New tires-life expectancy

[tannat]

Was a bit shocked when my 2007 Ford Focus needed replacement of its original at 19,XXX miles. I was careful on rotation and pressure of the tires, and while they did endure a track session ( albeit a careful "tire conscious" session) the wear beyond the tread bar in middle of each tire.

The tire was a Hankook all season.. :)

Anyone else had not-so-great mileage from an original set of tires?


Am I right to be disappointed?

Curious to hear of greater or less than mileages from other car owners...

[Mark]

Yeah similar from my Ford Fiesta. They had Pirelli Zero Neros as standard fit which are a high performance fast wearing tyre.

[GridGirl]

Sounds OK to me. Like Mark the zero nero's on my Fiesta lasted just over 20k on the fronts and almost 50k on the original rear tyres.

[Jag_Warrior]

My WRX came with Bridgestone Potenza RE070's, I believe. They were completely shot by 20K miles, and had lost their grip by about 18.5K - on rainy days, I could easily do four wheel drifts going around curves. I replaced the BridgeRocks with Falken ZE-512's(?). They don't last any longer but they do maintain their grip until they're pretty well worn out... still around 20K miles. So on a car that now has a touch over 60K miles, I've had one set of Bridgestones and two sets of Falken performance tires. And I'll be ordering another set this coming week.

I may try Hankook performance tires this time (Ventus or Evos). But from what they told me at the dealership, no performance tire is going to last more than about 20K miles the way that I drive. The joke I told the service manager was that I like my tires just like my women: I like to hear them make noise every now & again. :D Yeah, I know... :rolleyes:

The XK8 had Dunlops, now it has Michelins. But no more than I drive it, the tires will dry rot before I ever wear them out.

[Daniel]

Caroline's car had those same Falken's and IMHO they were rubbish. Got Conti Premium Contact 2's on the back and they're far better.

Mileage will depend on what engine you've got, the cars weight distribution and how you drive the thing.

I've got Bridgestone RE050's on the 500 and they seem to be wearing well.

To the OP, also remember that all-season tyres are generally softer than summer tyres so will wear out quicker when it gets warm.

[leopard]

Besides being careful on rotation and pressure of the tires, there are some conditions may speedup the tires' life, such as if you basically drive in asphalt temperature which is hot, driving style with some aggressiveness to gain speed may require more grip works from the tires, frequently failed to anticipate holes on the road can also bruise and damage the tires, etc. Mine would normally last longer, because of driving smoothly and I am a night-walker... :)

[Jag_Warrior]

I didn't order those tires! I made these bald bastages last through one of the worst winters in decades!!! Falkens (even bald ones) rock! And WRX's REALLY rock!!! :bounce: All that kept me from going anywhere I wanted was the ride height.

But I can't roll the dice any longer and it's time for a change. I'm ordering a set of Kumho Ecsta AST's right now. If I keep the car until the Kumhos wear out, maybe I'll go back to Falkens.

[GridGirl]

Do you not have minimum tyre tread depths in the US? Or were the tyres not as dodgy as your last post appears.

Some years ago one of my brothers mates managed to get 12 points on his license. This was three points for each bald and illegal tyre. Stupid thing was that he was a learner driver and hadn't even passed his test at that point. Usually any new driver under the age of 25 gets an automatic ban for getting 6 points. Stupid boy.

[Rollo]

The original set of Goodyear GT1's on my Ka (165/65 R13) lasted a shade of 50,000km. The set of Pirelli Z's which I had (also 165/65 R13) made it to about 20,000km before they gave up.

The Sumitomo's (170/65 R13) I had want for about a fortnight before I decided they felt wrong. And the Olympic's and Kuhmo's (also 170/65 R13) have both gone about 35,000 a set.

[Jag_Warrior]

Do you not have minimum tyre tread depths in the US? Or were the tyres not as dodgy as your last post appears.

Yeah, the min. tread depth in my state is 1/16th of an inch. And I was right at the limit. But about a week after I made that post, we began the worst period of snow fall that we've had in several decades. My car had pretty much been parked at someone else's house since just before Christmas. I've been driving a borrowed SUV... which I also got stuck in my driveway.

Snow more than 3-4 inches deep causes real problems for my car... it becomes a snowplow. I couldn't get it up my driveway until the snow finally began to melt about a week ago - almost 2 feet of snow at the worst. And I still had a sheet of ice and some drifted snow when I brought it home. But bald tires and all, it zipped up & over that ice like a champ! :cool:

[Daniel]

Yeah, the min. tread depth in my state is 1/16th of an inch. And I was right at the limit. But about a week after I made that post, we began the worst period of snow fall that we've had in several decades. My car had pretty much been parked at someone else's house since just before Christmas. I've been driving a borrowed SUV... which I also got stuck in my driveway.

Snow more than 3-4 inches deep causes real problems for my car... it becomes a snowplow. I couldn't get it up my driveway until the snow finally began to melt about a week ago - almost 2 feet of snow at the worst. And I still had a sheet of ice and some drifted snow when I brought it home. But bald tires and all, it zipped up & over that ice like a champ! :cool:
1/16 of an inch is exactly the same as our 1.6mm that we go by here.

