[ashphil]

I voted for once in five years. The kind of mileage which I cover is not very heavy but I was made aware that rubber hardens with age and if one wants to ensure safety it would be best to change the tyres once in five years or when the treads get worn out (which ever happens earlier).
Regards
Ashok

[ambujlal]

I voted for once in 4 years. This is because of the kind of roads or no roads in Bangalore, its almost off-roading in the middle of city . The Tyre go through a lot of abuse and that results in rough ride. Tyre wear indicator is not the only criteria!

[RGK]

I voted the first option - "when the tread goes below the acceptable depth". My Maruti 800 had good tire depth after crossing 6 years. As said by many, the rubber quality becomes poor after 4 years due to the tropical climate in India. Better to change once in 4 and 1/2 years even if the tread is good.

[MK3]

Shouldn't there be kilometer or miles comparison for the tyres? The manufacturer could give an approximate value for the kilometers or miles the tyre can withstand and this information could be used to decide on whether to change a tyre or not i feel.

[kanna.sridharan]

Hello to all,

I have some strange feedback on the tyres i've been using for the past few years and I would like to share them with you'll, many would have felt the same. All my experiences are with the Michelin tyres.. My average use of the cars I own are 30K kms a year.

1. Car I was driving Swift Dzire VDI, tyre used from ODO read 50 kms - Michelin XM1+ (this was in 2009), size 185/70 R14 used on stock rims. I loved the way the car handled after my intial experience of 50kms with the OE 165/80 R14. The grip on dry was excellent and the wets (not extreme rain) the tyre would just grip harder. I was very happy with the switch.. then as kms passed by, the ODO read 40K the tread wear indicator was not to be seen, but then the next 14k kms i drove, was the worst period of my car experience. there was no compromise on grip though, no uneven wear, it was perfect, but comfort, it was like sitting on a rock, it started loosing traction on all muddy surfaces on tarmac and the torque of the dzire's would just leave my wheel spinning if I had to accelerate hard.

now for my second experience (will conclude at the last). Car - Tata Grande (2010), tyre used Michelin LT/AT^2 235/70 R16, used on an 8" width alloy. The same intial experiences grip, handling, braking all improved a step up from the Apollo 235/70 R16. The looks category improved way ahead, my grande was a head turner in town, loved that feel.. ultimately I was forced to remove the set of wheels at the ODO read at 63K, due to harsh & hard comfort, bumpy ride. u wont believe the tyre has still a depth of 65% of its original level. at my friends garage the alignment guys were not happy with my decision to change my tyre as they were expecting it to clock atleast 1L kms. I've got the Latitude Cross now, lets see how that does..

My conclusion on Michelin, they have broader tyres actually a tad more than wats mentioned, the initial wear is high but provides best comfort levels upto that point, after that they get so solid that the tyres never seem to wear out and you can feel the discomfort...

What I really feel is that it doest have to be tread wear alone to determine tyre change, but the comfort factor differences too...Just my opinion fellow members. Thanks for reading, this long blah blah blah....

[shk_24]

Most opinion here are to look for wear and tear damages on the tyres and accordingly decide for change. This is the same approach i would also follow.

However please pardon for asking a basic question. While it is possible to check the tread depth and the exterior wall of the tyres visibly, is there a way to check the inside walls for cuts/ bulges without really using a lift, unmounting the tyre?

[rkbharat]

I changed my first set of all four tyres in 40Km for SX4. Last 5 months of those 4 years were really bad with tyres slipping on hill drives and sharp turns.

The current set is at 24K Km and I think it will not go beyond 30K, with 4 very bad roads long drives to Ladakh/Kunnaur/Jalori and more.

[acurafan]

Originally Posted by shk_24

Most opinion here are to look for wear and tear damages on the tyres and accordingly decide for change. This is the same approach i would also follow.

However please pardon for asking a basic question. While it is possible to check the tread depth and the exterior wall of the tyres visibly, is there a way to check the inside walls for cuts/ bulges without really using a lift, unmounting the tyre?

Easiest way is to probably drive to a 5 Star hotel on a slow day for a cup of coffee and while entering the hotel use the mirror box used by the security to check for your car tires if you don't want to get under the car

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by shk_24

While it is possible to check the tread depth and the exterior wall of the tyres visibly, is there a way to check the inside walls for cuts/ bulges without really using a lift, unmounting the tyre?

For some cars (hatches) it is possible to detect this for rear wheels atleast and I found this by coincidence last week. My sister's M800 was parked in the driveway and I was sitting on a swing in the yard with my son. From where I was sitting, I happened to see the inside wall of the rear-right tyre and was surprised to note that not only had the tread worn out (tread on the other side was intact), but there was something like small bristles seen. Went closer and confirmed that the interior half of the tread was gone and the bristles were actually the steel belt's part jutting out.

