How to choose the best tires for your vehicle

by Edon Canada

The “right” set of tires greatly affects your vehicle's performance and handling, road worthiness and safety, and fuel economy. Here is the spin on how to choose the right tires for your vehicle.

There are so many brands available in the market today and they all claim to be the best performance-boosting-safety-enhancing-fuel-efficient-super-tires. Well, maybe they really are but how would you choose the right one for your vehicle?

It all depends on the type of vehicle you drive, the climate and terrain of your locality and how you intend to use your vehicle. After considering these factors, your decision should be based on the tire’s performance and safety, price, brand and appearance.

To help you weigh your options, here are a few basic tire classifications to start with:


TIRE DIAMETER and WIDTH

Each vehicle model has a specific range of appropriate tire sizes. This is usually listed in the owner's manual or on a label posted on the vehicle. Anyway, it's easy to get this information online.


TIRE TYPE

There are three basic tire types: radial, bias-ply and bias belted. Most vehicles today come equipped with radial tires because they generally offer better performance and more durability.

Of course, you don't need to know that some tires specify in their labels that they are for use as temporary spares, for passenger cars or for light trucks. But now you also know.


TREAD DESIGN

Tread, here, refers to the rubber on the circumference of the tire which is designed to make contact with the ground.

The most common are all-season tires which can be used for regular highway conditions, rain, snow, slush and mud. This type of tire usually has an “m + s” (mud + snow) label. Then there are also specialized treads for snow or for regular highway conditions only.

All tires made by manufacturers who distribute to the US (most likely those also available in your area) must meet federal safety standards. Grades are assigned by manufacturers after performing tests designed by the government.

Except for off road tires and temporary spares, each tire has a label printed on paper or molded on the side of the tire. The quality ratings are based on the tire's tread wear, traction and temperature resistance.

Tread wear grade

This tells you how long the manufacturer expects the tire to last in comparison to other tires if all were subjected to the same usage conditions. For example, a tire rated 200 is expected to last twice as long as a tire rated 100.

Traction rating

This is scored A, B or C, tells you how well the tires can stop your vehicle on wet roads. Those tires rated “A” offer the best traction.

Temperature resistance

This rating, also scored A, B, or C, measures how well the tire will resist overheating during sustained high speed use. Yes, a tire graded "A" represents the best performance.


MAKING SENSE OF LABELS

Here’s how a typical tire label looks like: P205/60R-16 91V

In this tire label, "P" indicates that the tire is for passenger cars. Variations are “LT” for light truck or “T” for temporary or spare tire.

"205/60" means that the tire is 205mm wide and its side walls are 60mm tall.

"R" in this case means that this is a Radial tire.

“16” refers to the diameter of the wheel rim which is 14 inches.

“91” is the tire’s load index.

And the last letter “V” refers to the speed rating, the maximum safe speed that the tire can still be performing under ideal conditions. Variations are: Q (99mph), S (112mph), T (118mph), U (124mph), H (130mph), V (up to 149mph), Z (more than 149mph), W (168mph), and Y (186mph).

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Don't Tread Lightly: A closer look at your vehicle's tires

by Mark Lorenzana

What is the least appreciated part of a vehicle? A good answer would be the tires.

Most people don’t give much thought to their tires until it’s too late-- until they fail. And when tires fail, it could mean just two things: either you get a minor inconvenience that might involve getting stuck in traffic, missing work, while putting on your spare, or a scenario that could be much worse – a life-threatening accident.

If you own a vehicle, perhaps it’s a good idea to give more importance to your tires. Be sure to check the condition of the tires you are currently using and look out for any defects or faults. Check the spare, too.

Or better yet, continue reading this article. It will delve more deeply on safety issues concerning vehicle tires.


Looking out for serious defects in your car tires.

This should serve as a warning for the driving public. There might be hidden defects in tires that could cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles on the road.

It is not enough for tires to look good, be properly inflated, and have a good amount of tread. It’s a good idea to check the age of your tires.

Because tires are the most under appreciated part of a vehicle, drivers often neglect how old their tires are as long as they still look good. This might be true especially for spare tires—some could be up to a decade old or more. A very old spare tire, believe it or not, could deteriorate to the point of having its interior rotted. One can just imagine the disastrous effects this could lead to when driving at extremely high speeds.

In tires, the rubber materials that hold the belts together will eventually degrade and lose its elasticity. It will get to the point where the tire can no longer hold together. Research shows that tires six years or older tend to break down. And it’s not just the spare tire in your trunk that can be dangerous. Even tires bought from the shop or the showroom can be just as dangerous – who knows, these might have been sitting in a shelf for more than a decade waiting to be sold.


Avoiding accidents brought about by old, faulty tires.

Many vehicle makers now put warnings in their car manuals against using tires that are more than six years old. Some experts, however, advocate for expiration dates to be stamped on the tires not unlike other consumer products like milk.

The tire industry disagrees, stating that expiration dates will only give consumers a false sense of security. They stress that this might lead consumers to use the tires and wear them down to the nub as long as the products are still within the expiration date.

Tire makers say proper maintenance is the key to safe tires and that there is no reliable data that tires become dangerous after six years.

How to make sense of all these contradictory views by the experts? Here is an important tip for the consumer: on the outer wall of the tire, the side that faces away from the car, are a series of digits and letters. The last series of four numbers actually shows the tire’s date of manufacture. For instance, if it shows 1202, this means that the 12th week of 2002 is the tire’s date of manufacture. By checking the date of manufacture, you can determine on your own the age of the tire. You can then decide if it’s time to buy new ones.

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