How often do you get new tires?
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 22,702
Likes: 0
From: Chicago Burbs, Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 528 










How often do you get new tires?
I just did a front/back rotation of my tires/wheels with Falken Ze-512s on them cuz the front ones were a lot more worn down than the rear ones. I've had them for about 9,000 miles. I'd say the front ones (rear now) are probably 60-70% gone and the rear ones (front now) are like maybe 30-40% gone. Does that sound about right for these tires and that mileage? How often do you guys get new tires?
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
iTrader: (10)
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,783
Likes: 0
From: Birmingham, Alabama
Rep Power: 284 

It doesn't if you keep the height at about factory, but when you start to lower
or raise it, it throws the camber way off. Like this...
or raise it, it throws the camber way off. Like this...
I'd say get new tires when you see the METAL CORDS !!!
LMAO
j/k
I usually get new tires when I start to feel that they've lost their grip on the road. But I race, and I know the difference. For most, it's when you've got about 3/32" - 4/32" tread depth left.
LMAO
j/k
I usually get new tires when I start to feel that they've lost their grip on the road. But I race, and I know the difference. For most, it's when you've got about 3/32" - 4/32" tread depth left.
Autocross Junky
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,211
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Rep Power: 380 










Originally Posted by baggedblue02
It doesn't if you keep the height at about factory, but when you start to lower
or raise it, it throws the camber way off. .
or raise it, it throws the camber way off. .
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 4,773
Likes: 0
From: IL
Rep Power: 320 
Originally Posted by IronFist
I've had them for about 9,000 miles.
you should rotate them every 7k-7500 or less.. I've heard 7k, 7500, every other oil change, so going by 3500 for oil change, 7k is it. Im not really sure how much 2k miles will matter though..
Autocross Junky
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,211
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Rep Power: 380 










I just realized.... You wore out 60% of your tread on your front tires in 9,000 miles??!?!?? How do you drive? Do a lot of drag racing? burn outs? if not you may want to get an alignment, as you may have a toe problem...
Registered!!
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,389
Likes: 0
From: Abingdon, Maryland, US
Rep Power: 308 






How are you estimating your 60%??
You should rotate your tires every other oil change (6000miles)
If you wanna go 3500:3500 I'm not gonna nit pick
A cheap set of tires should last you AT LEAST 30,000 miles
**this does not included slamming your car on the ground**
But on a Stock ride, with a sane person driving you should get 30,000
If you have some nice Z rated tires and your an aggressive driver you may only get 20k
How ever if your a conservative driver and rotate your tires probably
(Like myself)
You can get 60-70K on them
I have some where between 40-50K on my STOCK 02' tires right about now
And I'm still don't need to change em.
You should rotate your tires every other oil change (6000miles)
If you wanna go 3500:3500 I'm not gonna nit pick
A cheap set of tires should last you AT LEAST 30,000 miles
**this does not included slamming your car on the ground**
But on a Stock ride, with a sane person driving you should get 30,000
If you have some nice Z rated tires and your an aggressive driver you may only get 20k
How ever if your a conservative driver and rotate your tires probably
(Like myself)
You can get 60-70K on them
I have some where between 40-50K on my STOCK 02' tires right about now
And I'm still don't need to change em.
Autocross Junky
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,211
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Rep Power: 380 










Originally Posted by 4jacks
If you have some nice Z rated tires and your an aggressive driver you may only get 20k
.
.
The speed rating... Z, Y, YZ ect ect ect... has no bearing what so ever on how long a tire will last, how much grip it has or any thing of that nature. all it tells you is how fast the tire is rated to go and not destroy its self in the process.
If you want an Estimate on grip and Longevity Look at Treadwear. The lower the # the more grip, the higer the # the longer they will last.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...eral/speed.jsp
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...l/sidewall.jsp
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/general/utqg.jsp
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 4,773
Likes: 0
From: IL
Rep Power: 320 
Originally Posted by Zzyzx
The speed rating... Z, Y, YZ ect ect ect... has no bearing what so ever on how long a tire will last
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
iTrader: (10)
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,783
Likes: 0
From: Birmingham, Alabama
Rep Power: 284 

treadwear and speed ratings seem to go right along with each other.
you usually don't find too many ZR rated tires with much over 300 treadwear
you usually don't find too many ZR rated tires with much over 300 treadwear
Autocross Junky
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,211
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Rep Power: 380 










Originally Posted by baggedblue02
treadwear and speed ratings seem to go right along with each other.
you usually don't find too many ZR rated tires with much over 300 treadwear
you usually don't find too many ZR rated tires with much over 300 treadwear
Originally Posted by shmik1
correct me if im wrong but I thought the high speed rating was softer rubber that wears out quicker? and tahts why S rated tires can get 80k (Michelin) and my H rated Goodrich tires are said to get 45k...


