'You have many things to think about when buying tires for your car or truck'

You have many things to think about when buying tires for your car or truck

By Ted at 02/23/09 08:26

If you were like me, you didn't put a whole lot of thought into what kind of tire you needed to buy for your car. All you knew was that your tires were getting too low on tread and you needed new ones.

I was getting ready to tell the salesman I just wanted a set of regular old radials; and he actually taught me a fe things instead.

I learned that there are not only several makers of tires, but also several brands of tires within their products. There are tires that are designed for all season use (ones that generally come on cars when you buy them new called Original Equipment or (OE) tires. They are generally ok. That means ok, no great performance design there. Mostly they don't do too great in other than a light coating of snow and some perform well in wet conditions and others don't.

There are high performance tires that offer different tread compounds. Those are designed to provide better cornering, better steering response, good ride, but generally are not snow rated. Some are better in wet conditions and some are better off just being used on good roads when dry.

For those that own trucks, there are so many tire choices I couldn't even believe it. There are off road tires, rock climbing tires, highway tires, OE tires, and many options within each group.

Tires have other specific features that you can pick and choose from not limited to:
<ul>
<li>Tread compounds designed for particular surfaces
<li>Sidewall reinforcement designed for cornering stability and to help the tire keep its shape at higher speeds
<li>Tread design for specific conditions such as ice or heavy snow, dry roads, reduced hydroplaning on wet roads, racing tread (or the lack thereof), heavy tread blocks for mudding, climbing and pulling through muddy ruts, and more
<li>Steel belts and spirally wound nylon cording to reinforce the tire
<li>Extra plies of tire to protect from punctures and tears
<li>Run Flat tires designed to allow you to travel on a tire that has lost its air completely
<li>Rim protectors that help keep your rims from being damaged by curbs and other hazards
</ul>

As you can see, there are many more things to think about when choosing a tire. Do you want a better highway ride, because you commute long distances on mostly dry but sometimes just wet pavement?

Do you live in an area with heavy snowfall in the winter, and want a tire that is designed to accept metal studs in the winter? How about rainy weather? There are tires that do a lot better on wet roadways than others. Off road enthusiasts have a lot of choices as well.

Some of you who have extreme jeeps or lifted trucks may want a tire designed exclusively for that purpose.

Race day drivers have plenty of choices also. There are plenty of D.O.T. approved tires. Some are rated for speed and some are rated for drag purposes. Some tires are street legal and at one air pressure they are great for the highway and take a little air out and they fit in right on the drag strip for a day.

Don't ever feel as though you only have a couple of choices. You have plenty of options when choosing tires for your car or truck!

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