Re: tire life?

["mstocker" <mstocker@neo.rr.com>]

There are several issues regarding owning high mileage
tires:

1. Long wearing tires typically have a higher durometer
compound (rubber is harder) to help resist wear.  Higher
durometer compounds also typically provide reduced dry/wet
traction.

2. Longer wearing tires typically have reduced tread void
and siping, thereby reducing wet and snow traction
performance.

3. For some tires, in order to maintain your mileage
warranty you have to have your car's alignment checked
annually.  This cost will exceed any savings provided by
longer wearing tires.

4. Tire wear is not linear.  You will loose 50% of the
tire's tread during the first 30% of use.  As the tire
wears tread elements become shorter and more stable, and
the tread compound hardens, thereby increasing the tread's
resistance to wear.  The result is, for a 100K tire, for
the last 70K miles the tire will have marginal traction
performance.

Personal opinion, go with a high quality, good performing
50-60K tire or high performance 40K tire.  Overall safety
and performance will be better and the true cost will not
be that much greater.  Avoid cheap 40K tires.

----------
(snip)
| This may sound silly, but what do I give up using a 100K
or 60K mile tire
| vs. a 40K mile tire? I have some educated guesses, but
I'd like an
| un-adulterated