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Selecting the right tire for your needs and budget is something you
can accomplish by using the search modes and helpful information
available on our web site.
Take a few minutes to read these helpful guidelines and take a look
at the links, which will help you understand key information.
• Tires are considered to be worn out at 2/32 inch minimum tread depth.
• In wet conditions 4/32 inch or less tread means a significant loss
of wet traction due to shallower grooves and sipes.
• In snow conditions, traction noticeably diminishes at 6/32 inch
tread depth. Shallower lug and groove depths limit a tire's ability to
"bite" into snow and clean out snow compressed into the tread.
• Irregular wear necessitates early tire replacement.
• If you need one tire (due to damage, a defect, irregular wear, etc.)
it is recommended that you replace it with a tire that has a similar brand,
line, speed rating, and load capacity to your three remaining tires.
• If you need two tires due to poor or irregular wear, replace the
tire with ones of similar or better quality.
The two new tires should go on the
rear of your vehicle.
• Replacing all four tires is the best case scenario, as you
are open to a wide range of options.
Most people replace their old tires with the same size that was on the vehicle.
If this is your choice, there are various locations you can check to determine
tire size. You can check the sidewall of the tire itself. You can also
find this information in the owner's manual for your vehicle. Finally, you can
check your vehicle's tire placard. The placard is often located inside the glove
box door, fuel door, doorpost, or door edge of your vehicle. If you know the tire
size you need, use our Search by Size option to see what we have available.
Changing tire size can often improve the ride and performance of a vehicle through
the following methods:
• By selecting a tire of the next lower profile, you can significantly improve
the ride quality and handling of your vehicle. On small cars, a good example is to
replace the original equipment 155/80R-13 size
with 175/70R-13. The tread is almost an inch wider and the tire has a
proportionately lower sidewall (however the tire's height remains the same). Both of
these features improve handling and stability. Use our Find Tire Size by Vehicle search to see these options.
• Plus sizing has become very
popular. In this application, the plus size tire is the same height as the original
but its sidewalls are shorter. This change delivers improvement in tire response
and handling. Use our Find Tire Size by
Vehicle search to see these options.
• Upsizing, or selecting a larger tire, is a common option, especially for SUV
and truck owners. Taller, wider tires improve performance as well as ride quality
On trucks, larger tires can improve traction, load carrying capacity and appearance.
Because cars and trucks are equipped with computerized systems (ABS for example)
that use feedback from tire rotation, use these guidelines to select a larger tire:
- Make sure the tire has load carrying capacity equal to or greater than
what the vehicle placard suggests
- Verify that the rim width range is appropriate for the tire to be installed.
- Confirm that the tire-to-vehicle clearance, lock-to-lock steering and
suspension clearance is such that no rubbing occurs.
A person who lives in southern California will often choose a significantly different
tire for their car than someone who lives in Minnesota. There are exceptions to the rule,
however. The person who lives in California may go on a skiing or off-roading trip.
The person in Minnesota may only drive on plowed roads during snow season. Therefore,
their driving situations may include a variety of conditions.
Here are some guidelines to help you select the right tire based on your driving conditions:
• Analyze your average driving conditions to determine if you most frequently
drive on dry roads, a combination of both wet and dry roads, or primarily wet roads.
Then, factor in the possibility of seasonal extremes. Most tires purchased today
are the all-season type that appeal to the great majority of drivers who seek
acceptable performance and traction across the spectrum of possible driving conditions
in all four seasons. Look for the M&S symbol on the sidewall to ensure the tire's
mud and snow rating for winter use.
• Consider seasonal tires. All-season tires have performance and traction
disadvantages since their design elements are averaged. In the fast-growing
performance market segment, two newer strategies have become popular. In non-snow
climates, summer or dry type designs are emerging as year-round favorites. These
designs feature far superior dry handling and traction with wet performance ranging
from acceptable to excellent. Performance enthusiasts who live in more extreme winter
climates also use these new designs when seasons allow and change over to winter
tires once the snow begins to fall.
• If you drive a pickup truck or SUV, chances are you'll be considering a
purpose-built tire design to match your driving needs. These designs have
tradeoffs including traction (both on and off the road for various conditions),
highway ride quality, and performance. In terms of traction, designs range from
HT (highway tread) to AP (all-purpose) to AT (all-terrain) to MT (mud terrain)
in order of aggressive tread design. Highway ride quality diminishes as the
tread design becomes more aggressive.
You can pick tread aggressiveness according to your needs, but be mindful of
the highway ride quality tradeoff. Most SUV owners select AP type tires for
their balanced highway ride and all-season traction. Sport truck tires with
all-season tread designs are quickly gaining popularity among SUV owners,
however. These drivers are looking for better handling when on the highway
and are willing to settle for less traction off-road. Meanwhile, pickup truck
owners continue to sustain their "purpose-oriented" tire selection, with AT
tires remaining the most popular type in this market segment. However, Sport
truck tires are showing gains among those who like great highway handling
and need a tire that can handle truck load capacities.
The old adage, "you get what you pay for", may have been invented for tire
buying. A good exercise would be to calculate the total price for your tire
purchase and divide that by the miles of service to get the cost per mile.
You'll quickly see that the better tires are the better value. When you have
mileage guarantees to compare, this calculation is very easy, but there is
another way. When you are comparing tires within a particular brand, use the
UTQG (Uniform Tire Quality Grading) ratings (treadwear grade) to calculate
value. Divide the tread wear rating by the price. The highest number should
be your pick if you want the best value according to treadwear grade. This
system won't help you compare between brands, however, because there is no
standardization for wear scoring. Traction and temperature ratings are
standardized, however, and are useful for making comparisons between brands.
Most people are aware of speed ratings. Simply put, you need to buy a tire
with the appropriate speed rating for your vehicle. In Europe, the law mandates
that the original equipment tire must be replaced with a tire possessing the
same or higher speed rating. However, in the US you can buy a lower (and less
expensive) speed rated tire of the same size. If you do this, be aware that
you are limiting your vehicle's performance in terms of handling and speed
capacity. Generally speaking, a tire's handling response corresponds with its
speed rating. Look at it this way: you'll lose that crisp handling the
manufacturer designed into the vehicle and you will not be able to safely
achieve the speeds the vehicle was designed for if you use a lower speed
rated tire than the original design. Conversely, you can improve your vehicle's
handling with a higher speed rated tire.
Each year more car, light truck, and SUV designs are introduced. As a result,
tire manufacturers are responding with more specialized designs. Be aware that
for a given vehicle you can choose anything from long-wearing, easy-riding tires
to style-conscious, ultra-high performance tires. It's your call. We have many
different types of tires to fit a wide range of vehicle styles and driving habits.
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