13 Tire Tips That Make Choosing the Right Set Easy

Tires are among the most crucial components of your car. After all, they are the only parts that connect with the road as you travel at high speeds.

The quality of the car's tire can directly affect its performance, safety, and fuel efficiency. This isn't an area we'd recommend skimping to save money and time.

We’ve compiled 13 things to look for when choosing a tire to ensure it’s the right fit for your car and driving style.

Before Buying, Understand the Tire Basics

Modern tires consist of 20+ components, and they’re more complex than we tend to give them credit for.

Different patterns and rubber hardness are used for other conditions and seasons. Taller sidewalls are suitable for absorbing bumps, but shorter sidewalls are better for performance use. To get the most suitable tire for your use, you should know how to read the numbers and letters on the sidewall.

Read the Sidewall

On the tire sidewall, there’s a code explaining the tire’s capabilities and size. It’s important that these letters and numbers match your requirements.

The sidewall will tell you the type of tire, the width of the tire across the tread in millimeters, the sidewall height, tire construction, rim size, tire load rating, speed rating, and what season it’s for.

Consider the Road Conditions and Climate

While the tire’s speed rating, size, and load-carrying ability are important factors to consider, as far as safety goes, nothing trumps traction.

A high-performance summer tire provides excellent grip on warm, dry roads, but it’s pointless to buy one if you’re driving during winter in cold, northern climates. In that case, you’re better off with one set of winter tires and another set of summer tires. Those living in warmer climates can get away with one set of tires.

The Best Season to Purchase New Tires

If you’re like most people who run all-season tires, you’ll wait until spring to buy a new set. It makes sense why people think that’s a good idea, but in reality, you should purchase new tires before winter sets in.

As a tire wears, it loses traction on wet and snow-covered roads, but dry traction will improve. For that reason, you should buy new tires in the fall, not in the spring.

Research Where to Buy Tires

Many car owners, especially if their car is relatively new, will return to the dealership to get new tires fitted. With a few exceptions, this is probably the worst and most expensive option, as dealerships charge extra and will replace the tires with OEM tires.

Local tire shops, including national franchises, are usually the best option for most tire buyers. They offer plenty of brands and will help you select the best tire for your budget/use. They also install tires.

You can also consider discount tire retailers. They usually offer unbelievably cheap tires, but they’re shipped to your home, and you’ll have to pay someone to balance and fit them.

Consider How You Drive

If you’re using your car for the daily commute and to get groceries, you’ll need very different tires than someone who drives a performance car on twisty mountain roads.

Don’t buy “more” tire than you actually need. Avoid ultra-high-performance tires if you value comfort, silence, and fuel economy. This works both ways, but most performance car enthusiasts would never consider buying a tire made for maximum fuel economy.

Are You Going For a Specific Style?

If you’re into modified car culture, you may want wider and bigger wheels and tires, whether it’s just for looks or to improve handling.

There’s no denying that wider tires with smaller sidewalls look great, and they even offer better traction and steering response. However, there’s a trade-off in the form of harshness and less comfort.

Do You Need a Run–Flat Tire?

In the early days of the automobile, tires were just solid rubber rings fitted on wagon wheels. While they offered zero ride comfort, they were perfect for the rough roads back then.

Today, run-flat tires are much more advanced, but they still work essentially the same way. Thanks to the stiff sidewalls, you can keep driving even with a puncture. While these tires tend to be less comfortable than regular tires, they can still be a wise choice if you often drive on deserted roads and don’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Consider Fuel Economy

Your car’s tires have a surprisingly significant impact on fuel economy. Wide, sticky, high-performance tires wear out sooner, and because of the grip and rolling resistance, fuel consumption can be as much as 20% higher.

If fuel economy and tire longevity are important factors to you, there are several options available. Also, keep in mind that proper air pressure is essential to maximize fuel economy and tire life.

New, Used, or Retreaded Tires

New tires come with a warranty or guarantee, so if something should happen to them, you’ll at least have that to fall back on.

Used tires don’t come with a warranty, but they’re usually very cheap, which makes up for it. If you want to go down the used tire route, ensure they have plenty of life left in them and are evenly worn across the tread. We recommend avoiding retreaded tires unless they’re for work trucks and other construction or fleet vehicles.

Tire Longevity

Numerous factors impact tire longevity, including road conditions, driving style and habits, and tire brand. If you drive hard and/or on rough roads, the tire tread will wear out faster.

High-performance cars with lots of power sent to ultra-high-performance rear tires can be worn out in as little as 15,000 miles. Alternatively, a set of all-season tires on an economy car can last 100,000 miles. Depending on your needs, you can either have a lot of fun for one or two summers or keep a set of tires for many years.

What Does the Vehicle Manufacturer Recommend?

While we advised against getting new tires at the dealership, it’s undoubtedly a good idea to find out what the car manufacturer says about tires. They often recommend a specific tire size and type for each vehicle.

Changing the tire size and type can impact how your car handles and even affect your speedometer reading. It’s certainly possible to change tire size, but you’ll have to consider what those changes can lead to.

Read Reviews

There are many trustworthy magazines and websites out there that perform yearly, independent tire tests.

These tests provide consumers with all the unbiased information they’ll need about things like price, wet and dry grip, and longevity, and you can compare different brands to see how they fare.