How to Buy New Car & Truck Tires

For most folks, car tires are just car tires. They roll us around town, and after an indeterminate time, they inconvenience us with having to replace them. Likewise for whatever reason, tires come in different shapes, sizes, and tread patterns - and so they might as well all be the same.

As an unfortunate consequence of the manufacturing industry, much of the thinking behind tire design is not passed on to you at the point of sale. When you go to buy tires, depending on how well the tire salesman is trained − or is inclined to speak for that matter − you may or may not be in for a good dose of education about car tire design.

Assuming you would rather be educated before buying new tires, read on.

New Car & Truck Tires

If you need to get new tires for driving in winter weather, then read here.

Otherwise, for all-season - or general purpose - tires there are several factors to keep in mind before you shell out your cash. By considering these multiple concepts before buying your new tires, you can come out ahead on overall value for the hard-earned money you pay for them.

This said, keep the following factors in mind:

• Cost
• Speed Rating
• Softness vs. Durability
• Tread Design
• When to Use All-Season Tires

Read on for more discussion on each of the above points...

Cost

While it's common practice for others to buy the cheapest tires out there, shooting for the lowest rung on the ladder doesn't necessary end up being your best move. The saying "You get what you pay for" comes into play here. When buying a new set of tires, don't just go for the cheapest ones. Instead, weigh the collective benefits you could derive from them versus what you pay for them: value.

In the case of purchasing new all-season tires, suspend your judgment. Consider the other factors that follow first. Then weigh how many or how much benefit those factors offer you when you pay.

Speed Rating

A tire's speed refers to the maximum speed under which the tire may safely operate given nominal operating conditions. Tire speed ratings were originally established in Europe to help high performance vehicle owners choose the proper replacement tires matching the speed capabilities of their vehicles. This tradition has carried over to the United States, where in some cases it bears a direct relevance to the safe operation of the vehicle, and even whether insurance carriers will provide coverage for a vehicle.

Tire speed ratings usually show up as a letter code immediately following the tire size indicator on the sidewall of the tire. For example: 215/65R15 98 U, the letter "U" is the code indicating the tire's speed rating. As of this article's writing you may find a full listing of letters with their corresponding codes at this link.

Load Capacity

If form follows function, it goes without saying that a tire's load rating follows the kind of load conditions to which you will subject your tires. Obviously, if you're buying tires for a truck in which you expect to haul tons of rocks and sand, you'll need a beefy tire that can withstand the weight of this cargo.

On the other hand, if you drive a passenger car in which you were to carry only yourself and an occasional passenger or a trunk load of stuff, the tire you'd expect to buy would similarly be assigned a lighter load rating. As of this article's writing you may find a full listing of codes with their corresponding descriptions at this link.

Softness vs. Durability

While the issue of the softness or pliability of a tire's rubber content may seem a moot point to some, softness is indeed important. This factor determines how long your car or truck tires may last, and how well they grip the pavement. The pliable portion of a car or truck tire is its rubber content. Just as there are many kinds of tires, the chemistry of their rubber content are all different. What this translates to is a balance between softness and durability.

Generally, tires with harder less pliant rubber last longer. As a downside, harder tires offer relatively less traction. Conversely, tires with softer more pliant rubber don't last as long, but they do offer superior traction. Better traction is an attribute most sought after by owners of sports cars who like to test their car's limits. For some drivers, the difference between hard and soft tires is obvious.

Ask your tire salesman whether he knows about the relative softness for the tires you're considering buying. Chances are he may not know anything. In this case, narrow down your selection to just a few tires that you know will fit your car or truck, and do some research on the internet. Consumer reports or online opinions may be available with information that will help you with your decision. People frequently ask and answer questions of many kinds through online platforms such as LinkedIn.com and ask.yahoo.com.

Also consider softness for buying winter tires, it's helpful to know the trade-off on stiffness versus traction. For tires designed for the colder season, you will wish to go with tires comprised of softer rubber content. For more on this, click here.

Tire Tread Design

The next major factor to consider when buying tires is its tread design.

While most all-season or general purpose tires have a tread that maximize your tire's contact with the road, they do have channels and grooves to help eject water from beneath the tire. Conversely, those channels and grooves also reduce the tire's contact with the road to help reduce "rolling resistance". This reduced drag in turn helps reduce fuel consumption - a benefit for your purse or wallet.

However, this feature works against you when it comes to tire durability. A tire with less tread coming into contact with the road will cause that tread to bear more weight per square inch (or cm) than would a tire with more tread hitting the road. This extra load per unit of area causes the tread to heat up as well as bear relatively more stress.

To make up for this, tire manufactures increase the hardness and overall durability of the tire by adding a substance called carbon black to your tire's rubber chemistry. This carbon content hardens the tire, and makes up for the increased load your narrow-tread tire must carry.

Bear in mind - with every advantage comes a disadvantage. This extra hardness may reduce road traction. Again, this is good because it lessens fuel consumption. But it may not be helpful when you need lots of traction all at once - such as when applying the brakes to avoid an accident.

Tread for Rainy & Wet Surfaces

To accommodate for rainy and similarly slippery surfaces, expect your all-season tire treads to have relatively wide grooves (or more of them). These grooves allow the flat part of your tire's tread to push through rainy puddles and reach down to more solid road.

Generally, the wider the grooves, the more water these grooves can channel away from your tires.

Tread for Off-Road Surfaces

To accommodate rough road conditions posed by off-roading, an aggressive tread comes into play. A tire made for a little off-roading may have treads of varying patterns, angles, and degrees of sharpness. This is all done to accommodate relatively slippery conditions posed by loose gravel, sand, rocks, and occasional mud.

For more extreme road conditions where the roads are less traveled, the chance of them being paved may be less likely. Remote countryside locales are prone to dirt raod and trails offering less traction, and thus require a tire with a little more "bite" - literally. Jagged-edged, knobby, or lugged tread tires do the trick for this scenario. However, keep in mind that these kinds of tires may have limited wear (longevity), and may produce high volumes of road noise - a factor sometimes contributing to driver fatigue during long-haul paved-road driving.

When to Use All-Season Tires

Last but not least, keep in mind when to use your all-season (general purpose) tires.

Remember, because these are generally designed for warm weather use, they don't necessarily work ideally in the colder seasons. Their hard rubber content becomes even harder in fall and winter, and will be prone to providing much less traction when used during winter.

This said, look into purchasing a set of winter tires as a second set of tires to complement your all-season car or truck tires. Use winter tires during colder climes, and swap them out with your general purpose tires upon the return of the warm spring and summer days.

Ready To Buy Your New Tires?

While some may argue you can go into further detail on the finer points for buying all-season car or truck tires, by now you've read up on the major points. At this point you've considered softness versus durability, tread design, and when to use your new all-season tires. At this point is where I suggest you finally consider the cost. Take your time buying your new car or truck tires. Weigh what features you get and measure them out against what you pay for the mix.

Ultimately the most important factor is safety. By spending a little more for the improved safety benefits good tires offer you, you can drive with greater comfort, confidence and safety - especially with loved ones sharing the ride with you.

Other Reading / References:

Protect Your Tires with Nitrogen?
Cold Air Intake to Boost Engine Power!
EWAI for Your Car - Try Before Hydrogen Gas or Water Injection
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