When to know when tires need replacing?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fire0nic3
  • Start date Start date
F

Fire0nic3

Guest
So when I went in this morning to get my 30K service done, the dealer told me my tires are starting to wear slightly. Tread pattern is good and everything is wearing evenly, but he said that I have 5/32" of tread left on the front and rears. What I was wondering is that good or bad? Is it considered worn a lot or slightly? Their all searson Bridgestone tires.
 
you're almost at the edge buddy. when you get your first slippage, let us know. if you don't want that then i suggest you get new tires. 5/32" doesn't help in cold/wet weather. it's from that point of tread wear that the tires become unreliable.
 
Does it really need replacing now? For some reason the tire's tread look really deep to me. I don't know if the dealer is lying about the tread depth. The tire's still look brand new to me. I don't know too much about tires, but most of the one's on my other car's lasted up to 50-60K miles.
 
just go get a depth gauge and see for yourself, most likely you have areas where it is 5/32 and some areas where it is not most concern is the outter and inner edge which will let you know of give you an idea if you need a wheel alignment or not but you can always check yourself.
 
The discrepancy between what you are seeing ("...the tire's tread look really deep to me...") and what the stealer is telling you could be due to uneven tread wear.

As a general rule, if your tire pressure is correct then the tires should wear evenly side-to-side. In that case you should be able to get a consistent measurement anywhere on the contact patch provided the gauge is perpendicular to the tire surface. If for some reason your tires are not wearing evenly then you should go with the smallest measurement you can find.

Your Bridgestones probably started with 11/32" to 13/32" of tread, so you're definitely over halfway to the replacement point. Realistically you can drive them until they are slicks without a blowout, but you'll be sliding all over the place way before then. I'd do some traction testing in a parking lot and base your decision from the results. (ie, are you comfortable with the amount of traction you have left?)

I rocked my OEM tires until I could "drift" around corners in the rain. (Probably around 2/32") Then the complaints from my wife became too much so I ditched them. :tongue (2):
 
tchuck said:
The discrepancy between what you are seeing ("...the tire's tread look really deep to me...") and what the stealer is telling you could be due to uneven tread wear.

As a general rule, if your tire pressure is correct then the tires should wear evenly side-to-side. In that case you should be able to get a consistent measurement anywhere on the contact patch provided the gauge is perpendicular to the tire surface. If for some reason your tires are not wearing evenly then you should go with the smallest measurement you can find.

Your Bridgestones probably started with 11/32" to 13/32" of tread, so you're definitely over halfway to the replacement point. Realistically you can drive them until they are slicks without a blowout, but you'll be sliding all over the place way before then. I'd do some traction testing in a parking lot and base your decision from the results. (ie, are you comfortable with the amount of traction you have left?)

I rocked my OEM tires until I could "drift" around corners in the rain. (Probably around 2/32") Then the complaints from my wife became too much so I ditched them. :tongue (2):
Click to expand...


Thanks for the information bro! I'm going to do some traction tests like what you said to test it.

I did the penny test this morning. Its says if you could see the top of Lincoln's hair that your tires need replacing. The thing is I tried it on several different areas and nowhere could I see Lincoln's hair.
 
the dealership is trying to sell you tires. i had the same thing happen to me my parada's had 6/32 left and they wanted me to buy new ones. they were running a special buy 3 get the 4th for free for $800 installed. they must think i am stupid i paid a lot less than that when i had them put on from a local tire shop.
 
look at the tires. you should look at the wear bars. if its close to that indicator, then you might want to drive with caution and or look into getting some near tires. 2/32-inch means that its at the wear bar. You might get away with using it for awhile.

wear_bars.gif
 
Last edited:
I ran my OEM Bridgestone run flats down to 1/32 and 2/32. Granted it was just the rears and we don't get much bad weather. There's always the penny trick to check for tread depth. I knew mine were low just because all the little tread markings had been worn flat.

Edit: Turns out I do have a pic of it right before replacing.

From this:

bs_potenza_re92a_rft_ci1_l.jpg

To this:

IMG_1351.jpg
 

Attachments

  • bs_potenza_re92a_rft_ci1_l.jpg
    bs_potenza_re92a_rft_ci1_l.jpg
    11.4 KB · Views: 18
  • IMG_1351.jpg
    IMG_1351.jpg
    95.1 KB · Views: 19
  • bs_potenza_re92a_rft_ci1_l.jpg
    bs_potenza_re92a_rft_ci1_l.jpg
    11.4 KB · Views: 22
  • IMG_1351.jpg
    IMG_1351.jpg
    95.1 KB · Views: 18
Last edited:
I usually run mine till it either goes down to the wear bars or if I see any signs of dry rot. The 600rr on the other hand ... thats a different story... :rolleyes:
 
I looked at the wear bars on my tires and its no where near flush with the rest of the tread. I also did the penny trick and you can't see Lincoln's top hair or hairline at all.

Does this mean the tires are still good? I have noticed that the tires have got just a tiny bit noiser in the last 8K miles. Maybe its just me lol. They also feel like the don't absorb bumps as good as they use to.I have them inflated to the factory recommend cold PSI which is 33. My tires are Bridgstone Dueler H/L Alenza 265/50/20.......something like that lol. Bridgestone says these have a life rating of 65K miles.
 
I would say your tires are still good but they won't be great in the winter. As for them being louder its probably because of the cold. Obviously when its cold out you'll notice noises that were never there before... interior making noises, tires howling, stiffer ride etc. As for getting 65k out of them chances of that are slim and that's probably based on grandma driving in perfect condition. Also not sure if you were interested or thought of doing but I've seen a like new set of blizzaks recently on Craigslist, same size that you have. You know the New England weather can get crazy and tires make a huge difference. All up to you. I live up on a crazy hill and I need all the traction I can get even with awd.
 
Fire0nic3 said:
So when I went in this morning to get my 30K service done, the dealer told me my tires are starting to wear slightly. Tread pattern is good and everything is wearing evenly, but he said that I have 5/32" of tread left on the front and rears. What I was wondering is that good or bad? Is it considered worn a lot or slightly? Their all searson Bridgestone tires.
Click to expand...

5/32 is good enoguht. Not for snow offcourse. But will work fine for dry and rainy day.

If rains seldomly I would replace at 3/32 if rains often at 4/32 time to get new tires.

In my opinion wait till 35-40k miles on a car and replace tires.
But not with bridgestone :-) they are expensive but crappy IMP
 
Yeah, I'm not buying tires from the dealer. When I do replace the tires, I'll probably be switching to these Yokohama's I've heard good reviews about on Tirerack.com. These Bridgestone tires aren't the most quiet tire's I've had.
 
haha let us know how it goes.

I won't be getting new tires at least till sometime next year.
 
my michellin latitude hp tour, has 3/32 left i bought those at costco for 1100, and best traction i got during rainy weather, unfortunately i need new ones, and comfort ones, any suggestions guys? yokos?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top