4 Tips on How to Choose the Right Tires for Your Vehicle

Choosing the right tires can improve the overall performance of your vehicle, including fuel consumption and safety.

Tires are one of the most important parts of your car as they are the only link between the vehicle and the road surface. Therefore, it is very important for you to choose a good set of tires for your car as it will improve the acceleration, braking and handling qualities of your vehicle. Good quality tires can also improve fuel efficiency. On the other hand, cheap quality tires can give you an uncomfortable and bumpy ride.

How to Choose the Right Tire

Here are some factors you need to consider when choosing a set of tires for your car:

1. Tube or Tubeless Type

When choosing between tubeless tires and tube-type tires, you should always choose tubeless tires as they are much more sophisticated and safer than tube-type tires. Apart from that, they also have several other advantages. In addition, you do not need to use wheels to install tubeless tires. Your steel wheels will also perform well because they are rust-free and have an anti-rust coating inside.

2. Tire Size

When buying new tires, one should pay special attention to their size. And for that you must know how to read the size of a tire. These are generally mentioned on the sidewall of the tire and are displayed in a standard way. For example, 195/55 R 16 87V. We can read it as:

195 (mm) is the tire tread width
55 (%) is the percentage of the tread width that contributes to the sidewall height.
R (Radial) refers to the tire’s radial construction
16 (inch) refers to the wheel diameter
87 refers to the tire load index
V refers to the tire speed rating

The size of a tire can be described in three parts:

a. Rim size
When choosing tires, keep in mind that the size of the tire is the same as the size of the rim where you want to install it. If your rims are bigger than your tires then it will decrease the height of the sidewalls which will adversely affect the ride quality and handling of your vehicle.

b. Tread Width
You should choose the tread width very carefully as this is responsible for the comfort and performance of your car on the road. The width of the tread will depend on the type of driver you are and of course the vehicle you are driving. For example, if your car produces a lot of power, if you often maintain a high speed when cornering or if you want your car to look stylish and sturdy, you can choose a wider tread. However, if you want to increase your fuel mileage, want to keep the steering light on or if you drive a lot in city traffic, it’s best not to go any further.

c. Side Wall Height
Once you have selected the correct rim size and proper tread width, your next step is to choose a sidewall height which will help keep the new tire’s overall size similar to your old tire.

3. Tread Pattern

Choosing your tread pattern is another important task. Tire tread patterns play a major role in your overall driving experience as they are responsible for your car’s performance in different weather conditions. They are responsible for channeling water as you drive through waterlogged areas. There are basically three types of tread patterns:

a. Conventional Site

This is the most commonly used tread pattern. It can be run in both directions and can be mounted on the wheel in any way because it has no uni-directional or asymmetrical pattern. This type of tire is very useful for draining water when driving through puddles. It also reduces tire noise while doing so.

b. Uni-directional tread

The unidirectional tread pattern works most effectively when rotated in one direction. The sidewall of this tire will have an arrow indicating which direction the tire will be turned.

c. Asymmetric Tread

Tires with an asymmetrical tread pattern generally have outer sidewalls and inner sidewalls. The outside faces the road and the inside faces the car. You’ll find a sign on the side wall stating which side is facing the road and which side is facing the car. This kind of tread pattern helps in cornering at high speeds.

4. Rubber Compound

The rubber material used in the manufacture of tires is the most important criterion that must be considered when buying tires. It is responsible for the traction and tread characteristics of the tires. If you buy tires made of high quality materials, the traction and speed of the tires will be high. It also helps you get a good grip on your car.

5. Overall Tire Quality

There are several things to consider when buying a new set of tires.

a. Manufacturer Factory Reputation

Buying your tires from a reputed manufacturer makes a lot of difference in the whole scenario. You should take other people’s opinions and do some research on making your own. Renowned tire makers have modern factories and they also provide better quality materials and manufacture high standard products.

b. Guarrantee

You should not buy products that do not have a warranty period. Ask the seller about the product warranty period.

c. Production date

When buying tires, you should always check the date of manufacture which is stated on the side. This is a DOT code which is generally represented by a four digit number where the first 2 digits indicate the week while the last 2 digits indicate the year of manufacture