Originally Posted by Sickboy
I always thought higher speed rated tires had thinner rubber to handle the heat better? 
Dude needs an alignment bad! Toe in is the enemy, it will kill tires in 10000 miles. My first set of low pros lasted 30000 before the toe in destroyed them due to construction on the roads.
I have had mine on for 15000 miles and they still have 80 percent left. You can buy a tire tread depth gauge and see what is going on. They cost ten dollars and you always check during oil changes. Lets you know if things are going screwy.
I have had mine on for 15000 miles and they still have 80 percent left. You can buy a tire tread depth gauge and see what is going on. They cost ten dollars and you always check during oil changes. Lets you know if things are going screwy.
What do you need tires for that can go 149 mph??? naa never mind I love the crazy tread patterns... I used to have yokohama a520's... It was a few years ago and they were awesome but wore out so fast.... Don't laugh either... I had 17 inch enkei fubukis on a 1990 plymouth voyager.. ha ha ha... that **** was funny. I haven't had that thing in years and peeps still ask about it.
lol im at 30000 miles and i about to have to replace my stock firestones. I dont think i drive them to hard. every once and a while i have a little fun in the rain, but only when i find an empty road or parking lot. I dont know whether to get some stickyer tires or just to go with some good all seasons.
Registered!!
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,389
Likes: 0
From: Abingdon, Maryland, US
Rep Power: 308 






Originally Posted by Zzyzx
My race tires (Falken Azenis Sports) have a tread wear of 200 and a speed rating of V (149 mph) Falken Ziex-512s all season tires have a tread wear of 300 and a speed rating of ZR.... My Current Allseason tires have a Tread wear of 400 and a speed rating of V... SO like I said the speed rating is just that, the maximum speed the tire can be run and not destroy its self.
Nope... Look at the tread wear.... but be aware that you can not compair tread wear rateings between different MFG's.. as they all use a different base tire.
Nope... Tires also have a Heat rating....Temperature resistance is graded A, B or C. It represents the tire's resistance to the heat generated by running at high speed. Grade C is the minimum level of performance for all passenger car tires as set under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. This grade is established for a tire that is properly inflated and not overloaded.
Nope... Look at the tread wear.... but be aware that you can not compair tread wear rateings between different MFG's.. as they all use a different base tire.
Nope... Tires also have a Heat rating....Temperature resistance is graded A, B or C. It represents the tire's resistance to the heat generated by running at high speed. Grade C is the minimum level of performance for all passenger car tires as set under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. This grade is established for a tire that is properly inflated and not overloaded.
Z, I hate to disagree, and I haven't read your links yet, but I'll check them out later. when I'm not at work. But there are a lot of things that go into a Z rated tire not lasting as long as a lower class tire. Tread pattern and the composition of the rubber being to two biggest contributing factors. I wouldn't soley rely on Tirerack's personal rating system.
The biggest supporting evidence to my arguement is the wear warranties provided by the tire manufacturer's. On average a Z rated get what like a 20K warranty (or none) while an H rated tire can get 50-60K warranty.
Granted that the Company takes into consideration that the Z owner is more likely to be an aggresive driver.
However, Apples to Apples a Lower Class will last much longer than a Z rated tire.
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 26,704
Likes: 0
From: Poco, B.C. Canada
Rep Power: 563 










basically I went to a 17" from a 16" this year so I had to get new tires too. I usually get one free set a year from Michelin/BF Goodrich but since I used 'em on the 16's I had to get something else. I got these Yoko ES100 knock offs and they lasted about half a summer...lol.
Autocross Junky
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,211
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Rep Power: 380 










