Who Else Is Tired Of Buying Tires?
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Tires are a vital investment in your car—and a pricey one, too. On average, Consumer Reports members spent $223 per tire, according to our latest survey. But the real value of that purchase depends on how long the tires last before they’re so worn they need to be replaced. After all, the longer a tire’s lifespan, the less it costs per mile to use.
Ideally, you want to find tires that are long-lasting while also possessing other important attributes, like dry and wet grip, ride comfort, and quietness. The good news is that for many drivers it’s possible to find tires that strike that balance, says Ryan Pszczolkowski, CR’s tire program manager. In addition, there are things you can do to prolong the life of your tires, no matter which ones you buy.
When shopping for tires, you’ll find the treadwear rating—a number indicating the tire’s predicted longevity—on the sidewall, the smooth section of rubber between the tread and the rim. The higher the number, the longer the tire should last (a tire with a treadwear rating of 200 should last twice as long as a tire rated at 100). But those treadwear numbers come from the manufacturer and are influenced by marketing decisions. And they don’t actually tell you how many miles you will get.
Consumer Reports conducts its own tests so that you can accurately compare treadwear across brands and tire types. We put tires through rigorous on-road evaluations, with testers driving on them 1,000 miles per day for 16 days. The service life of the tires—when the tread is worn down to 2/32 of an inch—is predicted based on measured wear. These projections, provided in our ratings, are based on proper tire maintenance. Of course, your results will also depend on how you drive, where you drive, what you drive, how you maintain your vehicle, plus your luck with avoiding flat tires. (Winter/snow tires, which use more pliable, faster-wearing rubber that stays grippy in cold weather, are not tested for treadwear.)
What our tests show: The lifespan of tires varies widely. Some tires will last 45,000 miles, while others in the same category can go for 100,000 miles. What makes one tire last twice as long as another is often a matter of materials. As with winter/snow tires, performance tires for sports and luxury cars are made from rubber compounds with exceptional traction and responsiveness—traits that inherently lead them to wear down more quickly than conventional all-season tires. Long-lasting, high-treadwear tires—ones that don’t make you sacrifice other qualities like grip and ride comfort—are typically made by blending expensive materials such as silica and a petroleum product called carbon black into the rubber. That chemistry, along with highly engineered tread patterns, helps the tires wear down more slowly.
These tires do cost more to produce and, consequently, to purchase—expect to pay $25 to $50 more per tire than you would for typical tires. Nevertheless, CR’s testing shows that spending more up front can be a better overall value.
For example, we paid $254 per tire for the top-rated Michelin CrossClimate2 all-season tires for the 18-inch size we tested, which our results project to last 95,000 miles for a cost of 26.7 cents per mile. Compare that with $184 per tire for the second-ranked Vredestein HiTrac, which we predict to last for 60,000 miles for a cost of 30.7 cents per mile. That extra 35,000 miles of life makes the higher price of the Michelin tires worth it over the lifetime of the tire.
To help you find a set of tires that will give you excellent overall performance along with long-term value, we’ve translated our test results into a dynamic ratings chart that is searchable by vehicle, tire size, tire type, and brand. To find a long-lasting tire for your vehicle, scan the recommended models your preferred category—such as all-season or all-season SUV—by scrolling to the right in the ratings. Tested Tread Life is listed there along with the specs. Of course, full details for each tire is available on its model page.