Do all weather tires last longer ?

[omodos]

Hi I live in a pretty hot climate in the mediteranean, rains about 2 months during the whole year and not much, condensation in summer is quite high though, and I am just curious to find out what tires to opt for on my x5?

Are summer tires more prone to wear and wall cracking than say the all weather type?I got bridgestone turanzas at the moment but they are nearly dead, previous owner had em on from new, but that was in London where it is nearly always wet, and the space between the tread has started to crack....

I know too much driving wears tires out and too little well agaoin leads to other problem...but just as a general rule would the all season type be better. I am not a speed demon so not really bothered about performance.

any ideas would be much appreciated..

[Wagner]

First you have to understand tire compounds when they are listed as "all season" and "summer" or "winter". TIRERACK.com has a HUGE amount of detail on this.

Here is the short and sweet.

- summer compounds are generally softer, as they are designed to provide superior contact patch and deliver performance instead of comfort. They usually have a very aggressive tread patter with a large contact patch. This in turn results in a quickly worn tire.

- all season tires had a specifically designed tread pattern for rain/snow as well as a small contact patch for dry traction. These compounds are harder than a "summer" tire because they need added stability on different elements.

- winter tires tend to be thinner and harder with a larger sidewall and smaller patch in order to get a greater grip on the road.

Out of the three, winter tires used year round will wear away the fastest, as they aren't designed for long time dry usage. Summer tires wear out fast mainly because they are generally large in contact patch area and the owners are usually a little harder on them. All seasons are your best bet for duration and comfort.


http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testSearch.jsp

^-- find out which tires you'd like

[omodos]

thanks fella, .much appreciated

[Ranger]

Look for a UTMQ rating or "tire wear" rating. That's a pretty good way to judge how long the tire will wear vs. others. Not foolproof mind you, but not bad either. Soft tires offer more grip but wear out faster. A UTMQ of 350 will last longer then a UTMQ of 180. But the 180 will grip the road better. Like anything else, it's a trade off.