in wet season. I adjust driving to tread depth. Ed

 

[LawrenceGazebo]

There were many years when I didn't keep a vehicle long enough to replace tires...oops. Now I feel like road hazards take out tires before they wear out.

 

[01rangerxl]

Near/at wear bar, bad in rain, and more often than I'd like, catastrophic puncture.

My 1997 Explorer is the first I am replacing due to dry rot. It has a set of BFG Long Trails with decent tread, but tons of large cracks. Putting cheapo Goodyear Trailrunners on it tomorrow.

 

[ryster]

As soon as my tires get down to 4/32 I start the process. In fact, I just checked my tires (Cooper Evolution Tour) yesterday and they are at 6/32. Kind of disappointing as they only have 16,000 miles on them. All four are evenly worn, and the tread face looks good. Just expected them to last longer since they are rated for 65,000 miles.