How long do your tyres last?

[sad_gills_fan]

I have a Vauxhall Meriva (registered April 06) and I'm wondering about the tyres. I have only just gone over the 12000 mile mark and the garage are telling me that my tyres are within 1mm of the legal requirement.

I can't believe that standard road driving has caused my tyres to only last 12000 miles ... your thoughts?

History of tyres: Got front right wheel pushed into kerb in Jan (she shouldn't have turned left from her lane!), specifically asked assessor and garage to look at tyre .. they clearly didn't. Put in for 12 month service in April and they told me front right tyre was now illegal (1mm) but others ok (all 6mm) .. had row with Body Shop as they hadn't checked tyre but they have now changed it. They told me yesterday that my others were now only 3mm but at the service date (21 Apr), they were 6mm. Can a tyre wear 3mm in 3 months? Surely something is wrong?

Your help and advice would be appreciated.

[HelzBelz]

It'd depend on tyre pressures, and to a certain extent how you drive, so it's hard to say if they should or shouldn't wear that quickly

[vikingaero]

What make are the tyres. Some tyres last for ages - Michelins and Lo Rolling Resistance tyres especially. I made my Michelins last for 30k on my Beemer. Other tyres don't last as long. Some budget tyres seem to wear out in no time.

[seftonsun]

I've got Dunlop GrandTrek's. The front's lasted almost 40,000 and the rears are still going strong at 50,000 with about 3mm left on them. As front wheel drive I expected the fronts to wear quicker (cannot be bothered to swop wheels around). These are pretty much road going tyres and nothing special.

[Nobjocki]

I dunno about tyres but the funny thing about razor blades is that the final one in the packet always seems to last the longest !

[tomstickland]

Depends on tyre compound, pressure, conditions, driving style, correct wheel alignment.

I use soft compound tyres and they last about 4-5 months which is probably about 6000 miles. But they grip well and cost £45 each all in via Blackcircles.

Check prices at Blackcircles and Protyre, they'll be a lot better than a garage.

[epninety]

As tomstickland says, it varies according to loads of factors. I've had cars where I struggled to get more than 6000 out of the fronts and 12k out of the rears. At the other extreme, the BFGoodrich on my Land Rover get changed between 50 and 60k, just before the start of winter... and there's always enough tread left (6mm or more) that someone buys the old tyres off me, which goes towards the new set . Then again, they do start with 15mm

[Lord Lardington]

I've got an old Lexus LS400 and got 40000 out of the last set, admitedly they were borderline illegal when I changed them so I guess I was still road legal and safe (sorry officers) up to around 35k.

[oldagetraveller]

For the OP's information, I have a May '06 Meriva (1.7 Diesel) fitted with Continental tyres. Just completed 11000 miles and the fronts still have 5.5mm tread depth and the rears 6.5mm. So I would suggest the tyre wear in your case is comparatively unacceptable. However, as has been mentioned, driving style, vehicle occupancy, maintaining correct pressures etc. has a lot to do with it.
Could the "kerbing" also be a factor here? Have you had the steering and/or suspension geometry checked since?
Although tyres are not covered by vehicle warranty, have you asked Vauxhall or a Vauxhall dealer for their opinion?

[Conor]

Within 1mm of the legal requirement means they have 2.6mm of tread which is still fairly significant however I personally change my tyres before they get down to 1.6mm.

It all depends on the brand and model of tyre and how you drive. Yokohama A539's will wear out in under 10,000 miles but they're well grippy. Michelin E tyres will last nearly double that but you lose the grip of the Yokos.

Likewise, doing lots of stop start or twisty road driving will eat tyres more than motorway driving.

[Mrs pbradley936]

If this link works it will show you how important the correct pressure is:
http://www.kwik-fit.com/assets/jpg/graphics/tyre-pressures.jpg

[MrsTine]

Hmmm interesting... make of tyre (and even batch sometimes) can make a difference as can driving style, tyre pressure, weight the vehicle is carrying/weighs and the type of surfaces you drive on...
If you go through a lot of round abouts every day (don't suppose you like in Milton Keynes do you?) that can wear them down a lot too.
I have got some fairly expensive tyres on my MX5 and they still look fine after about 10000 miles where as the previous set wore down in no time! whether this is down to no longer living in MK or driving on different tarmac or the tyre quality? Who knows...
OH though used to get AWFUL milage on his tyres in the Coupe... cos he drove it like a nutter (hence why he was made to sell it and get a sensible car... )

Lots of factors...

[plane_boy2000]

Changed the front tyres on my partners Sharan at 22K - the were the OE Continental's. Car is a pretty heavy front wheel drive diesel so I didnt think that was to bad. The rears are still the original at 32K and will probably last way past 40K

Personaly I always buy decent tyres - from my experience they last longer, plus I view it as a safety related item, and I dont skimp on them!

[DKLS]

To echo plane_boy2000 I will never skimp on tyres, after losing a good friend to a set of part worns. Mine cost £110 a corner and last about 16K which is pretty good for the way I drive, unless I pick up a nail, hence buying 6 new tyres this year.

[sad_gills_fan]

Thank you all very much for your advice.
FYI .. I drive fantastically well as I'm a woman!!! LOL. Seriously, my driving is normally to work so stops and starts for most of the journey. Motorway driving is limited to when we go to away football matches.

The accident may well have had an adverse affect on my front right tyre as I've had to have major rows with the garage (Vauxhall dealer) to get themm to change it. They said they've done tracking too now but who knows.

I think I'll definitely take your advice on buying decent quality tyres as opposed to saving money. We get a good deal for tyres through my employer so I'll take a peek at that info.

Thank all so much.

[mjr600]

There are too many factors involved to calcualate tyre wear.

Soft or hard compounds, weight of the vehicle, 2 or 4wd, front or rwd, road surfaces etc etc

Rears will last longer than fronts on a Meriva 15-20k is acceptable.

[andy007007]

My tyres only lasted 14,000 miles on continental sport tyres and they cost £200 each, I think this is terrible, do you ?

[Strider590]

Originally Posted by Mrs pbradley936

If this link works it will show you how important the correct pressure is:
http://www.***********.com/assets/jpg/graphics/tyre-pressures.jpg

Please don't link to crap fit, the last thing they need is free advertising and SEO (search engine optimisation). It's certainly the last thing the consumer needs.

[Inactive]

Another old thread that has been dug up from the past.

[Strider590]