[etop]

I just checked my tread depth with a tread depth measuring device and I read 9/32's. I remember when I got new Michelens, they measured 10/32's. Michelens are more expensive. Is the reason because they have more rubber and last longer ?

 

[Marcutio]

Technology is the answer to your question but I won't get into that right now.

Its normal range for new tires to be between 9/32 and 14/32 but it depends on alot of things.

Rotate your new tires every 6000 miles to ensure the wear is kept even. You'll get more life out of all of them. Adjust your Air presure as often as required and check every month with a gauge and not just the sensors built-in. ( if you have them)

Later. M.

 

[etop]

In my 45 years of driving, I have experienced many brands of tires. Tire wear for me is the deciding factor, and from my experiences, I have always got the worst wear from Bridgestones and the best from Michelens and Goodyear. Theory is, faster wear, better traction, longer wear, less traction. This is disregarding tread pattern. Any thoughts.

 

[Jeff]

My Cooper tires usually start out with between 13/32 and 15/32 depending on the tire model, because they are more of a LT/SUV tire. However some other tires will start out with less, mainly the high performance tires.

Theory is, faster wear, better traction, longer wear, less traction. This is disregarding tread pattern. Any thoughts.

All other things being equal, this is generally true. Tires with better traction use softer compounds, and therefore have a shorter life. Tires with longer treadlife tend to use harder compounds, which sacrifice traction in order to last longer.

However, tire companies have spent decades and billions of dollars trying to overcome this limitation and produce tires that offer better traction while also offering longer treadlife. But in the end most of it is just marketing, and the traction/treadlife of your tires is determined heavily by your individual vehicle and driving style in addition to the tire itself. That's why two people with two different vehicles and driving styles can have completely different experiences with the same model of tire.

 

[etop]

That's why two people with two different vehicles and driving styles can have completely different experiences with the same model of tire

My point is that Bridgestone tires have always given me the poorest milage of any brand out there.

 

[Jeff]

Well my point is that while you've experienced short treadlife with Bridgestone tires, I know people that have had good luck with them. I've never had Bridgestone tires so I can't comment personally, but I've had Goodyear, Michelin, Toyo and Pirelli, and have experienced short treadlife with all four brands of tires. However, I've had good luck with Cooper and BF Goodrich tires.

 

[kidong]

Hey guys, I think I can put some of my 2 cents in here.

I've been driving since I was 14, and now I'm 26. I know nothing about tyre wear until I have to purchase my own set of tyres at 17 yrs old.

In New Zealand, I have used Bridgestone, BFGoodrich, TOYO, and Michelins. I have clock at least 50,000km on each set of these tyres in both regular driving and racing. Here are my findings.

1. Bridgestone. This set I have driven for around 100,000km on them and I rotate my tyres every 10,000km or after every race. I seldomly race with these because they produce poor traction at high speeds and the max speed rating I got from it is 180km/hr which I do get to all the time. As with the driving in the rain, it's a pretty average tyre. 5/10

2. BFGoodrich Macadams: Some of the best traction tyres for the old 4.1 RAV4 that I have known. I have near 60,000km on these now and I've raced around 500km on these tyres. The rear tyres still look decent even with the trashing I gave, but the front's are almost gone. I say with normal driving, these tyres would outlast the Bridgestones 10-15%. As with aquaplanning, they are not the best even though they are directional. I've tried 140km/hr on a puddle of water. Real shaky and floats. 8/10

TOYO: I made around 55,000km with these and the wear on these things are minimal. I raced around 300km with these on the track and the wear is also not bad, but it does take a lap or two to warm them up. Traction wise, better than that of the bridgestones, but not as good as the BFGs. As with driving in the rain. They are pretty good tyres for the rain. Even better than the BFGs. Cheap and long wear. 6/10

Michelins: My friend and I have made 70,000km on this set in total The wear has gone around 60%. Not bad consider that he does not trash his RAV4. Very easy driver. He does complain about road noise though. One thing that Michelin tyres are good at is weather. Man, I've tried to drive it around 120km/hr in the puddles and it handles pretty well. Great for the English people and country. Too bad they are not directional and not sure about the performance on high speed yet. 6/10

 

[spwolfx]

of course, it all depends on what actual tire. You can not generalize tires like that. Usually tires that come with new cars are not as good as aftermarket models, even from same manufacturer.

