So in early June we have a trip planned from the Salt Lake area to Los Angeles. Probably 1,700 miles round trip in my wife's Highlander. The OEM tires are as stated at 4/32nds. Of course the trip would be on I-15 South which means miles of Nevada desert followed by miles of California desert. Possibly warm temperatures. Would you replace the tires before the trip?
Would you replace at 4/32nds ?
- Thread starter CKN
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I assume your wear bars are at 2/32 (1/16”). I would plan to find a sale at your convenience but wouldn’t panic if you couldn’t get it done prior to the trip.
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I could go either way, but I probably would. Your not saving much wear or money by waiting, and who needs tire trouble on vacation.
Hermann
Site Donor 2023
^^^^^Put a couple or three extra psi in them. It will help them run a touch cooler across the desert. Or you could go west over the Rockies and go south, on one of Californy's north-south roads. Just thinkin'
I just replaced my Explorer tires that were just under 4/32… Those tires were going on 5 years and 53,000 miles, so I feel like I got my moneys worth. I also have our annual beach trek coming up and thought that replacing a tad early is better than a little late…
Nope. I would be very comfortable with them assuming good shape overall - not lots of repairs & have not been run severely underinflated & still within a reasonable date, i.e. not over 6-8 years old.
If there's little to no rain forecasted I'd run them as always. Once drove tires that were between 1/16 - 1/32 from Houston to Mexico and back during the peak of summer because I knew it'd be dry as a bone but mainly because I found out just the day before leaving and had no time to do it. But I knew for sure it'd be as dry as ever. I just completely forgot about the factory tires then and I haven't ran them down anywhere near that since.
4/32" is borderline in wet conditions. It tends to rain when I least expect it.
Is that 1/8th??
Drive on them. Unless the forecast in LA is for heavy rain, I would be all over driving on those tires for the trip. Put a new set on when you get home.
CKN
That's a Great Question
I have no idea how many miles you drive per year on your Wife's Highlander.
Since they're OEM tires with 4/32nd's tread left, they have Zero resale value, and are probably sub standard. Since you posted the question, you've obviously thought about replacing the tires.
For piece of mind, go ahead and replace the tires and don't look back. You'll feel better. Safety 1st.
My 2011 Ford Expedition EL King Ranch 4x4 has 376k miles on it. I recently purchased my 6th set of Michelin Defenders. Brand new, they come with 12/32nd's of tread. I typically run them 75k miles which leaves between 5/32nd's to 6/32nd's of an inch of tread left. Then I sell them on Facebook Marketplace for $300-$350.
Anything less than 5/32nd's makes them hard to sell.
Discount Tire/Michelin run pretty good sales twice a yr. In March/April, and September/October if you want to save a few bucks.
Safety 1st!
Good Luck
That's a Great Question
I have no idea how many miles you drive per year on your Wife's Highlander.
Since they're OEM tires with 4/32nd's tread left, they have Zero resale value, and are probably sub standard. Since you posted the question, you've obviously thought about replacing the tires.
For piece of mind, go ahead and replace the tires and don't look back. You'll feel better. Safety 1st.
My 2011 Ford Expedition EL King Ranch 4x4 has 376k miles on it. I recently purchased my 6th set of Michelin Defenders. Brand new, they come with 12/32nd's of tread. I typically run them 75k miles which leaves between 5/32nd's to 6/32nd's of an inch of tread left. Then I sell them on Facebook Marketplace for $300-$350.
Anything less than 5/32nd's makes them hard to sell.
Discount Tire/Michelin run pretty good sales twice a yr. In March/April, and September/October if you want to save a few bucks.
Safety 1st!
Good Luck
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
CKN, you've never seemed like one to roll the dice even a little. Just an observation.
Accurate observation.......
and who knows what you can get out in the middle of nowhere, vs being able to research and get the tires you want/ fit the needs of the vehicle.
I usually replace tires at the first sign that they are not dispersing water from the tread on a wet road. That is usually around 4/32.
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Yep. Years ago after a week in the Keys I walked out to the parking lot Sunday morning getting ready for the 10 hour drive home, to find a flat tire. I had a full size spare, so with a 10 minute or so delay, we were off as expected. Why I will never own a car without a full size spare tire.
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