How Many Miles Do Tires Last?

Many new tires from the assembly plant and high-quality replacement tires can last around 50,000 miles. Several factors could increase or decrease your tire life expectancy, which changes how many miles tires should last. The average mileage you’ll get out of new tires is around 50,000 miles, but tires can last as low as 30,000 miles and up to 70,000 miles depending on driving habits, tire construction, and treadwear rating from the tire manufacturer.

Learn more about how many miles tires do last from our service experts at Kelley Automotive Group. We’ll also answer, “How long do tires last?” If you have additional questions, contact us or call %phone_service%%. We’re happy to help you take care of your vehicle’s tires!

What Factors Affect Tire Life Expectancy? 

When looking for new tires for your vehicle, you’ll probably have two questions regarding the best return on your investment. How many miles do tires last? How many miles should tires last? 

Both questions have different answers. Several factors can alter the tire life expectancy as you drive on Bartow roads and highways. We’ll dive more deeply into the miles your car tires should last when you consider these things.

• Type of tire: High-performance tires have additional grip for improved handling on the road. Speedy cars with faster acceleration need to turn easily and effortlessly. But high-performance tires may wear faster than all-season tires with less rolling resistance. Rolling resistance measures the energy loss as tires roll on the ground to move your car, truck, or SUV forward. Lower rolling resistance decreases the required rolling effort for the tires, which improves your vehicle’s fuel efficiency and decreases tire tread wear. Consider tires with a lower rolling resistance to keep your costs of fuel down while increasing tire life expectancy. Our tire experts can show you which tires have lower rolling resistance.
• Treadwear rating: Every tire comes with a treadwear rating from the manufacturer, which rates tire life expectancy. The better the treadwear rating, in general, the longer the tires will last. For example, a tire with a treadwear rating of 500 will last longer under similar conditions compared to a tire with a treadwear rating of 300. Tire manufacturers do not calculate how many miles tires should last, just the treadwear rating. 
• Drivetrain: Tires wear differently on front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive vehicles. That’s due to the main power for forward motion. Expect your tires to wear out faster with AWD because the engine can send power to all four wheels at once depending on road conditions. However, AWD is considered safer when you encounter slick or less-than-ideal road conditions. You can balance safety with longevity when thinking about buying an AWD vehicle and the tires that go with it. Consider an AWD vehicle if you want better handling on slick winter roads, manage a property, or drive off-road on a regular basis.
• Road conditions: Gravel or dirt roads can cause more wear on tires than paved roads. Construction, snow, road salt, rain, ice, and unpaved job sites can also wear out the treads more readily. If you’re an off-road enthusiast and take your truck to your favorite wilderness destination regularly, plan to have quicker replacement intervals than you expect from normal driving on paved roads.
• Hilly terrain: Navigating hilly terrain produces more friction on the tires because you need more power to start and stop the vehicle compared to flat surfaces. For example, if your residential road is on hilly terrain, you’ll need more engine power to go up the hill but then more braking power to slow down. Both actions wear out your tires more quickly than flat terrain.
• Driving habits: Quick acceleration and deceleration will wear out your tires faster than accelerating gradually and coasting to a stop, even on flat, perfectly paved roads. Think about speeding up and slowing down gradually to make your tires last longer on daily commutes, weekly errands, weekend getaways, and any other driving. Avoid slamming on the brakes or squealing your tires. Braking hard while towing a trailer can also affect tire wear and longevity.
• Weight of your vehicle. Heavier vehicles typically have faster tread wear. EVs are heavier than comparable internal combustion vehicles of the same size because the batteries are heavy. Expect to buy new tires at more regular intervals if you own an EV.

Tire Care Tips For Long-Lasting Tires

In addition to more cautious driving habits, you can do a few things in Winter Haven to extend the life of your tires. 

Take a look at our tips for tire maintenance and care:

• Inspect tires for proper air pressure every time you fill your gas tank, as many gas stations have tire inflation stations. Some are free, others may cost 50 cents to run for a few minutes. Look over your tires once a week if you own an EV. Tires inflated to the right pounds per square inch improve the fuel efficiency, traction, and mileage you get out of your tires. Do not over- or under-inflate your tires because both issues will cause lower fuel economy and less-than-ideal handling..
• Regularly inspect tire tread depth for wear. If the tread depth gets below 2/32 of an inch, it’s time for new tires. A good rule of thumb is to use a penny to measure tread depth. If you can see all of Lincoln’s head when you stick a penny into the tire tread (with Lincoln’s head pointing down), you need to replace the tire. This recommendation comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
• Rotate your tires for even distribution of tire wear among all four tires. When you bring your vehicle in for an oil change at Kelley Automotive Group, we might rotate the tires and take a look at your tires’ tread depth. In general, tire rotations move the front tires to the back and the back tires to the front.
• Bring your vehicle in for regularly scheduled maintenance. During your maintenance appointment, technicians will also check your tires and recommend any actions. Remember, tires are more than just a way to get better gas mileage. They need to operate properly for safety not only for you but also for other motorists on the road.

Take Care of Your Tires in Lakeland

Now we’ve answered your question, “How many miles do tires last?” We encourage you to look after your tires as part of regular maintenance tasks to help improve the longevity of your new or used vehicle. Tire maintenance is fairly easy to accomplish when you keep an eye on them once a week. 

Need other maintenance for your car, truck, or SUV? Beyond tires, our team can take care of any type of regular maintenance, including batteries, brakes, oil changes, and more.