{
  "slug": "tire-cost-per-mile",
  "title": "Truck Tire Cost Per Mile Calculator",
  "heading": "Tire Cost Per Mile Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/tire-cost-per-mile",
  "summary": "Cost per mile for a tire position over its expected tread life.",
  "description": "Tires are one of the more controllable line items in trucking cost per mile, and the math differs sharply between buying new tires versus retreads, and between steer, drive, and trailer positions which wear at different rates. This calculator divides total tire cost (including any recap/retread cycles you plan to run) by expected tread-life miles to get cost per mile per tire, then multiplies by tire count to get a per-truck tire CPM you can plug straight into your overall cost-per-mile calculation.",
  "formula": "Tire CPM = total cost ÷ tread-life miles; fleet tire CPM = tire CPM × number of tires.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=tire-cost-per-mile",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "tireCost",
      "label": "Cost per new tire",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 550,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "retreadCost",
      "label": "Cost per retread cycle",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 180,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "retreadCycles",
      "label": "Expected retread cycles per casing",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "treadLifeMiles",
      "label": "Miles per tread life (new or retread)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 130000,
      "unit": "mi",
      "min": 1000,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "tireCount",
      "label": "Tires on the truck/trailer combo",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 18,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "fleetTireCpm",
      "label": "Total tire cost per mile (all positions)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "tireCpm",
      "label": "Cost per mile per single tire",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "totalCost",
      "label": "Total cost per casing over its life",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "totalMiles",
      "label": "Total miles per casing (new + retreads)",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Cost per new tire: 550 $",
      "Cost per retread cycle: 180 $",
      "Expected retread cycles per casing: 2",
      "Miles per tread life (new or retread): 130000 mi",
      "Tires on the truck/trailer combo: 18"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total tire cost per mile (all positions): $0.042",
      "Cost per mile per single tire: $0.00233",
      "Total cost per casing over its life: $910",
      "Total miles per casing (new + retreads): 390,000"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter cost per new tire ($).",
      "Enter cost per retread cycle ($).",
      "Enter expected retread cycles per casing.",
      "Enter miles per tread life (new or retread) (mi).",
      "Enter tires on the truck/trailer combo.",
      "Read your total tire cost per mile (all positions) on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "tireCost": 330,
        "retreadCost": 110,
        "retreadCycles": 1,
        "treadLifeMiles": 78000,
        "tireCount": 11
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "tireCost": 550,
        "retreadCost": 180,
        "retreadCycles": 2,
        "treadLifeMiles": 130000,
        "tireCount": 18
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "tireCost": 880,
        "retreadCost": 290,
        "retreadCycles": 3,
        "treadLifeMiles": 208000,
        "tireCount": 29
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How many retread cycles is realistic?",
      "a": "A quality steer or drive casing run on a well-maintained truck can typically go through 2-3 retread cycles before the casing is retired, though steer tires are retreaded less often industry-wide due to safety conservatism on the front axle."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why does tire position matter for this calculation?",
      "a": "Steer tires wear differently than drive or trailer tires and often aren't retreaded as aggressively for safety reasons, so run this calculator separately for steer vs drive/trailer positions rather than using one blended assumption for the whole truck."
    },
    {
      "q": "What drives tread life miles up or down?",
      "a": "Alignment, tire pressure discipline, driving style (hard braking and cornering), and load weight all swing tread life significantly — a poorly aligned drive axle can cut tread life by 20-30% compared to a well-maintained one."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is buying premium tires worth the higher upfront cost?",
      "a": "Usually yes on a cost-per-mile basis if the tread life improvement outpaces the price premium — a tire costing 15% more that lasts 25% longer wins on CPM even though it costs more at purchase."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/owner-operator-cost-per-mile",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/maintenance-cost-per-mile-age",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/trailer-utilization-rate"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Truck Tire Cost Per Mile Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/tire-cost-per-mile)"
}