World’s Most Expensive Tires

by jeremy on December 28, 2010 · Comments (6)

In 2009, a British transportation museum paid a pretty penny for tires, but are they the most expensive tires in the world?

1929 Leyland Lion bus tires
$800 each
The Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum’s premier exhibit, a 1929 Leyland Lion bus, required new tires to make it roadworthy for the museum’s 50th anniversary. In order to replace the old and significantly cracked tires, the museum was eventually forced to order specialty tiles from America.
The Leyland Lion is the only surviving example of its model, the other three having been scrapped after serving as transport during World War II. This particular bus was used as a snowplow until it became the museum’s first acquisition around 1954.

Michelin PAX tires for Bugatti Veyron – $9,065 each
It makes some sense that the world’s most expensive car would have proportionately expensive tires. The car uses specialized Michelin PAX run-flat tires, which can be used for a short time after the tire has been punctured.

Michelin tires for Caterpillar 797 – $42,500 each
Truly the most expensive tires in the world, the Michelin 59/80R63 XDR tires required for the Caterpillar 797 dump trucks are a massive 13 feet tall and weigh 11,680 lbs. They are the largest tires in the world. These tires require 47 nuts to be attached to the axle. Six of these enormous tires can hold up to 1,375,000 lbs of truck and load.