Your tires over the life of your vehicle will be one of your largest repeat expenditures. Maximizing tire life obviously will be a key for you to keep more money available for other areas of your life.
The first point is to purchase tires that meet the specifications for your vehicle and how you use it. Towing or hauling with your vehicle will probably require a higher specification for your tires. Buying "cheaper tires" will often mean premature wear and replacement. Your repair shop of choice should have a good-better-best choice for your vehicle. They have a good idea of the wear they see by brand and model.
This maybe obvious but it is ignored by most people - keep your tires properly inflated. Tire pressure gauges are inexpensive and fit on the sun visor, or in your glove box. Your repair shop should check them every visit and adjust pressure as needed but it is usually best to check yourself and compare to the recommended fill pressure on the tire.
Over filled tires will result in less tread on the road (compromised traction and irregular wear). Under filled tires will create irregular wear, stress on the walls of the tire, and create more heat in the tire and can result in a blow out.
Regularly rotate your tires. When you did oil changes every 3,000 miles we often recommended a rotate every second oil change. With 7,500 mile oil change intervals it is worth it to get a rotate every oil change. The marginal cost to add the rotate when you are already there is a good investment for your time and money.
You should periodically take a look at all four tires (you don't have to be an expert to play "one of these things is not like the other." Are one or more of the tires wearing in an uneven pattern or a pattern different from the others? If so have the vehicle brought to a repair shop to test the alignment and suspension parts.
Your repair shop should put a tire depth gauge on your tires when your vehicle is in for repair. It is a good habit to keep your eye on them by asking for the tire pressure and tread depth for each tire.
Tire tread depth gauges are inexpensive and easy to store in your vehicle.
A quick substitute using the change in your pocket can be used to know when your tires need to be changed.
If you have a shiny penny hold it between your thumb and forefinger on Abraham Lincoln's suit jacket. Put the penny between a tread on the tire - if any part of Abe's head is covered the tire needs to be changed. Select more than one tread on each tire and note if the wear seems to be even or not. Abe's head means you have more than 2/32 tread life - the border line.
Don't have a penny but you have a quarter in your pocket? Do the same test but with George Washington's head - if the tread reaches his head or beyond you have more than 4/32 tread depth. Test multiple locations on each tire and note wear patterns.
Tire pressure monitoring systems were introduced in 2007 model year. You now have a dashboard light that will tell you when your tire pressure drops below a safe level. Ignoring this is a bad idea.
Very cold weather will cause tire pressure to decrease so borderline tires often trigger the TPMS light with the first day of frost in northern climes.
If your repair shop rotates your tire without re-setting the TPMS system you will get incorrect information as to the location of the tire with low pressure.
Nitrogen can be used to inflate your tires in place of atmospheric air. Nitrogen is more stable so it will not be affected by temperature difference. Generally tire life will be extended by using nitrogen.