I need some honest opinions, or maybe just a bunch of comments to push me over the edge.

My tires, Nokian V's 195/60/15, are at about 4mm of tread depth. This is the depth that the tire's "driving safety and aquaplaning indicator" says aquaplaning can occur at. The tire started out with 8mm of useful tread and can go to 2mm before the wearbars hit.

Now, starting at about 4.5mm, the ABS started to kick in more and I was loosing traction under full power. Steering repsonce is good, even better than when new (less tread squirm).

Anyway, the ABS intrusion means that the tires don't grip well anymore and it is almost becomming dangerous. Aquaplaning is not a real concern for me since it doesn't rain too often, but I do not know if I can run these tires to the wear bars because by that point they will have no traction left at all. I dont have a job right now so I shouldn't spend money on tires. But, I can't change my driving style and I need good rubber to maintain it. Going past this 4mm tread depth seems too dangerous to me, the compounds are different thorughout the tire's depth.

Help me justify buying a new set of Nokian V's.

 

I run to the steel wires.

 

To the steel cords, eh? Tell me you're joking. A tire's performance would be so far gone at the wear bars that you couldn't do anything but boring hypermiling.


My thoughts are somewhat disorganized today.

I usually replace my tires when I notice ABS intrusion under my normal braking and reduced traction. The only reason I'm thinking of keeping these tires longer is, well, money.

 

I hear ya want justification, ok, go buy em'!

I really like buyin new stuff but I also got this nasty habit of liking to eat every once in awhile

How about chillin' out a little when it rains and get another 1mm of treadwear and hopefully economic conditions improve?

 

Sorry to hear that you are out of work.

I'd say take it easy on the driving, use your tires a bit more till you can afford the new tires.

 

If the performance of your normal driving deteriorates, time for new shoes. I will run to the wear bars in the summer, but even then am pretty careful. Track tires can usually go down to 2mm all the way across, but with negative camber, that doesn't happen very often.

Pat

 

My normal driving is right on the edge of the tire's ability to grip. I don't weave in and out of traffic, I don't tailgate, and I don't speed or cut people off. I do however, accelerate very hard, threshold brake all the time (Just until recently, the ABS didn't even kick in under extreme braking), and corner at the limits of the tires (usually beyond the limits) These tires have performed very well from 8mm to around 4mm and have lasted longer than others - even survived 2 days of auto-x test&tune, maybe 10 runs.

About camber:
I run -2º camber up front and -1.5º camber in the rear, the tires wear evenly across the width.

I suppose I can wait for my tax return, I'll try to go easier on the brakes... I'll have to start braking a lot sooner.

 

[quote=nabeshin;2732482]My normal driving is right on the edge of the tire's ability to grip. I don't weave in and out of traffic, I don't tailgate, and I don't speed or cut people off. I do however, accelerate very hard, threshold brake all the time (Just until recently, the ABS didn't even kick in under extreme braking), and corner at the limits of the tires (usually beyond the limits)./quote]

I'll point out that this is a very fast way to get yourself into a situation that you cant recover from if something unexpected happens. Not my place though.

I have Nokian WR's and in a recent rainstorm (torrential downpour more like it) I was getting slight hydroplaning at 40mph. This was with maybe... 4mm of tread left, so 2mm before the wear bars. Other than that I think they feel around the same as they started. If you need cheap high performance tires, Dunlop Star Spec's are awesome apparently.

 

I use Nokian WR G2's in winter. They are good foul weather tires, but lack lateral stability or steering response on dry ground. That lack of lateral stability makes the car more tossable though, and quite fun.

Those Dunlops look awesome but don't come in the right size.

 

I actually autocross on my WR's, (these are the first gen ones) and they do fairly decently, the tread pattern is a bit more interlinked so the squirm is probably less.

I take it when you said 105/60/15 you actually meant 195/60/15?

 

I didn't notice that error... As I said before, my thoughts aren't exactly together today...

 

Could you try 195/55/15, there are some good options in that size.

 

My WR G2's are 195/55/15. They look good on the holies, but my steel rims need a 195/60/15 tire to look proportional.

 

Different tires are constructed differently. Some have the same compound right down to the cords. Others have a soft, gripier compound on the outer 4mm and a harder compound closer to the wear bars. I like to get my money's worth and run them until the first cord starts to show (then I rotate them to the rear). I drive like a little old lady in the rain with the dsc on. Ian's circuit keeps the dsc turned off at all other times.

 

unless the cords are sparking, they are still good

 

I've got an '08 MC 15,500mi. w/OEM 195/55/16 Goodyear RF's, I've noticed a little more aquaplaning and the rear end skipping when hitting pot holes. I'm going to discuss this my Dearler on Friday.

Is it time to think about a new set of tires??

 

Not kidding, a piece of steel cord and rubber came off my wheel last month, but luckily it was time for a tire change since I was going to AMVIV and Phil Wicks.

 

I think safety wins over trying to get your money's worth.

...crazy

Tread depth?

also crazy...

 

Running any tire below 4/32" creats a circumstance that can cause hydroplaning much easier.

If you feel the need to run your tires this low, please add a few extra lbs of air to them. This won't fix the issue, but it will help optimize a nearly bald tire's deep water handling.

Alex

 

Aquaplaning is dependent on a number of factors such as road surface, grade, water depth, length of the water pond, vehicle speed, braking, steering, contact patch size and load etc.

Case in point, the brand new Goodyear Excellence RFTs that came on my Mini aquaplane earlier than the worn F1s on my Miata.

All tires on all cars will aquaplane at some point when the conditions are met. Buying new tires and expecting an anti-aquaplaning warranty is unrealistic, improving one's wet driving skills is the better solution.

 

How old are the tires?

Invest in a better tire for longer life and better consistency.

 

Driving like that and safety typically don't go together. Tires are a small part of the equation, and if "safety wins" then perhaps you should change all aspects of your "driving style" until you can afford a new set. 4mm of depth is still quite a bit, hell my star specs were down to 4mm in a matter of 3 months...does that mean I should already replace them . I run my tires until the insides start going bald, then I order a new set and run my tires until rain is in the forecast or they just can't be run any longer.

The point is, if you are concerned about safety, drive slower to stay within your tires level of grip...don't spend money that you don't have on something that you really don't need yet.

 

Like people have said, it depends.

After having some Hankook RS2 on my car on a trip back from the track (I was using Toyo RA1 on the track), and getting caught in a thunderstorm, I quickly replaced the old Hankooks. I didn't measure the tread depth, but they were around 4/32. I had to pull off the road and wait for the storm to pass. Trying to drive on them at any speed resulted in instant aquaplaning.

The RA1 is fastest right before it cords - in the dry, anyway.

For me, I replace street tires at 4/32.

 

I was speaking about other's normal style, I realize mine is not safety oriented.

My tires are 2 years old, and have lasted about 20,000 miles, which make them my longest lasting tires yet.

 

I have frequently run my tires down to cords showing. But I try not to drive with balded tires on wet roads. I do not see any problem using very worn tires on dry roads. My current Toyo T1Rs are very worn and grip great on dry roads. I do not plan to drive them in the rain.