Best tires for my car - How to know what to Buy

One of the common questions that gets asked in the tire business by customers is "What are the best tires for my car?" , there are a number of answers to this somewhat ambiguous question which we will attempt to address in this article.

The below are questions that your tire professional should be asking you.

What kind of roads are you driving on?
If you are driving on semi-sealed surfaces out in the country you will be looking at different tire recommendations that if you are on smooth tar seal all the time. Different surfaces mean different requirements

What distances are you travelling?
If you are driving massive distances at a time this will mean that you will want a tire that performs well at high speed, and hot temperatures. Different from if you only drive down to the local shops every day.

Around town or open road driving?
In some ways similar to the previous question are you just doing a few miles around town or hitting the open roads at high speeds, meaning a different grade of tire should be recommended for you.

Would you like to stick with the same tires that your vehicle has been supplied with or are you unhappy with them and would like to change to something else?
You already know how the current tires on your vehicle have performed for you. If you are happy with the performance and lifespan that you have got out of them, why not simply replace them with the same. It would be a pity to replace them with something different for no good reason.

What kind of budget are you looking at?
Obviously at some point budget is going to come into the equation. Normally there are at least 3 levels of tires, budget, middle of the road, and high performance. Something in the middle is the best bet for most drivers unless you are struggling to afford the tires, or looking for something high performance.

Whats important to you in a tire?
If you drive around like an old man, and are only interested in how many miles you get out of a tire you need to let your tire professional know this, if performance and road handling is more important to you than getting a high mileage then say so - a softer compound, higher spec tire is the one for you.

Make sure you shop around, have a good look through the other articles on this site and learn as much as you can. The more knowledge that you have the better position you will be in for your next tire purchase.

Discount Tires - How to find them

When trying to find a Discount Tire for your car you need to approach the process similar to the manner that you would buy anything. Doing your homework first can save you a great deal of grief, time and money.

Determine your exact requirements
Do you require one tire or two? What kind of driving will you be doing? What is the size and speed rating of the tires?

Ring around for prices
Its good idea to pick 4 or 5 local Tire suppliers and call each one of them. Try and get a feel for the market price of what you are looking for and remember to try and compare apples with apples - there can be large gaps in both quality and price when it comes to Tires. Ask for the Salesperson's recommendation as well as a couple of other options that they may be able to offer you. Write it all down before you call the next shop.

Check that the price includes fitting, balancing and any applicable taxes for your area.

Visit the Discount Tire store
Once you have a fair idea of what you are looking for drive into the store and check it out one more time. Ensure that there are no "hidden" extras that you need to be made aware of - you may for instance decide that you want to get a Wheel Alignment as well, but make up your mind before you enter the store. If whilst you are there - salesperson tells you that other work needs to be done, get it all written down and go away and do some more homework first.

Buying Tires - Information and Advice

There are a few things that you need to do when looking at purchasing tires for your vehicle. This article looks at the main points to remember.

Requirements
You need to confidently know what you are looking for in a tire, otherwise it is easy to get confused. By this I mean are you looking for a high performance tire that demands outstanding traction in wet weather or are you looking for a safe, high mileage tire that will fit your family station wagon and not break the bank. I recommend that you forget retreads altogether - don't even consider them.

Size
Sizing of tires can get very confusing, make sure you write down ALL the numbers related to the size of the tires on your car as well as the speed rating. EG 225/60 HR15

225 - this is the width of the tire
60 - this is the profile (as a percentage of the width)
H - this is the speed rating of the tire - H = 210 km/h (don't buy a tire with a lower rating than your current tires.)
15 - this is the size in inches of your wheels

Some metric tires have different ways of measuring parts of the tires, however to avoid confusion what we have written here will cover 95% of the tires out there - check with your tire professional or mechanic if you are unsure.

Pricing
Prices can vary a lot from shop to shop - you also need to check that the price includes fitting/balancing and any applicable taxes. Wheel Alignment is NOT normally included in the price of a tire so you need to check this out as well, its recommended to get this done when purchasing new tires so that your tread does not get worn out prematurely.

Technical Jargon
Don't let salespeople bamboozle you with technical jargon, just ask them to explain themselves in simple language - remember not everyone is a tire nut!

If you have any questions you can ask them by submitting a comment to this article.

Used Tires - Things to watch out for when buying second hand Tires

There is nothing wrong with buying used tires as long as you are careful. These would be some of the more common misconceptions and pitfalls that could cause issues when buying a used tire.


Sizing
People get confused by tire sizing and it is no wonder really - its pretty bizarre. The basic tire size is made up of 3 measurements and if one of them isn't mentioned you should not assume what it is - it pays to check.

Width - this is the section width of the tire for example a 195/70 R14. This means the tire is 195 millimeters across the width of the tire.

Profile - The sidewall height is represented as a percentage of the width so a 195/70 R14 means that the sidewall or profile height of the tire is 70 percent of the width. Often the profile is not mentioned and that normally means that the tire is a standard 82 or so percent. Never assume though as this is a common misunderstanding that can occur when buying used tires. There is nothing worse than buying something that simply does not fit - ask the person selling the tire to read you all the numbers on the sidewall to make sure!

Rimsize - The other number mentioned is the Rim size in this case a 195/70 R14 has a Rim size of 14 inches.

Rubber Cracking
A good thing to check when purchasing a second hand tire is for any perishing or cracking of the sidewall and tread rubber. It is wise to give the sidewall a good flex and make sure there are no cracks or chords visible. It is normal to have very fine surface perish lines if the tire is not brand new however make sure they are no more than that.

Lumps Bumps and Repairs
If buying a secondhand tire it is prudent to ask if there are any obvious repairs that have been done to the tire. Although if a repair has been done properly there should be no issues if there are any problems with the repair moisture and air could have seeped into the casing of the tire which could potentially cause issues further down the track. No repairs is great!

Uneven Wear or Scalloping
Sometimes the tires you are looking at may be unevenly worn due to an alignment or suspension problem with the vehicle the tires were previously on. Although they may still be structurally sound for ideal driving I would recommend that tires with even tread wear are purchased. Also if there is any scalloping of the tread road noise and poor handling are potentially going to be a problem.

Its important to be as educated as you can be when buying secondhand items that your life literally depends on so don't be afraid to ask plenty of questions and make sure your used tire purchase is a safe and economic one!