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.

Goodyear Tires

For much of my career in the tire industry I sold Goodyear Tires, they are a brand that are respected throughout the world and provide a great product at a very reasonable price.

The Goodyear Tire Company
Known as much for the Goodyear Blimp as the tires that they sell around the world Goodyear is the worlds largest tire manufacturer.

For 80 years, Goodyear blimps have adorned the skies as very visible corporate symbols of the tire and rubber company that began operations in 1898.

They are a company that I have no hesitation in recommending, I have always considered their products to be of the highest quality.

With origins dating back to 1898 Goodyear Tires have a history greater than any other tire company.

Types of Goodyear Tires

Below are some of the more well known tires in the Goodyear car tyre range.

Eagle NCT 3 - The Neutral Contour Theory (NCT for short) was formulated by a Goodyear mathematician. This innovative concept stated that if the forces in a tyre are equalised, a perfect blend of ride and handling will be achieved.

Eagle NCT 5 - Specifically designed in Europe as original equipment for modern performance vehicles, the Eagle NCT5 is fitted standard on new Ford Falcon AUII Futura and Fairmont models from Australia. Featuring plush ride and low road noise levels from the refined pattern characteristics, this tyre also delivers high levels of wet handling and wet braking grip

Ducaro - Employs a state-of-the-art design system and many elements of Goodyear’s Trinuum Tyre Technology. A key feature is the Bubble-Blade II system to enhance the tyre’s performance (up to 10% better handling on wet and dry roads)

Eagle F1 - Goodyear's Leading Ultra High-Performance Tire. Crafted In Europe.

You can visit Goodyear US for further information.

Spare Tire Covers

Not only do Spare Tire Covers look great, they protect your spare tire from the sun and other wear and tear caused by the elements. Wheel Covers are a fantastic gift idea as well. You may not be aware but you can actually by wheel covers online through Amazon, I have included some below so you don't even need to go out the door to buy them. Check however that they are going to fit the size of your tires.

Here are some of the most popular Spare Tire Covers...

Tweety Tire Covers




American Flag Patriotic Tire Covers



Back Off! Type Wheel covers



And for more check out our other Tire Covers Below

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.

Rotate Tires – extend tire life with rotation

Modern day cars require regular rotation of their tires to ensure maximum tire life as well as even wear.

How often should I rotate my tires?
Most vehicle manufacturers recommend that you rotate your tires every 5000 – 10000 miles. One easy way to stay on top of it is to simply ask your workshop to do it every time you service your vehicle.

How should they be rotated?
With modern radial tires they should be kept on the same side of the vehicle that they already are and simply swap the front to the back and vice versa. The old days of diagonally swapping tires is long gone – that was for old style cross ply tires not for modern radials.

Won’t my workshop do it anyway?
A good workshop would pick up on this anyway, however it never hurts to check and make sure.

What will happen if I don’t rotate my tires?
If you own a front wheel drive car in a very short amount of time you are going to chew out your front tires. Front wheel drives wear the front tires 2 to 3 times as fast as the back tires so it is important to keep on top of your rotation cycle. Rear wheel drive cars are not as bad however it still pays to rotate them as it will even out the wear on the tires.

Should I rotate my spare tire?
My advice is to leave it as is, that way for one you can always count on having a spare that is in good condition – also in a lot of cases the spare tire can actually be on a different rim or even a different size altogether. If it is the same size and specifications you can wear out the four tires on your car and then buy 3, saving the best one of what’s left for a spare.

If you are not sure about the best way to rotate your tires please contact your workshop or vehicle manufacturer for specific information relating to your vehicle.

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.

Flat Tire - how to make sure it gets fixed safely

Its always scary getting a flat tire fixed, how do you know that the guy has fixed it properly and that its not going to happen again?

Well here are some things that you can look for - I would suggest getting a flat tire fixed while you wait and if possible ask if you can watch. (from a safe distance of course). The process should go something like this..

The leak will be identified
The tire fitter will inflate the tire and either be able to obviously see the leak or they may need to place it in a tub of water to spot the bubbles, they will then mark the leak normally with white tire chalk.

Tire removed from Rim
The next step will be the tire will be deflated and removed from the wheel. If they try and fix it just by plugging it from the outside without removing the tire and inspecting it stop them right there and either ask them to check it properly or take it somewhere else. There is always a danger that the tire has been run on flat and may be damaged on the inside.

Tire Inspected for Damage
The tire should now be carefully inspected for any damage that might have been caused. This could be sidewall damage or any number of things - it needs to be examined carefully.

The puncture repaired.
The best method I know of for fixing a tire is using a mushroom like patch that has a patch on the inside and is pulled through so also protects the tread of the tire. (will stop moisture and air getting inside the tread and steel belts of the tire.). The technician will grind away a smooth area of the rubber inside the tire and apply a Glue. After leaving it for a couple of minutes the patch (preferably mushroom shaped) will be applied.

Tire re-inflated and Re Balanced.
After placing back on the rim/wheel assembly the tire will be re inflated and then it should be rebalanced before placing back on your vehicle. Sometimes the technician will say that it doesn't need to be rebalanced as they have placed it back in the same position however just say you would like it checked anyway just to be sure.

Once this has been done and the wheel placed back onto your vehicle you are ready to roll, make sure you check the pressure of your tires regularly and remember to get them looked at if they lose more than a pound or two a week.

Again if you have any questions feel free to ask and we will respond - you are asking someone that has over a decade of experience fixing tires so chances are we can help you out.