They are the only thing that connects the car to the road, and life-saving technologies like anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control cannot do their job if the tires don’t have a good grip on the pavement.

As the adage goes, nothing lasts forever. Car owners still need to replace their tires or more throughout the life of a typical vehicle. Despite advances in longer-lasting tires, actual tread life will vary by car type, tire type (such as all season or high performance), driving aggressiveness, and even road and weather conditions. Proper maintenance and responsible driving can maximize the mileage in a set of tires.