The modern car owner often overlooks the importance of tires. We live in an age of specialization, and many of us do not know the essentials. When do I change my tires? Which tires will fit? Which are the right tires for my car? In order to help answer them, we have assembled this brief guide.
When Do I Require New Tires?
Today, many tires include “wear bars”. These are colored lines or stripes on the tire that become visible when the tire wears down and requires replacement. Alternatively, some tires produce a distinctive sound when worn in order to alert you. Otherwise, the “penny rule” is the tried and true rule of thumb. Place a penny at the lowest point of the tire tread with Lincoln’s head facing down. If any portion of the head is visible above the high point of the tread, you need new tires.
How Do I Make Sense of Tire Sizes?
Tire sizes may seem like a cryptic code printed on the tire sidewall, but they are not that confusing once we know the format. Consider the tire code P25560R15 102T. The “P” indicates that this is a passenger vehicle tire, and the 255 indicates the width of the tire in millimeters from one sidewall to the other. The 60 is the aspect ratio, or in other words, the tire’s height is 60% of its width. The “R” indicates a radial tire, which is what the vast majority of passenger vehicles use, and the 15 indicates the rim diameter.
Are There Other Ratings I Should Know?
The 102T at the end of the tire code represent two separate values. The 102 indicates an industry standard load index, which represents maximum load. The letter, “T” in this case, represents maximum speed, which is 118 mph. Tires also have treadwear, traction, and temperature ratings, which are generally used to compare tires within a manufacturer’s lineup. A treadwear rating of 300 on one tire may last longer than a 400 of another brand.
So Which Tire Type is Right for Me?
The three most common tire variants are all-season, summer, and light truck. Summer tires are for those who want maximum performance. They perform poorly on water and snow. For this reason, most people opt for all-season tires. Light truck tires are generally all-season tires with tread suited to off-road driving as well. There are also various tread compounds and tread designs to choose from, but these do not make enough difference to concern the average tire consumer.
Now comes the “hard” part. Take all of this information with you to one of the trusted tire review websites, such as TireRack. Determine your rim size, and then narrow your search down. For most people this will be 15- to 17-inch all-season radial tires. Focus on the reviews of the tires in those results paying particular attention to tread life. Tires are expensive, and many people opt for “cheap” tires. However, the tread on inexpensive tires wears quicker, and car owners will pay more in the end, or drive longer on dangerously worn tires.
- How to Choose Tires?
- What Size Tires Does My Car Need?
- How to Buy Tires?
- What Size Tires Can I Put On My Truck?
- What Size Tires will Fit my Truck?
