Tire Buying Basics

Driving to and fro, it's often easy to forget about the most basic of things that make the motoring miracle possible. One of the pivotal innovations in the history of the modern automobile was that of the pneumatic tire. Invented for use first on bicycles, the pneumatic tire eventually found its way onto the wheels of the then new automobile. The air-filled tire has proved an invaluable part of automotive progress. Oddly enough solid rubber tires were preferred over their air-filled pneumatic counterparts by the horse-drawn Brougham and Buggy crowd. So it goes.

Rolling Progress Choosing the right tire starts with determining what type of driver you are, and type of driving you're going to do.
While the technology of tires and tire manufacture has indeed progressed, the basic principle behind the pneumatic tire hasn't changed all that much over the years. A cushion of air inside the tire in combination with the materials and construction of the tire itself work together to not only let the car roll with minimum resistance but allow it to do so on a cushion of air. The compounds and materials in the tire tread and sidewall work with the suspension to keep the tire on the road surface and maintain vehicle control. It is the materials and construction of the tire itself that varies from tire to tire. Choosing the right tire starts with determining what type of driver you are, and type of driving you're going to do.

New Shoes
As anyone who has recently had to put a new set of tires on their vehicle can attest, new tires can be a pricey proposition. While saving money on tires is right up there with skimping on brake parts or buying day old Sushi, spending too much on the wrong tires makes no sense either. The solution is to fit your vehicle with tires that not only suit the vehicle, but also your driving style or conditions at hand. The easiest and often most prudent choice to make is to put the same size, type, and rating of tire that your vehicle came from the factory with. The engineers with the white lab coats and pocket protectors with your vehicle's brand name on them usually know what's best. While stock replacement may be the easiest route, some vehicles come with a model designation of tire only available for that vehicle, and only from the dealership. Not to worry. A replacement is as easy as rolling into a tire of the exactly the same size and rating.

New Math The easiest and often most prudent choice to make is to put the same size, type, and rating of tire that your vehicle came from the factory with.
While choosing the correct diameter of tire is an obvious choice, there is almost an algebra book's collection of number and letter designations on the sidewall of a modern tire. The biggest one is the most important and usually goes something like P235/70R15 87H. Reading from left to right the translation is this. The P stands for passenger. Easy. The 235 is the width of the tire in millimeters. The 70 is somewhat tricky. This number is the tire's aspect ratio, or percentage of the width that is the tire's height. A 70 series tire is 70 percent of the tire's width tall. The higher this number, the taller the tire, and vice versa. The R stands for Radial. Easy again. The 15 is the wheel diameter the tire will fit. The far right number is the load rating, and the final letter the speed rating. The higher each one of these the greater load and speed the tire is manufactured to handle. There is another and oft spoken of number called the treadwear rating. This number gives an idea on how long the tire will last, or how fast it will wear out—depending on how you look at it. Read on.

Grip Versus Wear
Tire wear is dependent on the blend of natural and synthetic rubbers the tire itself is made from. The recipes for these blends are what make the tires perform in one way or another. A softer, sticky, performance blend will help the vehicle hug the road, but won't bring long tire life along with it. An all-season M+S tire will bring long tire life and a smooth ride but not the same blazing performance as a softer performance blend. Snow tires work best in the snow. Soft and sticky high performance summer tires work best in the summer, and will turn hard as hockey pucks when the temperature drops. Off-road tires are built with mud, rocks, and gravel in mind and as such don't play well on smooth pavement. The key point is that there is no one do-it-all perfect tire that works without compromise. Tires are manufactured to work best in a defined set of circumstances. Choosing the right tire rolls in behind first determining what kind of driving you do, and taking time to honestly examine your driving circumstances. That will go far in making the right decision the first time around.