Am I the only one with tire wear that sucks?

[PatMarlin]

Seems like tires have cheap rubber nowadays.

Even on my trailers, that used to last years and years, I'm getting 2 years at the most with my boat trailer. Light seasonal use!!

Same with my utility trailer tires.

Then I can't get more than 2 years on my 3/4 ton chev 4x4, and I don't drive hardly 8-9k a year.

This is with the utmost care with tire pressure, rotation, etc., etc.,.. :roll:

I am mad as hell and I'm NOT going to take it anymore... but I don't know what I'm gonna do.. :mrgreen:

Anyone else having trouble with tires?

[Ivantherussian03]

Could be a bad manufacturing run. You get what you pay for on tires. I bought cheap tires 40,000 miles Sears trailhandlers for my truck 235 75R15, and there lasting 40,000 miles worth. I only drive about 5 to 7 thousand miles a year. I bought them last summer.

Is your alignment good?

[Buckshot]

................As Ivan suggests, they just may be a bad run. I am assuming you're saying they just wear out the tread, and not core seperations or sidewall cracks and stuff?

As a young driver and allowed the priviledge of an automobile (Triumph TR3) I was also allowed to pay all expenses. As a consequence I'd buy the cheapest tires I could scrounge. I also didn't range far from home much either, or it was in mom and dad's car.

To me, these days tires are amazing. A couple years ago I bought my folks' 94 Taurus which had Michelins on it and an 80K treadlife warrenty. I had one (L-F) that had a tread seperation so I took it in with 78K on it, to the same place where they bought it. Yup, 80K warrenty but that's good for 5-6 years, and they're 8 years old. Bummer, okay put 2 new ones on the front.

I finally broke down and replaced the 2 on the rears as I didn't want to rotate them to the front. They must have had like 92K miles on them and STILL looked good!

Our 01 Sport Trac came with Generals and at 65K they were looking changeable so I called around looking for the best deal on GOOD tires. Best were some Goodyear something or others with a 60K treadlife and going for $120 each. Called one more place and ended up with Coopers and a 70K warrenty and if you bought 4, Cooper would extend it to 80K. They were $88 each and included road hazard. The dealership did free 5K rotations and checked alignment each time. If one was needed we'd get it for half price. We have 2 rotations on'em (about 12K so far) and no alignment issues, with 78K on the trucks clock.

Sometimes bad tires get out. A buddy had 4 new Bridgestones put on the back of his Ford Diesel 1 ton and in less then a year the tread was coming loose from the carcass and slinging off in pieces. He got new tires and so far no issues. Neighbor guy with a Ford Ranger had a set of tires on it he said he thought would NEVER wear out :-) He finally bought new ones because the sidewalls were weather checking pretty bad, but he said they had to have had close to 80K miles on them and didn't leak.

If you have a treadlife warrenty, use it!

..................Buckshot

[wills]

I would think Buckshot would have a remedy for the problem, somehow involving duct tape or hose clamps.

I bought a new Mazda and got 112,000 miles on the tires before they started coming apart. Even then the tread was not worn out, just separated.

[sundog]

Cooper is my choice. I've had very good service from mine on a Grand Cherokee (31" LT on this one) and a Sebring (Lifeliners). PU will get Coopers pretty soon to replace Firestones which were on it used when I got it. I've also used Kuomos with good results. sundog

[felix]

There's not that many tire manufacturing plants in the world that make "good" tires. I "hear" there is one in the Carolina states that consistently produces the best in this country. The bad news is the tires are not identified by brand or serial number. We must look at tires as a commodity, just like we do for cartridge brass from a drawing/stamping factory. The quality of our cases come from HOW the cases are made for the most part. Like tires, they have to be in true chemical and mechanical balance before application. ... felix

[Scrounger]

My two cents on this subject probably isn't worth two cents as I'm not a car person; I drive 'em, I don't build 'em, understand 'em, or love 'em. It was my understanding that there were only two tire manufacturers in the country, Firestone and Goodyear; all the other 'brands' are just that, tires purchased from one of those two with a different 'brand' name on them. Big enough order, they'd sell them to you with whatever name you want on them.

[dk17hmr]

I run Cooper ATR's on my 98 4x4 Ranger. I bought them almost a year ago right now and I drive alot, I mean alot, going back and forth to college every week I put on 200 miles on there and then through the summer I put alot on going to job sites, better then I have 25k on them right now any they are holding up pretty good. Not bad for $100 a peice tires. Day after I got them I went out in the local truck trails and went through mud that was up to the bottom of my doors and didnt get stuck. Not bad in my opinion.

[sundog]

http://www.howtobuyamerican.com/content/db/b-db-tires.shtml

[David R]

I sell tires at work as part of my job. I own a small (one person) garage. When you buy tires, look at the tread wear #. This is the one that counts. 400 is low to mid range. 520 is a nice tire that is going to last and then they get exotic in the 600s, but you pay an exotic price. These #s are on the tire and on the sticker that comes on the tire. Read it!

There are 3 ratings. Tread wear, traction and temp. Traction is almost always A and temp can be B (of A, B, or C) unless you are driving a hot rod. They also have a speed rating. I think the lowest is 112 and it goes up from there. These ratings are not important in this discussion. I think they go S, T, and Z. You will never find a Z rated tire with tread wear worth much.

Touring tires are by far the best. The tread is harder (high treadwear #) and the tread design is good for traction.

