A Beginner's Guide to Buying Car Tires
Car tires are one of the most crucial parts of your vehicle. Whether you're driving on pavement, gravel or dirt, they're always taking a pounding. Fading tread and noticeable wear mean you should consider purchasing new ones as soon as possible. The right tires can help you drive better, save gas and feel more in control of your vehicle. Before making a decision, consider and review the following types of car tires and features.
Types of Tires
Passenger Tires
Constructed with higher profiles to reduce noise and create a comfortable ride. As a result, these models can handle an everyday commute exceptionally well. Passenger tires are available in all-season, winter and summer varieties.
Best Scenario: They can be used on almost any size vehicle. Most models are best suited for sedans, hatchbacks, standard minivans and small SUVs or trucks.
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Light Truck & SUV Tires
Specially constructed to support heavy loads on mid-size and heavy-duty trucks or SUVs. These models come in all-season, winter, summer varieties, so you can find options that suit any season. A set of these tires are perfectly suited for mid to large-sized SUVs or pickup trucks.
Best Scenario: If you're someone that uses a pickup or SUV to transport items regularly for work, light truck tires are able to handle heavy loads for almost any project.
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Performance Tires
This type features a very low profile, large tread blocks for dry traction grip, a very stiff sidewall and a nylon cap over the steel belts to hold the tire together. These features all contribute to creating a tire that is built for high speeds. In general, this type stops better, reacts quicker, steers better and stands less of a chance blowing out on the highway.
Best Scenario: Many car owners are already driving on performance tires without even realizing it. High performance tires can work on most vehicles, but they're best for sports cars.
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All-Terrain/Mud Tires
This type uses large, block-style tread patterns to give vehicles improved grip on dirt, sand or gravel surfaces. The deep tread design allows them to efficiently dig into these kinds of surfaces, letting mud move in and out of the tread without getting stuck.
Best Scenario: These types of tires are available in all-season and winter varieties, giving you plenty of options for any season. You should only install these on vehicles, trucks or ATVs that you drive off-road. Driving them on paved highways can cause damage to your tires or the road.
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Whether studded or studless, this type is designed to maintain better traction in extreme cold and on icy, snowy and slushy roads. The rubber remains softer, making it more flexible, which allows the tire to conform to the road better in extremely cold conditions.
Best Scenario: Any vehicle that will be driven in snowy, icy or extremely cold conditions.
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Tire Features
Seasonality
Performance Grades
Tire Codes
Learn more about reading tire codes.