What kind of tires should I get since I'm now at 80k miles and about to purchase my 4th set?

I rarely buy new tires..... I check craigslist regularly..... Also I call the auto dismantlers in my area on a regular basis and am able to get tires cheap..... No way I am paying $600 for a set..... My last set was near new... They were Douglas Xtra Tracs..... I got 30000 miles out of those and paid $100 for all 4.... The set I had before were cheap Summits.... I paid $80 for em from a college kid that blew his transmission up.... They lasted me 20000 miles..... If your car is front wheel drive then its quite ok to buy tires in pairs also.... Pay no mind to the song and dance the tires stores will tell you when they recommend all 4 have to be changed at the same time.... Baloney!..... They will drivel on about performance and liabilities.. BS!...... Just buy a pair now and another pair later.... This is OK and I have been doing it for years... Its safe, legal and a budget saver....

Tires do not last forever, and yes, if you drive 60 miles per day, 5 or 6 days per week, then your tires are going to wear out eventually. Good tires are expensive, but they will usually last longer than cheap ones in the same type of service. Before you commit to the Yokohama tires, read the warranty that they are selling... Does it really guarantee that you will get extended tread life, or does it just guarantee that the tires won't fail because of factory defect for up to 65k miles? And how often do you have to get the front end aligned and the tires rotated and balanced to maintain that warranty? They may be good tires, but you need to know what you're really buying. I've always had good luck with Michelin tires. I got better than 50k miles out of the original equipment Michelins on my Volvo sedan, and replaced them with the same kind of tires and got another 50k miles. That's why my first choice for new tires on any vehicle is always Michelins.

It's a pretty simple concept, tires that last longer will cost more. But a set of 60,000 mile tires probably aren't twice as high as a set of 30,000 mile tires, so if you can swing the higher cost up front the higher mileage tires are a better deal. If your tires wear evenly it's probably not your car. But if there's uneven wear or cupping, it may be your alignment or some worn front end parts. One thing you might consider, if you have at least a couple of your current tires that aren't completely shot, is to get one new pair and keep the 2 best old tires for the time being, then down the road get another new pair. Some folks don't like to to this because it means more trips to the tire shop, but it will spread out the cost of the tires a little.

I'd agree with Ben and Barry as far as having your alignment and front steering components checked...especially with 80K on the car. Some driving habits or routes are harder on tires than others....if you turn corners sharply or brake sharply, it can cause increased wear as can a lot of highway miles. Another thing to be aware of is tire pressures can greatly influence tire wear and fuel economy..it's always a good idea to check tire pressures once a month or so....check the door jamb sticker or owners manual for the recommended pressures for your car. As far as buying tires, I've had customers who had or bought Bridgestone tires and they lasted up to 80K on one set...some of their tires wear like iron. The drawback is that they are made with a harder rubber compound to provide that kind of treadware which can affect traction, steering or braking in snow or wet weather. They tend to slip easier in wet conditions because of their harder rubber compound. You can do some research at online sites like Tirerack.com or others that sell tires over the internet or call some local tire companies and see what tires they offer with different traction and treadware ratings....comparisons between brands is not as useful as comparing per brand per tire. The link below offers some insight as to how various brands rate their tires and comparisons between them. As traction ratings go down, so does the life expectancy since tires with better traction usually have softer rubber compounds in the tire... It's a trade-off between traction and treadware or long wear characteristics. Another good suggestion is to buy tires in pairs and rotate the rear tires to the front as the fronts wear out...that makes the costs more manageable....your front tires get the majority of the wear since they carry most of the car's weight and do most of the braking and turning, acceleration, etc...