Truck (LT) trires do not have a tread wear #.

As far as roatating, do it every other oil change. I promise the tires will last a lot longer. Especially on a pick up truck or 4 X 4.

Alignment is important, only TOE and Camber will wear your tires. If they are not wearing even, something is out of whack. Toe is the most important and sometimes the ONLY adjustment on a car.

If you look at how the tires are wearing, it ususlly tells what is wrong. Wear down the center and not the outside on the back of a pick up truck is over inflation. Too much air in the tire, not enough weight in the truck. Only the outside of your front tires wearing is too much toe IN. Only the inside wearing, too much toe out. Both inside and outside treads wearing and not inthe center, low inflation. If a tire wears on an angle from the inside to the outside, wrong camber. It probably pulls too.

Hitting a pot hole WILL NOT throw your front end out. It wears slowly as you use the car.

4 wheel independent suspension has the rear wheels toed in a little for handling. It makes the car drive better, but at the cost of tire wear from the inside to the outside. This is another case where rotating helps.

If you have worn tie rod ends, ball joints, Idler arms or really bad shocks, I don't want to hear about fast tire wear.

Hope I helped
Been a Mechanic for over 25 years.

David

[btr-cj]

I run Mastercraft on my Dakota and my wife’s Camaro. I have run 5 or 6 sets and have had one go out of round before the advertised mileage was reached. I usually get the 70 - 75K mileage tires and they get that easily. These are just street tires not off road tires. I usually pay about $75 - $80 apiece. I like them a lot. I did do a lot of Highway miles and that may account for the good tread life.

Just looked at the link above and they are listed as American made. Cool.


Your Mileage May Vary, Objects in the mirror are closer then you think, Only use under adult supervision. ETC…………


Hope this helps.

C.J.

[Gary Carter]

My personal favorite is the Multi-Mile "Wild Country TXR" 8 ply 265/75-R16. First set got 70,000 miles out of driving 50% gravel with trailer 25% of time. Rotate every other oil change. This set will be shot at 50,000 but front end wore out 30,000 miles ago. Need tie-rode ends, drag-link, track-bar, shocks, and alignment then next set will go another 70,000 as before.

[C1PNR]

My Brother has a friend who has owned tire shops for years. His advice, which I usually follow, is to buy Cooper. Well made, American made, what the heck more do we want?

I do need to see what they have for an aggressive off road (mud and snow) tread.

[454PB]

I own an GL 1800 Gold Wing, which produces 118 horsepower and weighs right at 900 pounds wet. The Gold Wings produced since 2001 have radial tires, which cost around $260 a pair. That's if you mail order them and mount them yourself. If you go to a Honda dealer and buy them and then have them installed, It's about $350. That's for two tires that will last about 13,000 to 15,000 miles.

I bought a 2002 Dodge Caravan in 2003, and it had around 17,000 miles on it already. It now has nearly 44,000 miles, and is still wearing the OEM tires. At the rate they are wearing, I think they might go 55,000 miles I find that amazing on the cheap "lowest bidder" original equipment tires.

[PatMarlin]

My problem I beleive is living in the Mountains. The constant turns.

I also carry loads from time to time, but my tread wear is flat and even, and I monitor my air pressure, to keep wear even.

I don't get the trailers though? I've got old tires on a few rigs that have had years of use , and still good tread. I've had 2 trailers with newer expensive tires, and the sob's have worn out fast. Junk IMO... :roll:

I agree with Felix. There's got to be better and poorer materials contributing to the problem.

Light vehicles on flat ground is a whole different ball game also.. :drinks:

[felix]

Michelin has had a large plant in the Dallas/FortWorth metroplex for 10 years or more to make the tires sold in the USA. So, Michelin and whatever other brand they make, are American made tires by default. Now, the profits? Who knows where that money goes. Prolly not back to France, but to the world market. ... felix

[StarMetal]

All this tire talk got me thinking. I need new tires for my little 4wheeler ATV. I was searching on the net the other day and Wow! they are expensive. Anywheres from $19 to $80 apiece depending on brand. I have large tires on mine so they don't start at that $19 for me. Anyone got a good source for cheap tires for an ATV? I'm looking at $30 to $40 bracket. One place even had $20 shipping per tire!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow!!!

Joe

[Scrounger]

All this tire talk got me thinking. I need new tires for my little 4wheeler ATV. I was searching on the net the other day and Wow! they are expensive. Anywheres from $19 to $80 apiece depending on brand. I have large tires on mine so they don't start at that $19 for me. Anyone got a good source for cheap tires for an ATV? I'm looking at $30 to $40 bracket. One place even had $20 shipping per tire!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow!!!

Joe

I guess size is everything. In searching for new tires for my Honda ATV, cheapest I could find were at my local WalMart and they were $63 apiece and not very impressive. My nephew works for United Rental and they buy all kinds of tires for their equiptment; he got 7 ply tires for it from the company United buys from for $80 each, actually $90 with all the taxes and charges they add on. Sure hope they last a long time...

[StarMetal]

Art,

I bought my Suzukin ATV in 1995 and there's still tread on the tires, so I got good wear out of the factory tires. Looks like I will have to bite the bullet and pay the expense. On another note I may have to take them to a motorcycle shop to have them changed. I got a flat on one of the rear tires one time. Was going to dismount it from the wheel and put a patch on the inside. Forget that, no way no how could I break that tire off the rim. Dang

Joe