Often overlooked and under-appreciated, the tyres on your car are humongously important to your safety and comfort. In fact, we would argue that your car’s tyres carry as much significance as the engine in your car! If you stop and think about it, the tyres are the only part of the car that is designed to constantly be in contact with the road’s surface at all times. In fact, it’s how the engine’s power is translated to the road surface. A running engine would not be able to get anywhere without a set of tyres to carry it safely to its destination. Tyres come in a wide variety of types, sizes, and styles. Choosing which to fit on your car can seem overwhelming at first considering the what seems to be an excessive selection available on the market. However, in today’s article, we are going to outline some key differences between tyres that have different characteristics so that you have an easier time at the store. Going shopping with the knowledge listed here will also help make sure you don’t pay unnecessarily for tyres you don’t need.
Environmental Factors
Considering that your tyres are the primary way that your car interacts with the road surface, and the road surface is heavily affected by environmental factors, it makes sense that you should be fitting tyres to your car that best suit the environment that you’re typically driving in. Your first consideration should be whether your car will be best suited by using a set of all-season tyres or whether you’d best be served using two sets of tyres; One set for summer and one set for winter. All-season tyres are designed for use year-round and tend to give a softer ride. However, they perform worse than their more specialized counterparts which outperform them in the vast majority of performance characteristics like grip. The biggest disadvantage associated with having two sets of tyres is that you will have to change the tyres on your car entirely at least one per year. In fact, finding a storage solution for your extra set of tyres can also be an incredible pain. Finally, make sure when choosing between all-season and seasonal tyres that you confer with local laws in your area. Sometimes, you can be legally required to have a set of winter tyres.
Sizing
It should almost go without saying, but you should be buying tyres that fit your car according to your cars manufacturers specifications. The tyres must fit the wheel properly to ensure that they are performing correctly and ultimately and more importantly, safely. It’s easy to find out which size of tyres you need by simply looking at the side of your current set. There should be a set of printed numbers and letters that inform you exactly the size of tyres you need. If for some reason your car does not currently have a set of tyres that you can consult, car typically has a manufacturers placard, usually found somewhere the driver’s door, glove box, or under the bonnet that similarly tells you the tyre specifications based on the original wheels fitted on the car by the manufacturer.
Rigidity
When you’re shopping around for a new set of tyres, you will find that different sets advertise a wide range of rigidity. This is because the rigidity of a tyre significantly affects its performance. Tyres that are softer will tend to have a better grip to a road’s surface leading to better traction and braking. However, this softness comes at the price of longevity and softer tyres will tend to wear out sooner and need to be replaced more often than their rigid counterparts. Additionally, softer tyres are more fragile in nature and need to be driven with slightly more care to ensure that tricky road surfaces like gravel and holes don’t pop them. Make sure you use a well established company like Tyre Compare to find a tyre whose rigidity best suits your needs.
Treads
When choosing your tyres, pay attention to the style of tread. It may not seem obvious, but the three main types of tyre tread each have their own designed performance characteristics. The three main types of tyre treads are:
Conventional Tread
Uni-Directional Tread
Asymmetric Tread
The main difference between the three is the manner in which they’re attached to your car. The only tread that can be mounted to face either way is the conventional treads.
In conclusion, choosing the right tyres for your car is an extremely important endeavor that directly impacts your driving and ultimately, your safety. We recommend that you take the time to carefully research which tyres you’re interested in, not just to find the best price, but to find the best tyres. Don’t hesitate to consult with several different sellers for second opinions when shopping around. Just because a set of tyres are extra expensive doesn’t mean they’re right for your car or the environment that you’ll be driving in.