How Long Should Tyres Last?

The tyres are essential parts of every vehicle. They are the first in line when it comes to facing the rough terrains, and therefore, it’s imperative that you keep them in excellent condition. Poor quality or heavily damaged tyres could increase your stopping distances and may change the way in which the car grips the road. Due to their essential attributes, how long should tyres last is one of the most common question among vehicle owners. Although it is difficult to answer that question definitively, there are numbers and situations that can be analysed to understand the lifespan of tyres better.

How Long Should Tyres Last? 

It’s hard to provide an exact figure as your tyre’s lifespan will vary depending on your driving technique, how often you drive the car, where it is parked most regularly, the type of roads you drive on, how many miles you drive per year, and the quality of the tyre itself. Any one of these things could be the difference between your tyre lasting three years or 10 years. A general recommendation is that your tyres are changed every 20,000 miles or every 10 years. The consensus among tyre manufacturers and safety groups is that vehicle owners should replace their tyres roughly every 5-6 years. So already we can notice a conflicting message that needs to be dissected further.

A better way to assess tyre lifespan is by some factors that effect the tyres physically. Tyres should be changed if the treads are worn down, there are cracks in the rubber, the air pressure is being lost more quickly than usual, and the wheels wobble at high speeds.

Tread Depth Matters 

Brand new tyres will usually have a tread depth of around eight millimetres. However, this can reduce significantly over time. As the surface of your tyre rubs against the road’s surface, friction is created that will cause the tyre to wear down. The legal limit is 1.6 millimetres, so you mustn’t allow your tread depth to drop below this level.

Mileage 

Your front tyres should last for around 20,000 miles before being changed and your rear tyres may last longer than this. For example, this means that they should be changed every four years if you average 5,000 miles per year.

It is worth nothing that the components inside a tyre aren’t indestructible and could separate for any number of reasons without showing any external damage. It is a good idea to operate a routine check up on your tyres every once in a while just to be safe. Call us on: 0421 866 146 or contact us for more information