Tires: When is it time to replace them?

[RU55ELL]

This is the first 4x4 I have owned long enough to have to replace the tires on. Right now, I have ~4/32s left on my ProComp MTs and I'm wondering if they are ok to run to AR for the Fall Foliage trip and back. I'm not worried about them on the road, I'm more worried about them off-road. They aren't rashed up or anything like that, but it is hard to swallow spending ~$900 on tires that may not be used up yet.

 

[greentruck]

Never run those tires, but if I had only 4/32" tread left on a MT I would expect they:
* Work OK on sand
* Are marginal on rocks
* Would be worthless in mud except for flotation

Basically, a tire that worn will give you little advantage over a street tire tread-wise. YMMV

 

[RU55ELL]

I'm not really worried too much about performance as I am the tire failing. Part of me says, run it as is, the wear isn't affecting the carcass.

 

[jeff parker]

No worries about the tire failing, but as mentioned above it will not provide much offroad traction.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Wont be much worse/better than a set of all terrains. You have sidewall grip if we get into the mud. Just try not to spin your tires on rocks.

 

[Regcabguy]

Fill out your signature. This gives respondents some info on vehicle type,engine,mods.etc

 

[The Adam Blaster]

My main concern would be traction onroad in wet conditions/when it rains.
If you get stuck in the mud while you are on a trail ride with a bunch of other vehicles, no big deal you just get yanked out.
If you're on the highway and it starts pouring and you hydroplane adn lose control, that's a bit more serious.
A few years ago I was about 50' behind a Grand Cherokee travelling at about 70 mph fish tail and end up barrel-rolling about 5 times. The 2 teenage girls inside were ok, a few scratches and cuts from the glass, but it could have been a lot worse if they hit another car, or a light pole, or the guardrail on that they stopped rolling about 4 feet from.

A new set of road tires would be a safer option.

 

[fifthcircle]

Only 50' behind someone going 70mph....you drive like my wife!

You can hydroplane with any tire, and need to drive accordingly for the conditions!

 

[greentruck]

I'm not really worried too much about performance as I am the tire failing. Part of me says, run it as is, the wear isn't affecting the carcass.

Best thing to prevent failures in an old carcass, other than not hitting something, is to closely monitor air pressure in the tires.

Left unsaid was how old are these tires? If they're refugees from the 1990s, then a carcass can fail unexpectedly simply from old age, as stiff, cracked rubber can cause failures usually not encountered from simple wear.

 

[RU55ELL]

Truck is an 05, I'd be willing to bet they are about 2 years old. The truck has 72k on the clock. I've pretty much already decided that I'll be buying a new set before the trip. I've got a buddy at Firestone and a friend of a friend at Discount to get me some prices.

 

[Victorian]

Replacement is recommended when your tire looks like this one:

 

[The Adam Blaster]

Only 50' behind someone going 70mph....you drive like my wife!

You can hydroplane with any tire, and need to drive accordingly for the conditions!

I was in the right lane, she had just gone past me in the left.
I was first on scene, and I loaned the one girl my rain coat and let her sit in our rental while I helped the other girl. I got a quick look at the tires - not hard since the ZJ was on it's roof - and they were down to the wear bars, probably-2-4/32nds.

I agree on your second point, but having new(er) tires allows for a greater margin of error and greater level of control of he vehicle, even in wet conditions.

EDIT: Just an aside, this accident occurred south of Denver and I was amazed that no one else stopped to help - it was around 5:00 on a weekday and the highway was very busy. I think the next car stopped after I had been at the scene almost 5 minutes. And most people didn't seem to even slow down as they passed both the rolled over vehicle and mine parked on the shoulder.

 

[Mr. Leary]

EDIT: Just an aside, this accident occurred south of Denver and I was amazed that no one else stopped to help - it was around 5:00 on a weekday and the highway was very busy. I think the next car stopped after I had been at the scene almost 5 minutes. And most people didn't seem to even slow down as they passed both the rolled over vehicle and mine parked on the shoulder.

Thats disheartening. I still don't know who stopped after my wreck in 2006. The guy saved my life, and I never got his name...

I always stop now unless I'm sure other folks have the situation handled.

Ru55ell, The most important thing will be the sidewall while traveling on this trip. We should see neither deep mud nor big rocks, unless on a side excursion along the way. The choice is yours, but I always prefer the added measure of control afforded by extra traction.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Russ and Leary,

I've been looking at those ******** Cepek FCIIs and they look awesome, a great compromise for the stuff we do. If I had the coin, I'd do that.

Russ, have you inquired about treadwrights? See if you can get a set before the trip!

 

[RU55ELL]

Russ and Leary,

I've been looking at those ******** Cepek FCIIs and they look awesome, a great compromise for the stuff we do. If I had the coin, I'd do that.

Russ, have you inquired about treadwrights? See if you can get a set before the trip!

I'd have to say I feel the opposite about the FC-II. I think they look like crap.

I did some looking and reading about the treadwrights. The price is great and the construction checks out good, but I have read about them taking a whole lot of weight to balance and most tire shops won't touch them. If it was strictly a wheeler, I wouldn't mind, but I don't think I'll go that route on a DD.