Tire maintenance is one of the most critical parts of safe vehicle ownership and can help you avoid a costly car repair. If you’re in the process of looking for new tires for sale for your vehicle, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by the options. Ultimately, what you’re looking for will depend on what you want to use your tires for, the climate where you live, your driving conditions, and your budget. Today, we’ll introduce the most common types of tires on the market for passenger vehicles, what they have to offer consumers, and how much performance you can expect to get out of each of them. In general, the easiest way to start searching for tires is to think about what type of vehicle you drive. This will help you eliminate some of the clutter from your field of choices in tires for sale and get you pointed toward a set of tires that will be right for your needs.
All Season Tires
All season tires are designed to give you a balance of performance and comfort. These tires are built for the average driver, with moderate tread depths. Like their name implies, these tires are built with compounds that will protect them through a variety of seasons and driving conditions, including light winter conditions, which also allows them a longer life than summer tires with shallower tread. They are available in a variety of models and sizes, with a variety of load capacities and speed ratings for use on cars, trucks, SUVs, and minivans.
Touring Tires
Also known as grand touring tires, these are designed with comfort and performance in mind, as well as all season capability. Perfect for performance vehicles and other cars that require a higher rate of responsiveness, touring tires have an asymmetrical tread pattern that has a longer life than its counterparts. They are also rated for higher speeds and offer greater traction on both wet and dry roads. This type of tire is common for people looking to modify their cars for greater performance and handling.
Performance Tires
If you’re looking for even greater speed ratings than those offered by touring tires, performance tires might be right for you. Characterized by larger lateral and circumferential grooves, these tires offer superb handling and traction in wet conditions. They are typically made from compounds enriched with silica, which allows for better grip regardless of the weather. If you’re willing to make some tradeoffs in tire lifespan, gas mileage, or ride comfort in exchange for unmatched handling on the road, performance tires may be the right choice for you.
Summer Tires
As the name implies, summer tires are not suitable for all weather conditions. They are geared toward performance in wet or dry conditions. The more solid, continuous ribs on the tire allow a greater surface area of rubber to be in contact with the road at all times, which allows for greater traction (this is the edge they have over all-season tires, which trade traction for longer wear). If you live in a baking hot climate, these tires are designed to perform well regardless of the heat. However, if you live in a place with winter conditions, these aren’t the right tires for you. They become stiff in cold temperatures and have nothing in the way of winter traction, which makes them an unsafe choice in those conditions.
As you can see, each type of tire has different things to offer in terms of what it can give you behind the wheel and on the road. When you’re looking for tires for sale, it’s important to keep your priorities for your experience in mind. What’s most important to you: tire life, traction, speed rating, performance on the road, handling in certain types of weather? Once you have that answer, then the best thing to do is to go to a trusted tire retailer with your specifications in mind. Associates there can help you find tires for sale that match your needs within your budget, which will keep you safe and satisfied on the road.
