For many years, the only way to determine if tires needed to be replaced was the use the ‘penny test’, which involves sticking a penny (or a quarter) into the tread of a tire. If you can see the head of the person on the penny, your tires are too worn and the treads are too shallow, meaning that the tread depth is less than 2/32 of an inch and it’s time to replace your tires. If the top of the head on the penny is covered, it means that the treads in your tire are deep enough to continue the use of the tire and that you’ll have some time before you need to replace them. While this is a good way to tell if your tires are too worn to continue using, that’s not the only reason you might need to swap out your old tires for a brand-new set.

How Long Do Tires Last? - Agincourt Nissan in Scarborough

How Long Do Tires Last?

As a general rule of thumb, the tires on a vehicle you drive fairly often will likely last you about 3 to 5 years or approximately 75 000 – 100 000 km. The shelf life of a tire will majorly depend on how often the car is driven. The less often a vehicle is driven, the longer its tires will last. All tires expire eventually, which is why our Service Departments recommend replacing all tires once they get too old (even if they haven’t already been replaced, aren’t fully worn down, the tire is a spare, or the tires are in storage), if they haven't already been replaced for another reason. This is because as the tire gets older, the rubber starts to crack and cause parts of the tire to separate from each other.

How Long Do Tires Last? - Agincourt Nissan in Scarborough

With that being said, there’s no exact way to tell how long a tire is going to last since it almost completely depends on environmental and other external factors. This can include climate, driving habits, road conditions, and tire maintenance. For example, if you drive in extreme temperatures, speed on damaged roads, and neglect tire maintenance, your tires likely won’t last as long as the average tire would.

Types of Tires

For the most part, tires are designed to perform best in certain conditions. This means that in order for your vehicle to be as effective and safe as possible, you’ll need the proper type of tires for the weather conditions you’ll be driving in. These tire types include:

  • All-Season Tires: The most common tires in Ontario, most new vehicles are shipped with all-season tires. They’re best for city driving in North America but are meant to be driven in the snow or below-freezing temperatures.
  • All-Weather Tires: These are a relatively new type of tire and are different from all-season tires because they can be used in snow and during the winter months.
  • Winter or Snow Tires: Due to the significant amount of snowfall we get in Ontario, it is recommended to have snow tires on your vehicle. They don’t harden up below zero like all-seasons do, can easily grip through deep snow, and can stop much faster on ice than all-seasons.
  • Summer/Performance Tires: These are engineered to perform well in temperatures above zero. They have excellent stopping distances, provide a smooth ride, good wet weather grip, great cornering, and high-speed stability. These tires come shipped on most sports cars and vehicles with performance/track packages. They can’t be used in the winter conditions.
How Long Do Tires Last? - Agincourt Nissan in Scarborough

Agincourt Nissan in Scarborough has a massive selection of tires for our customers to choose from, and stock tons of brands including BF Goodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Firestone, General Tire, Gislaved, Goodyear, Hankook, Kelly Tires, Michelin, Toyo Tires, Uniroyal and Yokohama Tires. Our tire store allows you to search for tires based on your vehicle’s make and model.