Tire Maintenance

That person you are talking about is Philip who owns the 2003 Corolla.

Personally, I use a tread depth gauge and measure wear on both front and back. Currently, I have equal wear on both front and back tires and rotate the tires as needed.

most tire manufacturers recommend rotating tires every 5k or 6k. here at the lexus dealership, we rotate tires every 5k. why is this important? front and rear tires wear in different ways. rotating the tires regularly keeps the wear on the tires even, so they'll last longer.

ie> this guy i just put new tires on for, a 2001 SC400, the rear tires were going mickey thompson (slicks) and the front tires were worn heavily on the shoulders, but barely any wear in the middle of the tread. the car only has 32k on it. this is an extreme case of abuse, as the tires were running very low pressure inthe front on low profile tires. had the tires been rotated regularly i would expect the tires to have gone another 20k.

ie> another customer with an RX300, 65k, finally had to have new tires put on. regular tire rotation, (with each 5k svc) led to an even wear pattern on all four tires. here in the northeast though, we recommend customers don't go into the winter season with less than 4/32" tread depth. the OE tires on this RX300 were and even 3/32" all around. had this been a california car, we could have probably let this go another

15 or 20k

most tire manufacturers recommend rotating tires every 5k or 6k. here at the lexus dealership, we rotate tires every 5k. why is this important? front and rear tires wear in different ways. rotating the tires regularly keeps the wear on the tires even, so they'll last longer.

ie> this guy i just put new tires on for, a 2001 SC400, the rear tires were going mickey thompson (slicks) and the front tires were worn heavily on the shoulders, but barely any wear in the middle of the tread. the car only has 32k on it. this is an extreme case of abuse, as the tires were running very low pressure inthe front on low profile tires. had the tires been rotated regularly i would expect the tires to have gone another 20k.

ie> another customer with an RX300, 65k, finally had to have new tires put on. regular tire rotation, (with each 5k svc) led to an even wear pattern on all four tires. here in the northeast though, we recommend customers don't go into the winter season with less than 4/32" tread depth. the OE tires on this RX300 were and even 3/32" all around. had this been a california car, we could have probably let this go another

15 or 20k

Quote:

"we recommend customers don't go into the winter season with less than 4/32" tread depth."

I would actually suggest you change that to MINIMUM 6/32". From what I have read on Tire Rack, various government reports, and private institutions,

4/32" is the minimal required in wet weather, and its still marginal. Also, 6/32" is the minimum needed to be suitable for winter/slush driving.

I am sure people are stingy when it comes to tires regardless of what they drive. I have a friend who paid top $$ for an Infiniti I30 and wants to spend $200 Canadian on 4 tires. I know of another person who spent over $100K on a Mercedes and wants to spend the absolute minimum on tires.

People should keep in mind that all that keeps the car planted to the road are 4 rubber contact spots and there really should be no corner cutting when it comes to replacement tires. You can have the best and most advanced safety features on the car but they are meaningless if your tires do not offer adequate grip and handling. Frankly, having a good set of tires on a car can help you to avoid using all those advanced features. Heck, its nice to know I have side curtain air bags and things but I sure as hell don't ever want to be in a situation where they go off (i.e. never in a car accident).

My advice has always been to replace tires if the tread depth is at 6/32" or lower if you drive more then the avg. person (24,000 KM/year) and its the start of winter. In Toronto and the GTA, we tend to get decent snowfalls.

Also, I suggest that you buy the best rated tire that you can afford and not choose on brand alone. A Michelin X One is not the same as the MX4, the Harmony, or the Energy LX4. Each of these tires have different levels of wet/dry/snow traction and comfort levels.

Of course, these are my opinions and others will agree or disagree to this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All you need to become a true believer in the value of the best tires you can buy is to have a blowout. I had a beauty of a blowout a decade ago in an '86 Cougar, hauling a loaded Uhaul trailer on Interstate 10 approaching Phoenix. It was a right rear, and when it went, the car and trailer careened back and forth across the two lanes about six times like a sailboat in a gale, until I got it stopped...and then had to change the tire in 115 degree heat.....after my heart slowed down. Get the best tires you can afford, not the best bargain tires.

I made the mistake of waiting too long for replacement of the OEM tires on my 91 Jeep Renegade. These weren't bald by any means - not even down to the wear indicator. Tapping my brakes on a cold, wet rural highway caused a complete 360. Left them on a few weeks longer because those tires are damn expensive. Took a wet onramp (temp well above freezing) to a major higway (Finch W to 404 S in Toronto) at a very reasonable pace and did a 180, leaving me facing oncoming traffic.

Bought new tires.

Craig

damn, original tires? wow! i'd say they'd prolly lost their rubberiness hmm?