I’m trying to ramp up my training again after about 5 years with little riding. I was going through reviews of tires and was surprised that people seemed pleased that flat protection tires were giving them 500 miles without flats. When I was riding a lot, I would normally go 2,000 - 4,000 miles on tires before switching them out, and very rarely if ever flatted. Was I just lucky all those years?
How long should you expect a Conti 4000 S or a Michelin Pro4 Service Course tire to last?
roughly 2-3,000 miles then you should switch them out
Flats come in bunches… Last year no flats between Feb-Sept… then 4 flats in October
As fast as I ride? … maybe 2-3 rides, but they also have to repave the roads thanks to the rocket burner flames coming from m’speed 
I get thousands of miles out of my training tires. Any flats I get are because the something slicing the tire, not because the tires have worn through. Eventually there are enough nicks and cuts that I feel like it’s time to replace them.
For me, the rear tire wears out about twice as fast as the front so you should rotate front and back tires otherwise the rear tire will need to be changed before the front.
I actually have tracked my Michelins and I typically get around 2300 miles per pair, I rotate them every 500 or so.
I use PR3s and PR4s. I flat less than once per year, I inflate every ride because the tires can lose pressure and still feel rock hard.
How long should you expect a Conti 4000 S or a Michelin Pro4 Service Course tire to last?
Several thousand K, assuming they don’t get cut really badly or other damage.
I am sure that you can get more out of some of these belted heavier tires, but these tires don’t feel good on the road when riding - sort of dead.
As another poster noted, rotate front to back after a bit.
I use either the Michelin Pro Races or the Vittoria EVO CX’s and we ride on lousy roads a lot even, gravel and dirt, and on average I get a couple of on-the-road flats each year.
Not to hijack the thread but to add to the conversation, how many miles will you put on a race specific set of tires? I am debating this now with my Vittoria Corsa tubulars. They look great but have 5 Olympics, 3 half irons and 2 Ironmans on them.
I know tufos are frowned on, but I am going on my 3rd season with this set and my tubulars are still,in great shape
.
I’ve been getting 4000-6000 miles, until the cords are clearly showing. Then it becomes a trainer/roller tire. Lately I’ve been riding Zaffiro Pros, but I’ll train/commute on pretty much any $15 25mm foldable tire. 
I also take a dead tube with the valve cut out and use it as a doubled over liner, so we’re talking a lot of mm of rubber between the (filled) tube and the road. Only thing that has given me flats is when the valve stem-rubber junction fails or packing staples (even then I’ve had some stuck in my tire to no effect on the tube itself).
clincher flats, 50% are installation problems. so, often has nothing to do with the tire.
road conditions, rain, weight, pressure etc can all affect your odds.
people who figure out how to install tubes and rim tape well, who figure out to identify and fix the cause of each flat, who don’t run over things all the time by paying attention etc etc, they will not flat much, even on race tires.
I’m trying to ramp up my training again after about 5 years with little riding. I was going through reviews of tires and was surprised that people seemed pleased that flat protection tires were giving them 500 miles without flats. When I was riding a lot, I would normally go 2,000 - 4,000 miles on tires before switching them out, and very rarely if ever flatted. Was I just lucky all those years?
How long should you expect a Conti 4000 S or a Michelin Pro4 Service Course tire to last?
I generally get 3-4,000 miles, or roughly a season of outdoor riding (about 7 months of outdoor riding). I haven’t been outside yet this year - past 4+ months on the trainer w/trainer tire, but that will change very soon. I have a new rear tire ready to throw on, and generally I go through two rear tires for one front tire, so I could get two outdoor seasons from a front tire (6-8,000 miles).
you could be going about 1 or 2 minutes faster per 40k if you didn’t do that.
For me, the rear tire wears out about twice as fast as the front so you should rotate front and back tires otherwise the rear tire will need to be changed before the front.
You let your rear tire wear out then move the front to the rear and put a new tire on the front.
I usually get around 2,000 on Conti hardshells, but like others have suggested, it really depends on the weather and quality of roads. Around here, the roads quality is terrible, lots of debris on the roads etc. So I replace once I start getting a lot of cuts and slices in the tires.
I get thousands of miles out of my training tires. Any flats I get are because the something slicing the tire, not because the tires have worn through. Eventually there are enough nicks and cuts that I feel like it’s time to replace them.
Same here. I’ve put about… 500 or so miles on some Continental GP4000 tires and the rear shows signs of cuts, but nothing actually punctures the tires.
I haven’t had any flats yet, and I’ve ridden through tons of glass during the rides. You’ll know it’s time to get a new pair when you start getting punctures; of course, the quality of the roads and trails you ride affects this as well. I ride on nice roads (suburban) or a MUP, so unless somebody throws glass on the path, I won’t see any hazards but maybe once every 5 or so rides, or it’s the same glass in the same spot.
Last pair bought: December 2011, lasted until March 2013. They were Specialized Armadillo Elite. Not light, but wore them right through to the casings. Only had 1 flat (about a month into owning them), from a wire. Worth every dime & then some. Although I had to buy a “tire jack” just to get them off the rim. I think I may have been stranded had I flatted out on the road. *The 1 flat I had I discovered the next morning before I even got on the bike. LUCKY
For me, the rear tire wears out about twice as fast as the front so you should rotate front and back tires otherwise the rear tire will need to be changed before the front.
I buy training tires three at a time. I get about 2000 miles out of the rear and 4000 out of the front tire. I put a new tire on the rear at 2000 miles and let the front tire soldier on until it’s time to change both tires. (I thought a lot of people did this?)
For me, the rear tire wears out about twice as fast as the front so you should rotate front and back tires otherwise the rear tire will need to be changed before the front.
I buy training tires three at a time. I get about 2000 miles out of the rear and 4000 out of the front tire. I put a new tire on the rear at 2000 miles and let the front tire soldier on until it’s time to change both tires. (I thought a lot of people did this?)
Sweet zombie Jesus! You are aware, I hope, that a worn tire is more susceptible to puncturing and the front wheel has most of the bike’s stopping power and the bike’s control. If it goes in the wrong situation, you may be fucked.