Photography: Craig Perronne

We get a lot of questions about tires. It makes a lot of sense; tires are a major purchase. More than likely, you are going to be spending at least $1,000 when it comes time to replace your tires. That is some pretty big coin for any of us. As the only part of our vehicle physically touching the ground, tires make a huge impact on performance on the highway and on the trail. Making an informed decision about which tires to buy is a wise idea.

One question our readers often ask is how many miles does a certain tire last? That can be a difficult one for us to answer. Unless we’ve driven on that particular tire until the end of its life, we can only make an educated guess. And even then, several factors can affect tire wear. Vehicle weight, how hard the driver is on the throttle, and the terrain it’s used on can impact (sometimes significantly) tread life. If one person gets 50,000 miles out of a set of tires, it doesn’t mean everyone will.

We might not be able to tell you exactly how long a particular tire will last, but we can tell you how to make the tires on your vehicle last their longest – no matter the brand. There are concrete steps you can take to ensure your tires live the longest possible life. Amazingly, many skip these steps, or neglect them, only to see their expensive tires wear down more quickly than they should. What follows are tips to maintain a happy, long-term relationship with your tires.