There are a lot of options out there when it comes to choosing tires for your vehicle. Finding the right ones for both your vehicle and for your driving needs is important, for the maintenance of your car and for your safety. There are 3 main questions you need to ask yourself before purchasing your tires:

1. What type of tires does my car need?
2. How many miles will the tires I’m considering last?
3. What’s my budget?

Once you fully understand your needs and what you want from performance out of your tires you can start looking at the different options.

Summer tires are the best for regular driving in moderate weather. Once the temperature drops below 40 however, it’s time to move on to something better suited for the winter. Winter tires, or snow tires, are the top of the line for traction in slippery conditions. Snow, ice, and cold are the most manageable when you have proper winter tires installed. Even an all-wheel-drive vehicle on all-season tires cannot match the stopping or turning capability of a similar two-wheel drive vehicle fitted with four winter tires. All season tires are the option people usually go with if they live in an area that receives some lower temperatures and bad weather. These tires can be used in some bad weather conditions, but will not give you the full traction that snow tires would. 

Different types of all seasons exist as well, just to make things more confusing. There are high performance all seasons, and grand touring all seasons. High-performance tires provide better performance than standard all seasons, and grand touring provides a smoother ride, but at the cost of some handling ability. High-performance tires work best for high-performance vehicles that might be moving and turning more quickly, and grand touring is a great option for family vehicles and commuter cars. There is a subset of grand touring tires called all-weather tires which give you the closest traction to winter tires in bad weather, but also has the handling capabilities of other all seasons in the warmer months.

Once you’ve got the type of tire you want decided, you can then look into the tread wear info, which determines how many miles your tires can safely travel. The treadwear rating is listed as a number on the tire sidewall after the word “treadwear”. The higher this number, the more likely the tire will last longer. But the tests that are used to determine treadwear aren’t precise, so there is quite a bit of flexibility in this number and you should always be checking the tread on your tires regularly. Remember the penny trick. If you put a penny in the grooves of your tires with Lincon’s head facing down, the tread should cover the top of his head. If you see the top of Lincoln’s head it’s time to get new tires. 

The last piece is the price. This is important and you shouldn’t have to compromise on your budget just to get tires that will work for you. That’s why it pays off to talk to a reputable dealer that can get you the best value for your dollar. 

If you need your tires changed over or have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’re happy to help with your tire needs!