How Long Do Tires Last? | Tire Care Tips to Extend the Life of Your Tires

Although your car’s tires may not be the first thing on your mind when you go for a drive, they’re among the most important components on every vehicle. Your tires contribute to everything from safety to comfort to maintenance. It’s important to take care of your car’s tires.

One way to do that is make sure you’re following all necessary precautions to make them last as long as possible. How long do tires usually last? You can learn that as well as everything you need to know about extending the life span of your tires and the benefits of tire care.

How Long Do Car Tires Last?

When considering how long your tires will last, it’s important to understand both the impact of your driving habits and the two important metrics for tire life span: mileage and time. Your personal habits play the biggest part in the life span of your tires, as drivers who follow the tips below can significantly improve how long their tires last. The mileage a tire can reach depends not just on how you drive but also the tire quality and the type of roads you travel on.

When a tire has eroded enough that its treads are less than 1/16 of an inch deep, it has experienced too much wear and needs to be replaced. While most tires will reach this point, it’s possible for tires to age out of safe driving if you don’t frequently take your car for drives. Tires degrade over time and after a set period may no longer be safe because of the increased risk of failure, which usually occurs between six and 10 years after production, depending on the tire.

How To Improve the Life of Your Tires

Image via Flickr by ttarasiuk

Although modern tires are built to last, that doesn’t mean there aren’t steps you can take to make their shelf life even longer. Here are the top tips for maintaining the life span of your tires:

1. Buy higher-quality tires: When it comes to buying tires for your car, you get what you pay for. While less expensive tires may save you money in the short term, they often don’t last as long and are more prone to flats and blowouts, so you may spend more money on your tires in the long run than if you’d bought a premium set of tires. High-end tires are also safer, so there’s all the more reason to invest in your tires.
2. Keep your tires inflated: Maintaining your tire pressure is an important safety procedure, but it’s also good for the life span of your tires. Keeping your tires inflated to the recommended internal pressure reduces the likelihood of popping and also lets the tires ride as intended, keeping erosion on the parts of the tire designed to cope with it.
3. Get your tires balanced: If you feel a wobble when you’re driving, it may be an indication that your tires need servicing. Tire balancing keeps your alignment correct, reducing wear and tear on weak parts of your tires and reducing inequality in the wear each tire experiences.
4. Rotate your tires: Even when properly caring for your tires, wear patterns will not be the same for all four tires because of the different demands different tires face. When purchasing new tires, speak with the tire professional about how often to rotate your new tires. Rotation swaps tires from front to back and left to right, helping to balance out the uneven wear patterns and extend the overall life of the tires.
5. Avoid road hazards: When driving, do your best to avoid hazards such as potholes, rough sections of road, and obstacles in the street. This preventive care minimizes your tires’ exposure to potentially harmful elements and helps them last longer. As a bonus, avoiding hazards is also great for other parts of your car as well, so you can save a lot of money by successfully avoiding most hazards you encounter.
6. Get your tires inspected: Regular maintenance is an important part of caring for a car, and your tires are no exception. Whenever you have your car in the shop, such as for a rotation or routine servicing, ask your mechanic to check out your tires for any trouble signs. They may be able to identify wear patterns that indicate the need for servicing that could help extend their life span.

Benefits of Caring for Your Tires

Caring for your tires is an important part of routine car maintenance and comes with many benefits, including:

• Longer life span: Caring for your tires can help them last longer, which means you save money by reducing the number of times you need to spend money on a new set for your car.
• Safer use: Improperly maintained tires can lead to unsafe driving conditions. Incorrectly inflated tires are more prone to blowouts on the road, while tires that have eroded too much don’t provide a safe amount of traction, particularly when driving in adverse weather.
• Fuel economy: Driving on tires that are underinflated or lack sufficient tread depth makes them less effective at propelling your car. Maintaining your tires lets them perform at their best, reducing fuel consumption and enabling you to spend less money at the pump.
• Eco-friendly driving: Keeping your car tires maintained is also an excellent way to reduce your impact on the environment. In addition to improved fuel economy reducing your gas emissions, cared for tires last longer, which means you are responsible for fewer sets of tires on each vehicle, reducing your pollution impact as fewer non-biodegradable tires consumed.

Here at #1 Cochran, we aren’t just a leading dealership for used and new vehicles. We also understand the importance of proper car care. If you have questions about your car’s tires or are in the market for a new or used car, come out to see us or get in touch with us today to see how we can help. We’ll discuss your current tires and help you make smart tire decisions for the future!