Do Your Tires Last as Long as You Think They Should?

Posted on Jul 29, 2022 in Safety | Comments Off on Do Your Tires Last as Long as You Think They Should?

Who knew tires could be so controversial?

Back in 2009 we posted a blog about the need to replace new tires after just 20,000 miles. At the time I had a new vehicle that required new tires after just 22,000 miles, which turned out to be pretty common as evidenced by the people who left comments on the post.

In the years since, I’ve purchased other cars and other sets of tires. It seems there’s a new practice emerging of paying for a tire warranty. Are the days of 60,000- or 80,000-mile tire warranties gone?

I recently purchased new tires for my 2008 Audi Q7. The previous tires lasted about 30,000 miles, which wasn’t bad for an off-brand. This time I bought a new set of Cooper tires, but at the time of purchase I was offered the opportunity to buy a separate warranty. I declined, hoping that I’d get at least another 30,000 out of them.

My wife’s 2013 Subaru Legacy still has the original Bridgestone tires after 60,000 miles, but this will be the last season we can get away with not replacing them.

How can consumers know how long the tires they buy will actually last? Manufacturers are free to warranty their tires for as long as they want.

Consumer Reports is starting a guide for real-world treadwear expectations. The organization says:

Consumer Reports’ treadwear testing reveals close to half of the 47 all-season and performance all-season tires could be expected to last at least 65,000 miles, and a half dozen could top 85,000 miles or more. Interestingly, long life doesn’t necessarily bring much of a price premium, if any. Michelin was a standout in our latest tests. The three Michelin models we rated all met or exceeded their mileage warranty. But the longest-wearing tire came from Pirelli. We estimate that the Pirelli P4 FOUR SEASONS Plus could last a whopping 100,000 miles.

I probably should have done more research before buying tires for the Audi, but now I can be properly informed before buying them for the Subaru.