Unmounted the tyre and replaced it with the new stepney. Then dragged BIL from his afternoon TV-surfing and helped him rotate all the tyres.

All the 5 tyres were replaced only 2 years ago and done maybe 20K kms since then, but only this tyre had uneven wear. The other tyre on rear-left did not have any issues and neither did the front tyres. Alignment issue ?

[acurafan]

Originally Posted by RGK

I voted the first option - "when the tread goes below the acceptable depth". My Maruti 800 had good tire depth after crossing 6 years. As said by many, the rubber quality becomes poor after 4 years due to the tropical climate in India. Better to change once in 4 and 1/2 years even if the tread is good.

I have mixed experience in terms of tire life. Most tires come with an expected mileage. I have found that with proper rotation, decent roads and proper driving my set of 4 BridgeStone Potenza lasted 62K Miles ~ 100K Kms in 2.5 years. On the other hand with similar treatment the set of Michelin Pilots lasted 35K ~ 55K Kms in 1.8 years.
On my wife's car one tire out of set of Pirelli's blew out because the car was not used for six months and was parked outside in the rain and sun. The other set of two lasted around 40K Miles ~ 64 K Kms in 5 years.
Although one bangalore roads all bets are off. One of my Bridgestone Turanza's already have damage due to hitting sharp corner of a pot hole after 7K and has been relegated to spare duty. I am sure I have to do an alignment of the car wheels during my 10K service to remove any chance of uneven wear.
I think if the car is used frequently the age really does not matter, only the mileage and abuse counts. I typically check the tire tread width as well as for uneven wear during service.

[Biraj]

Voted for option 1 as that's what I followed on my Santro. OEMs lasted till about 50K and then replaced the next set at another 45 K (~95 K). I rotate the tyres at regular intervals and they had some bite left, when I changed them.

On a separate note, I have a query related to tyre wear that I didn't know where to post. Mods - please put it at an appropriate place if this isn't.

My Linea T-jet+ came with Goodyear EAGLE NCT 5 tyres. They have done 6500 KMs in a little over 4 months and it's been driven primarily (~85% of time) on city roads that too Noida. I noticed the tread pattern around the center line fading. I complained at Goodyear and their engineer checked the tyres. As per them, the front tyres have worn by 18% and rear by 12% and it is normal. There is minor chipping at corners and their argument is that this happens in all cars due to the road surface. Is 18% wear in 6500 KMs normal or am I being too fussy about the tread wear?

[supremeBaleno]

@Biraj, one of the reasons for tread-wear at centre is over-inflation of tyres. Do check tyre-pressure against recommended figures.

[Zenster99]

I voted for the first option, i.e. I've always changed the tyres when the tread depth gets to be unacceptable. This is kinda dicey though - one needs to check the tyres properly (and from all angles) to make sure the tread hasn't worn more on the "inside" of the tyre, or to make sure that all tyres are wearing evenly. I must admit I've not always been the best judge of this - can remember a tyre literally tearing apart on one of the road trips I did - that was pretty much because I had omitted to check the inside of the tyre carefully! Thankfully it wasn't a big deal since it happened inside a town, and during the day time, so I could get the tube replaced straightaway.

Age, for me, is not that accurate of an indicator though since (as others have said) - it depends more on the number of kms covered in a certain time frame than the time frame itself (i.e. covering 40,000 km in two years as opposed to five - the kms covered would be more important in that case). And of course the road conditions and driving style matter as well.

Tyres have generally lasted me for around 30K km or so - probably a bit less than average - I'm guessing decent figures for the Zen (my car) would be 50K or so. Here's hoping my current set of tyres lasts that long with proper care (which they're getting!)

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

@Biraj, one of the reasons for tread-wear at centre is over-inflation of tyres. Do check tyre-pressure against recommended figures.

Even I'm surprised at it as I got Nitrogen filled in all tyres at Reliance Autozone within a week of purchase and topped-up again at Bridgestone center in Noida Sector 63. The pressure is as per the manual and I would presume the accuracy of machines at these centers to be high.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

All the 5 tyres were replaced only 2 years ago and done maybe 20K kms since then, but only this tyre had uneven wear. The other tyre on rear-left did not have any issues and neither did the front tyres. Alignment issue ?

Certainly. My 3 year old Michelins even after 40k kms had 70% tread left in them when I went in for alignment. 1 Month later, the 2 rear tyres were bald, I could literally see the tread disappear everyday. I took it back and he gave me another set of tyres with the same tread depth as my front, but it still was not the same as it used to be.