Top 10 Tire Selection Tips

Don't wait until it's too late to start shopping

Mac Demere / autoMedia.com

It's a toss-up as to which is more unwelcome, purchasing tires or getting a full physical exam. There may be more pain buying tires because most people wait until it's urgent—or even critical—to start shopping. Here are some tips on how and when to select tires.

Don't Mess With Success

If you like how your car rides and handles, match exactly the tires already on your car. The tire company spent about $750,000 to develop a combination that meets your expectations. Why change?

Something Else

If you're satisfied with your current car/tire combination, but the exact replacements are too expensive or not available, find what other tires were original equipment on your car. Car manufacturers normally have at least two tire suppliers for each model and the tires are usually very similar. Maybe the other brand is on sale.

Which Season?

For performance-oriented drivers unhappy with their car's dry or wet grip, it's easy to make a huge improvement: Switch from the all-season rubber now on your car to high- (or even ultra-high-) performance summer tires. All-season tires give up wet and dry traction in exchange for enhanced mobility in snow. An otherwise equal all-season tire has less grip—dry or wet—than its summer-tire counterpart. Some use the term "three-season" rather than "summer." It's more accurate.

Accidental Performance Buyer

Are you a comfort-oriented driver who wound up with a car riding on large-diameter wheels and spine-pounding low-profile rubber? Or maybe the pothole-plagued roads in your area have caused bent wheels and damaged tires. If so, consider purchasing smaller-diameter wheels and installing higher-profile tires. With help from a tire dealer or a "tire size conversion calculator" found on the Internet, you can select a tire that maintains the same overall diameter but has a taller sidewall: A 225/55R17 and a 225/50R18 have virtually the same diameter, but the former's sidewall is almost a half-inch taller. If a lower trim level of your car came with smaller-diameter wheels, it should be simple to go from, say, 18-inchers to 17s.

Switch Category

If you'd like to make a small improvement, select tires from a different category. Switching from, for instance, a "touring" tire to a "performance" tire will firm up the ride, enhance steering feel and, likely, improve grip. Visit the websites of the tire manufacturers and mail-order tire dealers to find the category of your current tires, as well as possible replacements.