[Mark]

1/16 of an inch is exactly the same as our 1.6mm that we go by here.

Most tyres have a depth indicators set at 3mm, so when they've reached that it is time to change but they aren't necessarily illegal.

Most people I've spoken to are of the belief that anything below 3mm is asking for trouble.

[Daniel]

Most tyres have a depth indicators set at 3mm, so when they've reached that it is time to change but they aren't necessarily illegal.

Most people I've spoken to are of the belief that anything below 3mm is asking for trouble.
Are you sure? I'm fairly sure that it's 1.6mm though tyre companies would prefer it to be 3mm

[Mark]

Are you sure? I'm fairly sure that it's 1.6mm though tyre companies would prefer it to be 3mm

Legal limit at 1.6mm but depth indicators at 3mm is what I believe. Your tyres may vary!

[Daniel]

Legal limit at 1.6mm but depth indicators at 3mm is what I believe. Your tyres may vary!
AFAIK it's 1.6 and 1.6 :p

[Valve Bounce]

I was told that tyres should not be rotated, because they bed in and each wheel will have different wear characteristics. However, if you hit any curbs hard and at an angle, then you should check the wheel alignment.

I've just bought my first tyre for my Cross Country after 50k kilos, rotated one of the fronts into the spare compartment, and thus have two new fronts. Rears are fine.

Yeah! they're Pirelli Scorpions.

[Jag_Warrior]

Something I just learned from the tire dealer that I didn't know: you can't use the Treadwear Rating to compare tires of different brands. Each manufacturer uses its own measurement system. I could compare a Kumho to a Kumho or a Falken to a Falken... but not necessarily a Kumho to a Falken, when it comes to the Treadwear
Rating. :rolleyes:

[donKey jote]

Are you sure? I'm fairly sure that it's 1.6mm though tyre companies would prefer it to be 3mm

Mark is right, depending on the tyre (company?) you can also have TWIs above the 1.6mm.
1.6 is the legal limit but extremely dangerous in the wet due to aquaplaning as they are basically slicks. As a result you get a massive difference in stopping distance compared to 3mm. :)

[Daniel]

Mark is right, depending on the tyre (company?) you can also have TWIs above the 1.6mm.
1.6 is the legal limit but extremely dangerous in the wet due to aquaplaning as they are basically slicks. As a result you get a massive difference in stopping distance compared to 3mm. :)
I was talking about the TWI's I was sure that they were only at 1.6?

[Jag_Warrior]

I'm ordering a set of Kumho Ecsta AST's right now. If I keep the car until the Kumhos wear out, maybe I'll go back to Falkens.

Warning! Do not buy Kumho Ecsta AST's if you want a true performance all season tire! The grip is decent enough (as good or better than Bridgestone Potenzas). But the sidewalls have an incredible amount of flex!!! We went out for a brisk drive on a twisty road last Sunday, and as I topped a hill with an off camber turn, my car nearly floated off the road. :eek: No tire squeal. No warning. I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital to get my butt cheeks unclinched. My passenger actually screamed, "Oh s###!!!" (and this from a girl who doesn't use profanity). It was that noticeable that I almost lost it. When the Falkens were 80% worn, I could take that same turn at that same (or greater) speed with no issues... because they had stiffer sidewalls. These things are OK for touring tires (they're quiet and offer a nice ride) - but for actual spirited driving, DO NOT BUY THESE TIRES!!!

Now I'm debating whether or not to try to sell these things (pretty unlikely), keep them and just drive my car like an old lady until they wear out... or buy another set of wheels, mount some summer performance tires on them and just use these death donuts for winter use. But I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep this car... so :confused:

I had high expectations for the Kumhos. But I should have never gone away from the Falkens... always stick with what works. :(

[Daniel]

Warning! Do not buy Kumho Ecsta AST's if you want a true performance all season tire! The grip is decent enough (as good or better than Bridgestone Potenzas). But the sidewalls have an incredible amount of flex!!! We went out for a brisk drive on a twisty road last Sunday, and as I topped a hill with an off camber turn, my car nearly floated off the road. :eek: No tire squeal. No warning. I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital to get my butt cheeks unclinched. My passenger actually screamed, "Oh s###!!!" (and this from a girl who doesn't use profanity). It was that noticeable that I almost lost it. When the Falkens were 80% worn, I could take that same turn at that same (or greater) speed with no issues... because they had stiffer sidewalls. These things are OK for touring tires (they're quiet and offer a nice ride) - but for actual spirited driving, DO NOT BUY THESE TIRES!!!

Now I'm debating whether or not to try to sell these things (pretty unlikely), keep them and just drive my car like an old lady until they wear out... or buy another set of wheels, mount some summer performance tires on them and just use these death donuts for winter use. But I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep this car... so :confused:

I had high expectations for the Kumhos. But I should have never gone away from the Falkens... always stick with what works. :(
heh, I know the feeling. Driving on my 65 section winter tyres was interesting at times, sometimes the car would just kind of float sideways :p Much better in that respect on its 45 section summer tyres :D

Oh and Mark is right about some tyres having two TWI's, my Snowtracs appear to have two TWI's .