I have Bridgestone S03's on my MRS turbo, probably one of the best tires on the road for sports cars today.

 

[Marcutio]

Your Right! You can't just generalise brands. Thats tire prejudice man!

Every tire manufacturer out there make long life tires and "performance" tires.

You will get good and bad with all of them.
Define Good and Bad....Hmmmm.
Good for some is that the tire will last to be discovered by generations to come while polking around in the dirt. They will be fossilised but still have 6/32nds on them.

Good for another is that the tire will stick to the road like S#!T on a blanket but only for about 90 minutes.

Tires are more application specific than most people give them credit for. Choosing the "right" one is a process all on its own with many factors from the type car, climate, driving style, "old fart" driver or even the color of rubber stripe you like on the tread.

I could talk all day here so I'll stop now. Its what I do for a living so I have a little more info at my disposal than most and sometimes more than I like.

Any questions? :lol: M.

 

[etop]

I didn't start this thread initially to talk about tire quality or performance. I only want to mention that some manufactures put more rubber on with deeper grooves. I like to think that if the composition of the rubber is equal, the deeper the tread, the more milage you can expect to get. For me, its 27K with Bridgestones and 55K with Michelens.

 

[kidong]

Hey guys, I'm not generalising here. I'm refering to the tyre size 215/70R16 for the 4.1 RAV4s here. and those are what I found. As with the 235/60R16s, I'm still working out which is the best solution.

As with the Bridgestones, it's the Duelers 687.

 

[Marcutio]

To clarify: The depth of the tread is as application specific as the model and brand you purchase.

A winter tire will have a deeper tread while a summer will have one that is almost half of a winter. (in general) All season vary in depth depending on there "primary" intented use. One that is an all around performer (yeah right) will have a tread depth a little deeper for use in the winter. One that "may" see snow but is intended for use all year but mostly in wet and dry conditions will have a tread a little shallower.

Not in every case but generally speaking you can use this as a point to start when searching for tires.

Will a winter with more tread last longer than a A/S with half the amount? ----- Not always the case. The amount of Silica in the rubber will determine the longevity of the tread. Winter doesn't have much but most A/S do have alot more in turn giving them more miles in their life.

Its a big topic but don't always go by the intial depth. The UTQG printed on the side is probably the best reference to compare any two tires. In a nut shell where it says "TREADWEAR" on the tire and it gives the number "400" for example, you compare this to a tire with one that has a "800" rating and the higher one should (in theory) give you twice the amount of miles.

UTQG is a standard grading system for tires enforced by the Federal Government. It holds ALL tire manufacturers to a quality test for tires on a Gov. regulated test pad. It specifies a certain roughness of concrete test pad, a specified weight on each tire and each tire is run for a specified length of time. The actual number "400" does not calculate into a mile figure and is mostly used to categorise the compound used in each tire and the longevity. Actual miles are still a guarded secret by each manufactuer. The % of rubber to road contact will effect the amount of miles you'll get out of a particular tire too. One with wider grooves may wear faster because of less rubber supporting the same weight. More % of rubber surface contact = more miles. Pretty simple math there no need for a rocket scientist to dispute it.

For us if you want a sticky tire for racing go with a low number "180". If you want long lasting but may sacrific some grip go with as high as you can get.

Note: I believe the industry leader is Michelin Hydroedge at "800" for most models. This may have changed in the last couple of hours though so don't quote me.

Confused Yet? :?

M.