When to replace tires

[Terry R]

Something @wibornz mentioned on the “What did you do TO your Jeep JL today” Forum that got me thinking. I have the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs (35x12.5x17) on my Jeep. Should I ride the tires until the tread is to the “must replace” depth, or sell them with some tread left on them to recoup some of the new tire cost? Will it be hard to sell 5 used tires (or 4 if I keep the best for the spare)? I see them on FB Marketplace all the time, but don’t know if they are ever sold.

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[NWJeepr]

I can't answer the part about selling used tires, but my thought on tire wear is "minimum" tread depth is just that. The bare minimum. If you have the funds to replace them before they reach minimum tread depth, why not? You can always give the old tires away, or take them to a shop to have them disposed of.

 

[jadmt]

there never is a bad time to replace your tires.....do it soon....

 

[Opus]

I guess I don't understand the logic of buying used tires, unless they are take-offs from a new vehicle. I've been too strapped for cash before to replace all four tires at once. So I've asked the tire shop to put two new tires on the front and the best two old ones on the back. I think I would still do that rather than buy 4 used tires with maybe half their tread life left.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

I wouldn't try to sell used tires with less than 25% tread depth, or with any dry rot/cracks. That is also about where I replace them too. If the place I buy tires want to try to get some money for them, great.

Very few tires I've had nave made it to the min depth, or the wear bars. On my old big, heavy Super Duty, I got a set of BFG AT KOs to the wear bars at 55k miles. But the truck was heavy enough that I still had okay traction that deep into the tread.

The best reason to replace tires is simply that you don't like the ones you have, and you want some new ones. I see no reason to keep a set of tires you hate simply because they aren't worn to the wear bars.

 

[jadmt]

I guess I don't understand the logic of buying used tires, unless they are take-offs from a new vehicle. I've been too strapped for cash before to replace all four tires at once. So I've asked the tire shop to put two new tires on the front and the best two old ones on the back. I think I would still do that rather than buy 4 used tires with maybe half their tread life left.

I have had great luck selling my used tires. I had a buddy tell me the difference between a new set of tires and a used set of tires is about 100 miles then the new ones are used anyway.......of course I go thru tires like some people go thru McDonalds......

 

[Terrymo]

It’s a Jeep forum so larger tires and a lift is always the answer. When we went to 37s we sold 5 OEM 315s in good condition to someone my wife knew that really needed them for $300 total.

 

[wibornz]

I sell my tires when they are still good for a trail rig or some one that wants to jump up to 37s but don’t drive their Jeep a bunch of miles a year so they can easily get a couple years out of them. Usually between 40,000 and 50,000 miles.

We do multiple month trips each year and I don’t want to wheel 4,000 miles from home on tires that are on the last half of their life.

 

[Jad4275]

What is the age of the tire? They do have an expiration date.

 

[Terry R]

What is the age of the tire? They do have an expiration date.

The code on most of them is 4721, so late 2021. They are all around 6-7 mm (8-9 32nds). No signs of dry rot. I assume at some point the effectiveness of them when off-road riding trails will be diminished, I’m just not sure what that point is.

 

[Aonarch]

Those are rich worn, I'd replace.

 

[Terrymo]

Those are rich worn, I'd replace.

I haven’t heard that term before. What is rich worn?

 

[Aonarch]

I haven’t heard that term before. What is rich worn?

Ha I used to work in the tire industry. Rich worn is when people with money replace tires just because they feel like it is time. The tires could be 50% worn, but better safe than sorry. Which is funny, because as long as a tire doesn't have uneven wear, a worn tire will perform better in the dry than a new one.

 

[Terrymo]

Ha I used to work in the tire industry. Rich worn is when people with money replace tires just because they feel like it is time. The tires could be 50% worn, but better safe than sorry. Which is funny, because as long as a tire doesn't have uneven wear, a worn tire will perform better in the dry than a new one.

LOL thanks, that makes sense. I think I’m that way with our Jeep and other car batteries.

 

[zouch]

depends on what you're wanting to do with them.
the tires in that pic would be fine for dry road, or perfect for slickrock.

i've had very good luck selling used tires on Craigslist and elsewhere when they were no longer suitable for my dirt use but would still be fine for someone to use on the street.

The code on most of them is 4721, so late 2021. They are all around 6-7 mm (8-9 32nds). No signs of dry rot. I assume at some point the effectiveness of them when off-road riding trails will be diminished, I’m just not sure what that point is.

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