2006-12-20 04:37:15 · 9 answers · asked by Dark Helmet 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Most tires come with a certain # of miles they are supposed to be good for, e.g. 40,000 miles, 50,000 miles, etc. You should rotate them every 5,000 miles.
A good way to check if you have enough tread is by doing the penny test. Below is the three-step test from "Road and Travel magazine"
1. Take a penny and pinch Abe's body between your thumb and forefinger.
2. Put Lincoln's head into one of the grooves on the tread. Select a point on your tire where tread appears the lowest.
3. If any part of Abe Lincoln's head is obscured by the tread, you're driving with the legal and safe amount of tread. If you can see above his head, where it says "In God We Trust," take a hint: you're ready for a new tire.
2006-12-20 04:45:57 · answer #1 · answered by you_likea_the_sauce 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. There are many variables that affect the life of a tire. A set of sticky summer tires on an aggressively driven sports car may go as little as 10K miles, whereas an econobox with some low-rolling resistance tires may go over 50k miles.
The best way to tell when it's time to replace is by looking at the tread depth.
2006-12-20 04:50:11 · answer #2 · answered by MB124CE 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not so much number of miles as it is the tread wear. But as a general rule of thumb, tires need to be looked at for replacement around 30,000 miles. That's not to say they need replacing then, it's just a ball park number of miles where you want to start checking them.
2006-12-20 04:40:43 · answer #3 · answered by kja63 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The manufacturers usually will tell you how many miles a tire should last, such as 30,000 or 40,000 or 50,000, etc. You could check with the manufacturers website for your tire model.
Also, there are small areas in the tread called 'wear bars' that will tell you when to change the tire. They will show up when the tread is worn too thin. Look between the treads and you will see them. Drive safe!
2006-12-20 04:43:31 · answer #4 · answered by joeyamas 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Tire wear should be checked by a mechanic. Tread depth, damage, and evenness of wear all factor into it.
Good tires should last 50,000 miles ( hence the 50,000 mile warranty ) - provided they are rotated properly, balanced properly, and you don't run over a row of axes with the blades tilted up or something like that.
The more expensive the tire, the longer you should be able to expect it to last - but driving conditions also play a part.
Bad alignment leads to uneven wear, and after 10,000 miles the tires become so unevenly worn that you may have to replace them.
2006-12-20 04:41:42 · answer #5 · answered by jbtascam 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Short answer: no. There is no general rule for mileage. You should always keep an eye on your tires and know when the tread is getting down to acceptable limits. All tires are made with "tread wear indicators" to alert you that they need to be replaced. These indicators generally take the forn of bars across the tread that show when the tread is dangerously thin.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bridgestone.co.in/images/tyre/tyrecare/safedriving/tyrewear/wearindicator-img.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.bridgestone.co.in/tyre/tyrecare/makesurepopup.asp&h=151&w=210&sz=12&hl=en&start=17&tbnid=q7btKlXk5mv2EM:&tbnh=76&tbnw=106&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtread%2Bwear%2Bindicator%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG
http://www.auto-und-verkehr.de/bilder/reifen-steg.gif
http://www.trebleb.co.uk/images/img_twi.gif
So you should look for and monitor the tread wear indicators on your tires. But there is also a limit on how OLD your tires should be. Five years is about as old as you should let tires get, regardless of tread wear. The rubber gets hard and cracks, making it both slippery and prone to a blowout. Fortunately, my tires never get old, because I drive like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v191/DubaiVol/3wheels.jpg
But only on a closed course!
2006-12-20 04:55:37 · answer #6 · answered by Scot D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that depends on the quality of the tire some are 50,000 mile some less also depends on usage if your peeling out all the time the tires are not going to last as long . . the best gauge to see if it's time to change is to check the tread wear if you stick a penny in the treads up side down (lincolns head down) if you can see the top of his head it's time to buy tires.
2006-12-20 04:48:26 · answer #7 · answered by Rainy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope.
There are so many variables to tire wear. Ie; Rubber compound, tire size, type of driving, road surface, tire quality, tread depth, temperature, etc.
2006-12-20 04:42:46 · answer #8 · answered by Mr. KnowItAll 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
replace them when they reach the "wear mark", it's a line that runs across the tire tread to let you know when it's time to replace them
2006-12-20 04:42:01 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