Was wondering how long do tires last on these cars? On my old XJ6 96 model, tires used to wear out at about 30k because of the weight of the car. Just wondering with proper care, balancing and rotations on time, what would I get out of tires. Thanks.

 

What kind of tires? That's the main question. There's a huge variance in designs.

For example, and speaking broadly, high performance tires generally have a low treadlife. OTOH, you can buy tires that are designed specifically for very long treadlife.

On my X300 I went from 255/45x17 performance tires (15k tread life) to 225/60x16 touring tires (40k + treadlife). Same car, different tires, vastly different treadlife.

Cheers
DD

 

i have hankooks vetrus on the car. not low profile. just standard tires. Had them for about a year and see seem brand new. Tires probably have about 9k on them

 

It also depends how you drive, same car, same tires I got 20k out of my tires, friend got 40k +

 

Sounds like thinly veiled bragging right. )

 

Here are some breakdowns. This is all from tireracks site but you'll get the general understanding when you read the definitions of the UTOG and apply those numbers to the verbage provided. In short though, the Higher the number, the longer the tread should last i.e. 500 is greater than 300, so the 500 should last longer.


BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S (W-Speed Rated) Ultra High Performance All-Season
You want all-season versatility (including light snow traction) and are willing to trade some dry and wet traction and handling to get it.
Ultra High Performance All-Season
UTQG: 400 AA A

Continental ExtremeContact DWS Ultra High Performance All-Season
You want all-season versatility (including light snow traction) and are willing to trade some dry and wet traction and handling to get it.
Ultra High Performance All-Season
UTQG: 540 A A


Hankook Ventus S1 noble2 Ultra High Performance All-Season
You want all-season versatility (including light snow traction) and are willing to trade some dry and wet traction and handling to get it.
Ultra High Performance All-Season
UTQG: 500 AA A

Uniform Tire Quality Grade (UTQG) Standards

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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards (UTQG) were originated to provide consumers with useful information to help them purchase tires based on their relative treadwear, traction and temperature capabilities. While it is required by law for most passenger car tires sold in the United States, it is not required for deep treaded light truck tires, winter/snow tires, temporary spare tires, trailer tires, tires under 12” in diameter and other select tires.

When looking at UTQG ratings it is important to realize that the Department of Transportation does not conduct the tests. The grades are assigned by the tire manufacturers based on their test results or those conducted by an independent testing company they have hired. The NHTSA has the right to inspect the tire manufacturer's data and can fine them if inconsistencies are found. While most new tire lines have their grades established when they are introduced, they are allowed a 6-month grace period to allow the tire manufacturer to test actual production tires. Once a grade is assigned it must be branded on the tire's upper sidewall and printed on its label.

Unfortunately, the rating that is of the most interest to consumers is the one that appears to be the least consistent. While the Treadwear Grade was originally intended to be assigned purely scientifically, it has also become a marketing tool used by manufacturers to help position and promote their tires.

Treadwear Grades

UTQG Treadwear Grades are based on actual road use in which the test tire is run in a vehicle convoy along with standardized Course Monitoring Tires. The vehicle repeatedly runs a prescribed 400-mile test loop in West Texas for a total of 7,200 miles. The vehicle can have its alignment set, air pressure checked and tires rotated every 800 miles. The test tire's and the Monitoring Tire's wear are measured during and at the conclusion of the test. The tire manufacturers then assign a Treadwear Grade based on the observed wear rates. The Course Monitoring Tire is assigned a grade and the test tire receives a grade indicating its relative treadwear. A grade of 100 would indicate that the tire tread would last as long as the test tire, 200 would indicate the tread would last twice as long, 300 would indicate three times as long, etc.

The problem with UTQG Treadwear Grades is that they are open to some interpretation on the part of the tire manufacturer because they are assigned after the tire has only experienced a little treadwear as it runs the 7,200 miles. This means that the tire manufacturers need to extrapolate their raw wear data when they are assigning Treadwear Grades, and that their grades can to some extent reflect how conservative or optimistic their marketing department is. Typically, comparing the Treadwear Grades of tire lines within a single brand is somewhat helpful, while attempting to compare the grades between different brands is not as helpful.

Traction Grades

UTQG Traction Grades are based on the tire's straight line wet coefficient of traction as the tire skids across the specified test surfaces. The UTQG traction test does not evaluate dry braking, dry cornering, wet cornering, or high speed hydroplaning resistance.

The Traction Grade is determined by installing properly inflated test tires on the instrumented axle of a "skid trailer." The skid trailer is pulled behind a truck at a constant 40 mph over wet asphalt and wet concrete test surfaces. Its brakes are momentarily locked and the axle sensors measure the tire's coefficient of friction (braking g forces) as it slides. Since this test evaluates a sliding tire at a constant 40 mph, it places more emphasis on the tire's tread compound and less emphasis on its tread design.

In 1997, the UTQG Traction Grades were revised to provide a new category of AA for the highest performing tires in addition to the earlier A, B and C grades. Previously the A grade had been the highest available and was awarded to tires that offered wet coefficients of traction above 0.47 g on asphalt and 0.35 g on concrete. Today the grades and their traction coefficients are as follows:

Traction
Grades Asphalt
g-Force Concrete
g-Force
AA Above 0.54 0.41
A Above 0.47 0.35
B Above 0.38 0.26
C Less Than 0.38 0.26

Unfortunately the immediate value of this change to tire buyers will be limited. Use of the AA grade will first be seen on new tires that are introduced after the standard was enacted and will then appear later on tires that have had the required wet traction all along, but were introduced when the single A was the highest available grade.

Temperature (Resistance) Grades

The UTQG Temperature Grade indicates the extent to which heat is generated/ or dissipated by a tire. If the tire is unable to dissipate the heat effectively or if the tire is unable to resist the destructive effects of heat buildup, its ability to run at high speeds is reduced. The grade is established by measuring a loaded tire's ability to operate at high speeds without failure by running an inflated test tire against a large diameter high-speed laboratory test wheel.

Temperature
Grades Speeds
in mph
A Over 115
B Between 100 to 115
C Between 85 to 100

Every tire sold in the United States must be capable of earning a "C" rating which indicates the ability to withstand 85 mph speeds. While there are numerous detail differences, this laboratory test is similar in nature to those used to confirm a tire's speed ratings.

Unfortunately for all of the money spent to test, brand and label the tires sold in the United States, the Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards have not fully met their original goal of clearly informing consumers about the capabilities of their tires. Maybe it's because tires are so complex and their uses can be so varied, that the grades don't always reflect their

 

I used to sell tires at Sears during my college days. We had tires from 25k to 80k mileage warranties.

 

All depends on brand of tire and care, driving habits - I have Cooper Tires - put about 20K miles on them - get a full alignment every 6 mos and rotate tires every 6K miles - tire threads still like new...