Tires: Replacing Tires at 33k?, vehicle manufacturer, tire manufacturers

Question
I own a 2007 Pontiac Torrent with Bridgestone P235/65R16 all season tires.  Last week, I had the tires rotated and was told that the tread was at 5 and they would need to be replaced soon.  I was also told that it's common for these particular tires to be replaced at 30k.  My car currently has a little over 33k miles.  Is this common for these types of tires?  I just want to make sure I'm not being taken advantage of.

Answer
Karen

The tires that come on the vehicle from the vehicle assembly plant, have to meet the vehicle manufacturer's specifications.  Since the vehicle manufacturers are going to be concerned about fuel economy, they typically specify tires that have low rolling resistance - and in order to do that, tire manufacturers have to sacrifce something else - traction and/or treadwear.  

The vehicle manufacturer is fully aware of the compromise and generally specify a minimum level of traction and treadwear in there specs.  But occasionally they will step over the line.  If you have a complaint about the treadwear, you should write the vehicle manufacturer.  The tire manufacturer is only doing what his customer - the vehicle manufacturer - tells him.

I go into more detail here:

http://www.barrystiretech.com/oetires.html

But, 33K is a reasonable amount of miles before replacement for an OE tire.