The general pricing for inexpensive tires will be $50 to $150 each, $100 to $300 each for moderately priced tires, and $300 to $1000 each for high-end. Based on the median price of tires in the United States, you can expect to spend a little over $600 for a set of 4 new tires, not including the price of installation.
Tyre replacement can cost $80 to $800+ depending on tyre size, tyre brand and type of vehicle.
How much does a set of four tires cost? The price of a set of four tires will depend on the size and type of tire, but the median price for four tires is between $460 and $1,280. If you have smaller tires and decide to go with a cheaper option, you could pay below that range.
It is recommended that your tyres are replaced at least every five years at a minimum, or when the tread is getting close to being at the legal minimum depth.
Generally speaking, tyres nowadays last for about 40,000km. That's a significant leap over the 32,000km they lasted for in the 1970s. However, it's hard to estimate exactly how long your own tyres will last.
Changing tyres in pairs
But should tyres be replaced in pairs? The answer is ideally, yes. Replacing just the one tyre without changing the tyre on the opposite side of the axle at the same time may cause an imbalance to the vehicle – potentially leading to wheel misalignment and excessive tyre wear.
Tyres will generally last an average of 40,000km, although this can vary widely depending on quality of road surfaces and your driving style. They should be checked annually once they reach the 5-year mark, and should be replaced every 10 years at the very least.
If two of your tires wear out faster, it may only be necessary to replace those two instead of replacing all four. If you do, it's important to have the two new tires installed on the back and the partially worn tires moved to the front – even on front-wheel-drive vehicles.
Small bars of rubber running across the grooves in between the tread – called tread wear indicators – tell you when the tyre is worn out. If the tread is worn down to these bars on any part of the tyre, it's worn out, unroadworthy, and needs to be replaced.
It's always best to replace all 4 tires at the same time. This is because all 4 tires spin independently of one another, and different tread depths and/or styles can cause them to spin at different speeds. That could potentially damage the drive train, and possibly affect an indirect TPMS system if the vehicle has one.
The general pricing for inexpensive tires will be $50 to $150 each, $100 to $300 each for moderately priced tires, and $300 to $1000 each for high-end. Based on the median price of tires in the United States, you can expect to spend a little over $600 for a set of 4 new tires, not including the price of installation.
Buying four tires will also open the door to cost savings per tire. Tires are periodically less expensive per tire when purchased in a set of four. Tire manufacturers often have special discounts that are only eligible for full sets of tires.
Reasons to Avoid Replacing Only One Tire
Replacing one tire at a time can present challenges down the road since the one tire will have a different tread depth and thus different accelerating, braking, and cornering abilities than all of the others.
The cost of car tires is high because they need to be made using not just rubber, but also steel, some durable materials for longer service life, and nylon. These raw materials must protect the tire's sidewall from external damage, which improves performing abilities.
The cost of new tyres can vary greatly depending on a number of factors such as the type and brand of tyre, the size and model of your vehicle, and the specific driving conditions in your area. In Australia, a set of four new tyres can range from $100 to more than $1,000.
So, why are tyres so expensive? Premium brands invest time and effort into creating the latest tyres. They hire the best chemists, technicians, engineers, and designers to produce tyres that are then tested to destruction by F1 class drivers in every type of condition.
Car tyre rubber has a use by date
But the reality is that rubber doesn't need to be used to degrade. Over time, rubber naturally hardens. When this happens, it loses its grip and can even separate from the carcass of the tyre.
Under normal driving circumstances with a front-wheel drive vehicle (passenger cars, minivans, etc.), the front tires will wear at a slightly higher rate than the rear tires.
Front tyres tend to wear faster, up to 2.5 times faster on some cars. The left front tyre has it the hardest. It is the most heavily loaded and responsible for transmitting most of the steering during right hand turns. According to Steve, this means there is major pressure on the tyre.
According to Tire Review, new tires should always go in the back. Rear tires provide the vehicle stability, and if they have little tread, then stability is lost.
A general recommendation is that your tyres are changed every 20,000 miles or every 10 years. However, they may need to be changed sooner than this if you notice any of the following: The tread is worn down.
All tyres (including spare tyres) more than ten years old should be removed from service and replaced with new tyres.
A car with mismatched front and back tires should still be usable, especially if it is a two wheel drive vehicle. Tires wear out at different rates, and if one is more worn than the other, simply rotating the tires may be a possibility to prevent further wear.
For all-wheel drive to work properly, all four tires must have the same tread design, make and model. If they don't, the computer won't be able to get the correct reading, which could burn out the drivetrain.