...I might get flamed/trolled by this one...

When I buy tires for my car, they have a millage rating on a very big sign that says how many miles is that tire supposed to last. Why can't we get this when buying road-bike tires?

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I'm a noob... what's your excuse?

If someone made bike tires to the standards of car tires maybe they would start making mileage claims too. I am happy with lighter tires even if they do not last as long and have uncertain life times. I just watch for sales and buy 4 or 5 at once.

You generally don't care what car tires weigh, so the manufacturers can put in steel belts and heavier compounds. Also, race tires for cars are not rated for mileage, they are expensive, and they wear out quickly.

I think if they listed mileage, you would see more riders avoiding the higher priced super light weight models and buying much cheaper slightly heavier tires with thicker treads for normal riding. Something I guess the tire companies would not like.

Tire life depends a lot on vehicle weight. Car weights don't vary that much. Bike weights (including the rider) can vary by 100%. A 100 pound woman can easily get twice as many miles from her bike tires than a 200 pound man.

For a rough guess at tire life, just look at the weight of the tire. A 180 pound cyclist (including bicycle) will get around 2000 miles from a 200 gram tire with folding bead. Add 50% to the tire weight (still with folding bead) and you'll get around 50% more miles.

Just yesterday, tiring of frequent rear flats on my Long Haul Trucker, I bought a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires. One of the co-owners of the LBS remarks as to how those tires are so heavy that they will affect my climbing. I reply that I'm 260 lbs, and have better places to cut down on weight than my tires - like between my neck and my knees!

Seriously though, it depends on what your bicycling philosophy is. For some people, it's all about the sport. Those are the guys and gals that you see out on the road with their eyes affixed about two feet in front of their front wheel and spinning away going for maximum speed. For me bicycling is an activity. I'm out there cruising at about 18 mph and looking around at the scenery and letting my mind crunch away at things - the last of which being if my tire is going to flat on me.

But, yeah, those Schwalbes are heavy!

I been riding my armadillos for over 2 years - probably done 10,000 miles on them. i am only 58kg