Originally Posted by 4jacks
Z, I hate to disagree, and I haven't read your links yet, but I'll check them out later. when I'm not at work. But there are a lot of things that go into a Z rated tire not lasting as long as a lower class tire. Tread pattern and the composition of the rubber being to two biggest contributing factors. I wouldn't soley rely on Tirerack's personal rating system.
The biggest supporting evidence to my arguement is the wear warranties provided by the tire manufacturer's. On average a Z rated get what like a 20K warranty (or none) while an H rated tire can get 50-60K warranty.
Granted that the Company takes into consideration that the Z owner is more likely to be an aggresive driver.
However, Apples to Apples a Lower Class will last much longer than a Z rated tire.
The biggest supporting evidence to my arguement is the wear warranties provided by the tire manufacturer's. On average a Z rated get what like a 20K warranty (or none) while an H rated tire can get 50-60K warranty.
Granted that the Company takes into consideration that the Z owner is more likely to be an aggresive driver.
However, Apples to Apples a Lower Class will last much longer than a Z rated tire.
1. Its not The tire racks rating system. Its the Federal Governments rating system.. The UTQG = Uniform Tire Quality Grade
he U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards (UTQG) were originated to provide consumers with useful information to help them purchase tires based on their relative treadwear, traction and temperature capabilities. It is required by law for passenger car tires sold in the United States to have a UTQG rating.
Treadwear:
UTQG Treadwear Grades are based on actual road use in which the test tire is run in a vehicle convoy along with standardized Course Monitoring Tires. The vehicle repeatedly runs a prescribed 400-mile test loop in West Texas for a total of 7,200 miles. The vehicle can have its alignment set, air pressure checked and tires rotated every 800 miles. The test tire's and the Monitoring Tire's wear are measured during and at the conclusion of the test. The tire manufacturers then assign a Treadwear Grade based on the observed wear rates. The Course Monitoring Tire is assigned a grade and the test tire receives a grade indicating its relative treadwear. A grade of 100 would indicate equal wear, 200 would indicate double wear, 300 would indicate triple wear, etc.
Traction Grades
UTQG Traction Grades are based on the tire's straight line wet coefficient of traction as the tire skids across the specified test surfaces. The UTQG traction test does not evaluate dry braking, dry cornering, wet cornering, or high speed hydroplaning resistance.
and Temperature (Resistance) Grades
The UTQG Temperature Grade indicates the extent to which heat is generated/ or dissipated by a tire. If the tire is unable to dissipate the heat effectively or if the tire is unable to resist the destructive effects of heat buildup, its ability to run at high speeds is reduced. The grade is established by measuring a loaded tire's ability to operate at high speeds without failure by running an inflated test tire against a large diameter high-speed laboratory test wheel.
Then you have the sidewall makings, wich tell you the tires Load Index and Speed Rating.
Load Index
P195/60R15 87S - The load index (87) is the tire size's assigned numerical value used to compare relative load carrying capabilities. In the case of our example the 87 identifies the tires ability to carry approximately 1,201 pounds.
The higher the tire's load index number, the greater its load carrying capacity.
89 = 1,279 pounds
88 = 1,235 pounds
87 = 1,201 pounds
86 = 1,168 pounds
85 = 1,135 pounds
A tire with a higher load index than that of the Original Equipment tire indicates an increase in load capacity. A tire with a load index equal to that of the Original Equipment tire indicates an equivalent load capacity. A tire with a lower load index than the Original Equipment tire indicates the tire does not equal the load capacity of the original.
and finally the issue of our argument
Speed Rating
Speed ratings are certified maximum sustained speed designations assigned to passenger car radials and high performance tires. Because of the evolution of high-speed passenger car travel, it was necessary to establish a way to rate a tire's high-speed capability. In the U.S., these ratings are based on tire testing in laboratory conditions under simulated loads (European testing uses actual road testing). For a tire to be speed rated by the U.S. Government, it must meet certain minimum government standards for reaching and sustaining that specified speed. Domestically, high performance tires must be speed rated. The tire industry defines high performance tires as those with speed symbols of "S" or greater and aspect ratios of 70 or lower.
So once again, the speed rating has No bearing on how long a tire will last or how much traction that tire has. it simply tells you the maximum safe speed in which the tire may be run.
ThE FaMiLy SeDaN
iTrader: (21)
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,221
Likes: 0
From: UCF, Florida, US
Rep Power: 0 
i usually get "half tread" on 215.35/19 z rated/360treadware............in about 5 months=4000miles..
but i sell my rims frequently so i have never "been" thru a set of tires..
but i sell my rims frequently so i have never "been" thru a set of tires..
Subarus FTW I do NOT miss my civic
iTrader: (9)
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,595
Likes: 0
From: Scottsdale, AZ
Rep Power: 0 
I was wondering if anybody has about a -3 degree camber? If so, how long do your tires last? I got my car back today, and they say I have -3 in the rears. the front are like -.8, so they are fine. I just lowered it yesterday. Just curious about how many miles I could make it with easy driving on them? Thanks.




My winter tires only last about 8,000 miles on average