Yes, most recommendations are six years from their manufacture date. The manufacture date can be determined by the date code on the side of the tire. It will say something like 2519, which means the tire was made in the 25th week of 2019. Rubber gets old and degrades.
If you have a car that only drives 2-3000 miles per year, then your tires may expire long before the tread is worn down. To prevent this, do lots of donuts.
I did that very slowly and carefully! I crawled along at slower than walking speeds.
As @echoreply said, there is a time limit on tires. The sun’s UV radiation degrades rubber, making it hard and slippery. Even if they’re kept in the shade or in the dark, the UV will degrade the rubber.
I’m in the market for new tires so read a few websites, Consumer Reports, visited a few Canadian shops, etc.
There is some difference between brands, but there are very good tires from companies less famous than Michelin, Goodyear, Firestone, Continental, etc.
The most important thing is the intended use. Performance tires may not last as long. All seasons might be convenient, but are less good on snow and ice than all weather tires, which are sometimes less good than winter tires. Having a “low resistance tire” can save you money on fuel. Some tires are quieter and have a more comfortable ride than others. They also brake differently in dry, wet and snowy conditions with varying hydroplane protection. All terrain are thicker and okay on gravel. Run flat tires have special coatings but may not last as long.
Canada has a few national chains, but Consumers Reports really likes Les Schwab and Tire Rack, neither which is a thing in Canada. Many get their tires from Canadian Tire or Costco.
It is worth checking out the scores and ratings. I suspect tires are one of those things where very good ones are still at least 2/3 the cost of Michelins, which seem to be pricy (but often very good).
Can’t really answer your question. But you might want to check out what police cars in your area use. I would think they would want good performance, and a good price.
I will only by winter or snow tires. I run them year round (very long winters where I live) New cars generally come with ‘all’ season. And AFAIC they are crap. I try to buy a new car in the spring. Run those tires for the summer and then get good tires.
Remember that the police overinflate their tires to get more mileage out of them.
For my usage in Northern Colorado, a good all-weather (tri-peak symbol) works. I have a front wheel drive (my 4WD finally went to the scrapyard in the sky and my next one is on order) and while there have been 2 or 3 occasional slips for a second on a really bad surface street, I haven’t been even close to pulling out the chains.
I think @Dr_Paprika is right in the sense that the intersection of the intended use and the expected conditions are where you shoot for when buying tires.
So for me, that’s city/highway driving, in a mixture of dry and wet conditions. Ice/snow are extremely infrequent, so I’m not going to do anything special tire-wise for them.
But if you’re a rancher in Wyoming, you’re going to need some combination of off-road and winter tires, so you’ll want different tires for the same vehicle.
I’m a fan of the notion, “prepare for what the enemy can do, not what you think they will do,” and in this case, the enemies are Nature and Poor Road Maintenance. So winter tires 1 October-1 April. Of course I occasionally have to drive the Coquihalla Highway, aka the Highway Thru Hell, according to the TV series.
Whatever works for you. I specifically bought the model of 4 runner I have because of it’s traction control (A-TRAC) and also it has a locking rear differential. The A-TRAC is much better than the traction control on my old Pathfinder. You have to be in low-range 4x4 to use it though. This is different than ‘anti slip’ (that’s on all the time) I read that the 4 runner has oversized disks on the brakes to control it. That may be aftermarket stuff though. I bought mine new. Works great. Better than Subaru IMHO
It was mentioned that longer lasting tires save money and this factor might make more expensively priced tires cheaper.
It was mentioned that different tire types have different warranties and expected miles.
But tire warranties are not that useful, at least from what I have read. The one from the tire shop giving you replacements or repair if there is a problem in the first (for example) 15000 miles of use is reassuring. The prorated one giving you the difference between actual and expected use once down to 3/16 tread much less so - a small percentage of the tire price if my sources are correct. Anyone here use a tire warranty with results you were quite satisfied with?
Just curiosity from a Southerner. Do you have two sets of wheels? Or do you have them dismounted/remounted at the tire store (seasonally)? Asking because the only time I stayed with a family up north (Rochester, MN) they had an extra set of 4 wheels with snow tires in their garage. I’m curious if swapping them out yourself is typical. I can see the DIY advantage in case of an unexpected snow storm, but it seems really costly. Thanks!
I have two sets. The wheels pay for themselves after 2-3 rotations, since the garage puts them on very quickly. And as you say, there is the DIY aspect, which has been handy.
A lot of people have winter tires in Canada. Though costly and annoying, you need them in some rural areas. You can store them for sixty bucks and there are often insurance rebates. However, some all season and all weather tires have much improved and offer snow and ice traction in the same ball park.
Sure- I’ve had tires develop problems- separating plies, and in one case, wearing down to the 3/16" wear bars in something like 40k miles on a 60k warranted tire.
In all cases I got the prorated amount back- I wasn’t expecting full new tires, but getting 1/3 of a tire’s value back when you’re replacing it is pretty sweet, if you ask me. So is getting about half back when it craps out halfway through the warranted lifespan.
Yes, I have. This is purely from wear, and has nothing to due with defects or damage.
I got new tires, replacing the factory tires, which were completely worn out. I received $638.72 back from the mileage warranty. That was over half the cost of the new tires.
Those new tires, will probably be worn out with only 20,000 miles, so I’ll get a good bit of money back on them from the 45,000 mile tread life warranty.
It was very easy to make the claim. I didn’t do anything except ask the guy at the tire store to look it up. Their computer even automatically deducted the miles where the car had winter tires.
4000 pound dual motor electric cars are pretty rough on tires, even ones optimized for EVs.
I’ve tried winters with both winter tires and all weathers.
In my honest opinion, it is absolute madness for a Canadian to not buy winter tires. The difference is incredibly, obviously noticeable, and it doesn’t really cost you much at all, because you’re just getting more life out of your all season tires by not using them for four or five months. The trouble of changing tires twice a year is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT worth it.
Precisely what set you buy, as you point out, depends on usage. I go for highway-friendly models.
Not at all. It depends where you live, but many newer all weather tires are as good as average winter ones on snow and ice and wet (though these sometimes have longer dry braking times). No doubt winter tires are needed in hilly areas and if regularly navigating deep snow. They keep the highways clean in my neck of the woods - I used to drive 25,000 km a year through plenty of blustery highways and found quality all-season tires adequate. Good tires are important for snow and ice but winter driving knowhow is as well.
I had a new car with low-profile sporty tires, and I could have lived with them even in our Minnesotan winters. The worst problem was when we got slush on the roads, it would freeze on the rims. Driving for even a few hundred yards was teeth-rattling because the slosh froze on the bottom of the spokes on the rim, making the tire very unbalanced.
I mounted snow tires on their own rims, and since they had taller side-walls, I never have the frozen slush problem. Snow tires certainly improve winter driving, but they are really noisy on dry pavement.