‘I live near Milton Keynes and it's not unusual here to have a much more worn nsf tyre because of all of the roundabouts you have to tackle.’ That was exactly my thought, I’d have expected the n/s/f to wear more quickly, assuming they went on as a set.
Even so, it's why rotating the tyres is a good idea, to extend their life and, depending on the tyre type bought, mean that you would rarely buy them but in a set of 4, often saving money because of offers.
Good example is my dad's Fiesta vs my Mazda3 - he often has to have new front tyres, one at a time, and often because they might be an MOT failure, so he pays extra because he gets them singally when it's serviced at the main dealer, plus it's pure luck if they match the make and especially model of the other three tyres, and again you have the same unequal wear issue.
Mine, on the other hand, are rotated roughly every 5000 miles / 2 years, whichever comes first, and I've ever only changed all 4 (including the previous car), and often saved a lot because I would plan ahead and change when prices are low (offers) and for the specific tyre that I thought suited my car / driving style and price bracket.
For example, my dad's tyres (not too dissimilar in size - mine are 195/65 R15, his are 195/50 R15) have cost him quite a bit more for the more basic Contis (summer tyres) than I paid (per tyre) for my CrossClimate+s.
Normally (say via BC), the difference is about 5-10% in my favour (depending upon the tyre chosen), but because he 'has' to source them at service time via the main dealer rather than plan ahead, he pays about 25% more, and often gets an older design tyre rather than the latest model. I bet the delaership makes a nice fat margin on that purchase.
Because I get better tyres and rotate them regularly (I didn't this year because I did only 2500 - 3000 miles), I get roughly 2-3x the mileage out of mine compared to his, even accounting for his rear tyre only needing replacement sparingly in comparison to the front ones, mainly because they age out (deteriorate sitting outside).
What also helps me is that my car's far more common tyre size means i get far more choice (which lowers the cost because of more competition) and of the latest designed tyres.
|