I want everyone to use this thread as a learning tool to establish what tires will last a certain amount of miles at a certain amount of psi.


What I want from you:

1. Tire, make, model, size, etc.

2. The number of miles the Tire lasted until it needed to be replaced(pictures would be great here!)

3. The PSI that you used to keep your tire inflated

4. Driving style: hard, easy, eco, normal - define these if you can.

5. Any additional information would be great like whether or not you rotated and balance your tires and how often(I realize some do and some don't).

6. How many 32nds the tire has new and what it is when reported with miles. Measured in 3 spots across the tread.(at Paul's request)


If you don't have all the info, give me what you have, Please.

I hope to help people choose a long lasting tire and to use that tire at the optimal psi.

Also, I hope to prove(or not) my theory on tire psi and longevity.


Thanks!

 

Yokohoma Avis ES 100
205/40/17

I got them used with the wheels so I can't really determine how fast they wear. But they seem to take forever. But here's a picture of the front and back.



35 PSI @ 50 degrees F
Max Pressure is 44 PSI

I'm still on stock suspension. I drove about 2,000 miles on these tires so far. Usually rotating these tires at 2000 to 3000 miles will wear them evenly. They feel more like 195 width durning extreme hot weather.

 

i don't mean to be a buzzkill, but i dont think you can make any credible conclusions based on the answers people will post in here. a huge factor is going to be how the individual drives his/her car. and them saying "i drive it hard once in a while" won't tell anybody much either. hard driving can mean tires squealing and car understeering to one person while another will take hard as meaning turning too hard for the passenger to be drinking hot coffee out of an open-top cup. driving speed (in actuality, not just what people guesstimate their average speeds to be) and temperature are a couple of additional factors that have a big impact. a good way to measure tire life is to just look at the tire's treadwear rating. they already do the research and give you the answer as a number on the tire. good luck nonetheless.

 

I agree, that driving habits play a huge factor in the tire wear. I just didn't want to overwhelm individuals and not have people give information. - screw it I made it #4.

Also, I am trying to figure out if the manufactures recommend psi actually gives you the Maximum tire life of that particular tire or tires(if I am able to do that).

I figure I will collect the information(assuming I get some), organize it and then attempt to ask the individuals more information if needed and post the final results.

 

Stock Honda Fit sprot 5speed manual tires - From tirerack.com:

Dunlop SP31 A/S

• Size: 195/55HR15
• Serv. Desc: 84H Load Index 84 = 1102lbs (500kg) per tire
  Speed Rating “H” = 130mph (210kph)
• UTQG: Treadwear: 320
  Traction: A
  Temperature: A320 A A

Miles driven: 32K
PSI used for life of tire: 32-36.
Driving habits: normal to eco.

Info was gathered from EL on Honda-tech.com

 

Stole one from Tirerack.com:

Dunlop SP31 A/S (All-Season) Reviewer's Overall Rating: 4

2006 Honda Civic Hybrid More Tire Reviews for This Vehicle Miles driven on tires: 39,000 Location: Eden Prairie, mn Driving Condition: Combined Highway/City Driving Style: Easy Going


Initial Review, 39,000 Miles on Tires
May 19, 2008
These tires wear very fast. I don't know what the tread wear is but they don't last. I should have changed the 2 tires at 37,000. For a new car I did not expect to be replacing tires at 37,000 miles. Very disappointed.

 

oh i see. well here's my info to add to yours. it already doesn't correlate with that review posted on tirerack, but for what it's worth, here it is.

1. OEM Dunlops on OEM sport wheels

2. >35,000 miles and counting

3. 32-24 PSI (cold)

4. Easy driving. i may tear through a turn here and there (as in once per day or every other day), minimal tire squealing though. so maybe it's still considered easy driving?

5. Tires rotated 3 times if i remember correctly, approximately every 10,000 miles. Tires also balanced with the 2nd and 3rd rotation. and the car was previously almost always parked outdoors, and not in the shade because i hate bird poop. i may be wrong, but i think that has an effect in acclerating the drying out of the rubber and can add to the wear of the tire as well.

Good luck!

 

I have heard a myth (maybe) that the oem tires that come with new cars are actually a slightly different than the same brand and model of tires sold in stores.

The story goes that the oem tires are intentionally made softer to give a more refined ride when selling the vehicles and for the first year of ownership, however as a side effect the tires wear out twice as fast. The serial number of these so called "softer oem" tires is slightly different and they cannot be purchased later.
Anybody know if there is any truth to this.

