Part worn tyres on low mileage car?

UKSBD

My wife has a 2009 Yaris which has done about 13,000 miles (had about 11,000 when she got it about 6 years ago) The tread on the tyres is fine but the sides are starting to look a bit perished.


As she does so few miles a year, she won't ever use up the tread so getting a set of 4 new tyres seems a waste.


Is it worth looking at part worn, higher mileage but newer, as the perishable life span will outlive the tread life span


Alternatively, are there any tyres designed to have longer lifespans where they are not used much?

AdrianC

It isn't worth it. Perfectly decent tyres in the standard 175/65 14 size for a Yaris start at just over £25 each (http://www.camskill.co.uk/m4b0s393p127253/) - a bit north of hundred quid for a decade's worth of tyre life? A tenner a year...?

If she's doing 2,000 miles in six years, is it worth her owning a car? I dread to think what the cost per mile has been with insurance, MOT, servicing, depreciation all taken into account. Wouldn't a taxi and/or occasional hire car be MUCH cheaper?

motorguy

AdrianC wrote: »

It isn't worth it. Perfectly decent tyres in the standard 175/65 14 size for a Yaris start at just over £25 each (http://www.camskill.co.uk/m4b0s393p127253/) - a bit north of hundred quid for a decade's worth of tyre life? A tenner a year...?

If she's doing 2,000 miles in six years, is it worth her owning a car? I dread to think what the cost per mile has been with insurance, MOT, servicing, depreciation all taken into account. Wouldn't a taxi and/or occasional hire car be MUCH cheaper?

+1

And that'll get you a brand new set of matching tyres, not some cobbled together set of spurious origin and history

UKSBD

AdrianC wrote: »

It isn't worth it. Perfectly decent tyres in the standard 175/65 14 size for a Yaris start at just over £25 each (http://www.camskill.co.uk/m4b0s393p127253/) - a bit north of hundred quid for a decade's worth of tyre life? A tenner a year...?

If she's doing 2,000 miles in six years, is it worth her owning a car? I dread to think what the cost per mile has been with insurance, MOT, servicing, depreciation all taken into account. Wouldn't a taxi and/or occasional hire car be MUCH cheaper?

Thanks, I didn't realise they were that cheap (they'e 185/60 R15)


About 3 years ago I worked it out at about £13.70 a mile - https://plus.google.com/+TerrySimmonds/posts/HeBEN1nFkv7
Depreciation was more back then as it was only just 3 years old - It's probably closer to £7 a mile now (she did less than 200 miles this year)


It's her security blanket, rarely uses it, but needs it.

AdrianC

UKSBD wrote: »

Thanks, I didn't realise they were that cheap (they'e 185/60 R15)

OK, so the optional alloys... Bit more expensive - almost £40 each.
http://www.camskill.co.uk/m53b0s410p127293

phill99

"Needs it" Really? Get cabs for the few times its used.

colin79666

Doing such a low mileage will do the car no good. Expect brake issues soon if not already and it will need servicing even with a low mileage, at least oil and brake fluid.

If not taxis then you could hire a car for £50 a day including insurance. Some companies even deliver the car to your door.

Anyway back the original question, as per other posters I'd steer clear of part worns. If the car has a spare check it too. If it just has sealant then it will likely need replacing as they have an expiry date.

Joe_Horner

UKSBD wrote: »

Thanks, I didn't realise they were that cheap (they'e 185/60 R15)


About 3 years ago I worked it out at about £13.70 a mile - https://plus.google.com/+TerrySimmonds/posts/HeBEN1nFkv7
Depreciation was more back then as it was only just 3 years old - It's probably closer to £7 a mile now (she did less than 200 miles this year)


It's her security blanket, rarely uses it, but needs it.

phill99 wrote: »

"Needs it" Really? Get cabs for the few times its used.

colin79666 wrote: »

Doing such a low mileage will do the car no good. Expect brake issues soon if not already and it will need servicing even with a low mileage, at least oil and brake fluid.

If not taxis then you could hire a car for £50 a day including insurance. Some companies even deliver the car to your door.

Some things really cant be "moneysaved" away. As the OP says, he's well aware of the "unnecessary" cost but the car is a security blanket, so that cost is necessary. We don't need to know why, but we should accept that it is.

OP, You can look at tyre life in one of two ways: how long until they wear out or how long until they perish.


Most people have to work on the basis of them wearing out, and may get 2 or 3 years from a set before throwing them away with perfectly rubber that still has a couple of years perishing left in them.

You're in the enviable position of being able to get a full 5 or 6 years of perishing out of them before throwing them away with some tread wear remaining.

That actually makes your cost per year for tyres less than those who wear them out. Given your situation, costing by year rather than costing per mile probably makes sense

knightstyle

The British Rubber Manufacturer's Association advises that 10 years should be the age limit on tyres in service, though that will be if stored in ideal conditions - off the vehicle, at even temperature and out of direct sunlight. Expect to see UV cracking start to appear on tyres at four to five years if parked outside. As the cracking becomes more severe, tyres should be renewed irrespective of how much tread remains.