Smart Tire Shopping: What Kind Should I Get?
We’re not all automobile enthusiasts. Most of us don’t know much beyond starting the car and driving; some of us don’t even know how to operate a manual stick shift, for that matter. Car care and maintenance is also an area that not all of us are too well-versed at, especially when you get past the point of just keeping your car clean, full of fuel, and with properly inflated tires. Normally, you’d just drive your car into the nearest auto shop and pay the mechanic to tell you what needs fixing and replacing.
Let’s zoom in on the tires. Inevitably, your current set of tires will wear out and you will be forced to purchase a new set so as not to end up losing control of your vehicle on the road. Before you just simply take the mechanic’s word for it, educate yourself a little on what kind of car tires are available, and which ones are most appropriate for your kind of vehicle and the road conditions you drive through on a regular basis. Before you buy tires and wheels online (usually the best place due to the large selections and competitive pricing), read up and familiarize yourself about these common types of tires:
All Season Tires
These are usually the basic tires you get with most 4-wheeled vehicles (except maybe some particularly large pickup trucks and SUVs), and they are the all-around in use from paved roads to slightly rougher terrain. If your regular driving routes take you nowhere particularly treacherous (no roads at all, notoriously harsh weather conditions, difficult terrain, etc.) then there’s no real need to purchase anything else.
All Terrain Tires
All-terrain tyre (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When your vehicle frequently negotiates rough and potentially dangerous terrain, these tires become more appropriate. They are usually tougher than your average tire, with rigid sidewalls to prevent punctures and generally tougher rubber so as not to wear out quickly from the punishment. Larger tread block patterns allow it more traction against muddy or unstable surfaces.
These are more commonly mounted on light trucks and SUVs, as smaller sedans don’t often have enough space in their wheel wells for them. Do note that they are also heavier than regular all season tires, so fuel mileage will also be affected.
Snow Tires
As the name implies, these are specialized tires for use in icy and snowy conditions. They tend to be made of softer rubber that builds up heat better in order to further improve traction. They are also designed with significantly more sipes in order to get a better grip.
Do note that this kind of tire performs poorly on dry roads, so it might be best to keep these tires in the garage and mount them only when the right conditions call for it.
Performance Tires
If you are going to do 99% of your driving on high quality paved roads, and you also want the best grip and a speedier, more responsive driving experience, then you should opt for a set of performance tires for your vehicle. They are made with a softer rubber compound so as to be grippier, but the tradeoff is that they wear down much faster.
It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: if you drive through a lot of rough terrain on a regular basis, do not get performance tires. You will probably get more flats and end up replacing your tires much sooner. The inherently sporty looks of these tires (they tend to have lower sidewalls and various other cosmetic enhancements) are not worth the cost if you’re going to run them through sharp rock and mud.
Off-Road Tires
Again, the name is self-explanatory; if you love trailblazing your own way to get where you want to go, then off-road tires (and a light truck) are more suited to your style. These tires are heavy, with thick and solid rubber material, pronounced treads, and most of the time, high sidewalls. They have more in common with the tires used in heavy construction equipment.
Again, these wheels are heavy, and they will definitely not fit in most sedans (unless they are modified to accept them), and are more for light trucks and SUVs. Expect fuel mileage to be adversely affected as well.
Happy tire shopping!
About the Author
Stacey Thompson is a professional writer, marketer, entrepreneur, and a lover of weird little animals. She is based in San Diego, California, and keeps a blog with her gal pals, Word Baristas.
Category: Online Shopping