 

The question is....why would a company go through extra trouble to do so? They would have to put extra hours/resources to make the special tires. It doesn't make sense that Honda will spend an extra $1 or $2 more on tires when they can just buy the same ones Dunlop produces for everyone.

I think what you meant is.... since Dunlop probably has different factories to produce the same tire, the quality varies from different factories. Maybe honda buys all theirs in bulk and all their tires come from one plant, which may be softer than the other factories. Dunlop might have better workers in Factory A rather than Factory B, so there might be a quality difference between the two. All the Honda stock tires come from factory A and all the tires from tire store come from factory B?

I can't verify this, but it makes a good theory though. LOL

 

A Tire tread depth Gage is very inexpensive. I'd suggest that data be added to the info posted.
How many 32nds they have new and what it is when reported with miles. Measured in 3 spots across the tread.

 

I may just have to purchase one of those then.

 

Anyone try to buy cambering kit yet, then change camber from positive .1 degrees to negative .1 degrees every 500 miles yet? uhhh...I don't recomend doing it unless you're on 205 tires though.

 

One other significant factor in tire wear is the road surface....concrete v blacktop. It seems that concrete wears out tires some-what faster. Here in the north east, there isn't much of it, but it hotter states in the south west, there seemed to be a lot more concrete roads and the tire wear was much faster there even though the roads were more straight and flat. A buddy of mine moved from NJ to TX and had commented on that several times. I wonder how much of it is the road surface and how much of it is higher tire temp.

In my case, I only have 6500 miles on the fit, and I changed to a set of used wheels and tires from my old MINI, so i don't have worthy data yet, but on my 86 civic si, I routinely got 25,000 miles on a set of yoko AVS... went through at least 6 sets among other tires in the 300,000 miles I drove it. Not so aggressive any more though.

 

I am having new tires put on the FIT as I type.

- I achieved 46643miles out of them until they were at 3/32 tread life left, not at the wear bar but too close for comfort.
- I purchased the car on July 31, 2007 new with about 30miles on it.
- for about 12K I had the tires at 60-65psi, for about 10k I had the tires at 50-55psi and the rest or first part of the tires life they were at the recommended 32 psi.
- I had the tires rotated and balanced at least 5 times.
- Stock tire was Dunlop SP3 with a side wall max of 51psi.
- The guy at the tire place said they are only good for 20k(not sure if that is a true statement) and was surprised at what miles I have squeezed out of them.


The new tires are Kuhmo LX platinum with 60K warranty and a side wall max of 51psi. I plan on pumping them up to 70-75psi assuming I can stand the ride quality. I hope these will glide like sliding on ice.

 

I have owned 152 vehicles over more than 50 years and I have been involved in sporting automobiles and racing for the entire time.

All tires will get better mpg with increasing pressure; there is a 'sweet spot' of pressure vs cornering power for every tire at a given track surface based on racing IMSA, NASCAR and Showroom Stock vehicles. Wear is dependent on how the tire is driven: hard cornering eats tires at a huge rate with the rate increasing with speed. It is not unusual for a tire to be completely worn out - zero tread - at one 40 mile race on showroom stock tires with treadwear 200. Thats not only experience but backed by physics.

The best way to evaluate tire wear is the grade earned by the tire in standaedized testing.A tire with 400 rating will last longer than a tire with a rting of 200, which will lasst longer than a tire rated 50. That applies to a single manufacturer's tires. Changing brands can often mean one rated 300 will outlast another brand's 400 rated tire at the same conditions.
A wise consumer will choose 400 for 'normal' driving and 200 or less for 'spirited' driving. The one issue not addressed is hydroplaning; common sense says the more open the tread the less likely to hydroplane but once the tread is below 5/32" all bets are off. Without the exit area for water to flow out some open treads actually increase the ability to hydroplane.
Trying to improve on those general rules is likely to be a forlorn endeavor.

 

Awesome post. ♥

 

Safety concerns for traction in the cold and wet weather is exactly why I went ahead and replaced the tires before they reached the wear bar especially on a 60mile one way commute to work.

 

tagged! I run 40 psi and am still looking good on mine...26k miles or so.

Got a 5000 mile roundtrip roadtrip coming up! Will be curious to see how they look afterwards! (And checking them during obviously!)

 

You're nuts.

You're giving up a measure of safety for mpg.

 

Thanks. Thats the most entertaining bit we've had for opur ignorance board. never failed to bring a guffaw thim morning.
Post your acquaintances with trees, curbs, hydrants, whatever. And if you survive I predict 5730 miles til the mid grooves are gone.