Many drivers hit the road without a thought for their tires, but tire safety becomes a serious consideration when your family grows!
SHOP ALL TIRESMany, if not most, tire buyers consider price to be the main factor when tire shopping. But families (of all types and sizes) should pay attention to safety and weather performance too.
At America's Tire, we’re all about tire safety! And we don't believe you have to compromise good performance and price to stay safe on the road. Since we back our inventory of quality tires at cheap prices with our low price guarantee, you can trust us to help you find the best tires for you and your family.
We can help you find safe tires, whether for your family sedan, SUV, minivan, or pickup truck!
WHAT ARE THE SAFEST TIRES?
We asked Josh Sortor, our Product & Quality Manager, for some input on the safest tires. Josh has 23 years of experience at America's Tire and is one of the brilliant minds behind Treadwell, our smart tire buyer’s guide!
According to Josh: “Safe tires are ones that will stop quickly and be predictable in all environmental situations.”
In short, the safest tires:
Keep you in control of your vehicle (braking)
Are healthy and in good condition
Are appropriate for your driving environment (weather, road conditions)
All tires are designed to stop and control your vehicle, but some can stop sooner and/or better than others. Keeping in control of your vehicle at all times is what helps keep you and your family safe.
We go more in depth about tire tread and stopping distance elsewhere, but to summarize: over time, your tread becomes less effective as tires wear. Your tire’s tread works to affect your vehicle’s handling and stopping capabilities. Healthy tires are safe tires.
We recommend replacing any tire that has a tread depth of 4/32” or less!
Stopping distance differs from tire to tire as they wear. Our tire buying guide, Treadwell, shows you visual reports for stopping distance so you can compare while you shop.
Your driving environment will also play a huge role in which tire is best for you. The health of the roads and the weather conditions they’re subjected to vary greatly across the nation. What works best for a family in Minnesota or Colorado will be very different than what works best for a family in Arizona or East Central Texas!
(By the way, you can see if we have your state covered in our Best Tires by State section of our blog!)
Want some recommendations to start your search? We’ve compiled a few options that work well across a wide range of driving conditions, including some top recommendations for winter!
The following tires rank high on stopping distances and other safety features.
Our Recommendations for the Safest Tires
Passenger sedans:
For your passenger coupe, sedan, crossover, or minivan where you're looking for all-weather grip, check out the Michelin CrossClimate2. This tire offers a wonderful balance of safety, dry, wet and light snowy traction and great handling. It also includes the three-peak mountain snowflake severe weather designation, meaning it’s USTMA-approved for use in winter weather!
Sporty coupes & sedans:
These are ultra-high performance all-season tires that deliver high on steering response, acceleration, and braking for sportier cars.
Crossover/CUVs:
Pickup trucks and SUVs:
HOW TO CHOOSE THE SAFEST TIRES?
The easiest way to choose the best tires for you, your vehicle, and your family is with Treadwell, our smart tire recommendation tool. It matches you with the best tires in only a few easy steps.
START WITH TREADWELLThe same system our in-store experts use to find the best tires for you, Treadwell takes into account your vehicle, driving style, and driving area to offer the best results for value, performance, and local recommendations. You can shop using relevant filters that matter to you, including price point, current deals, tire rating, and tire category.
Treadwell results include a data report with easy to understand stats on the tire’s performance so you can make an informed decision. Important factors include stopping distance (both wet and dry roads), weather data, noise level, handling, comfort, tire life, cost, and more.
WHAT ARE THE SAFEST WINTER TIRES?
When winter hits, safety becomes point number one when it comes to driving! And winter tires (AKA snow tires) are the safest option for your family vehicle when winter strikes.
At America's Tire, we recommend changing to winter tires if your region experiences a true winter with rain, snow, ice, and/or temps consistently below 45F.
(If you live in a region with mild winters, consider an all-weather tire instead.)
Unfortunately, all-season tires don’t perform as well as winter tires (they also don’t brake as well, either). Pickup, 4x4, and SUV owners should also know that, despite common thought, all-terrain and mud tires aren’t as dependable in the cold as winter tires.
Even if your usual set of tires offers great wet traction with excellent siping and an all-season tread pattern, your non-winter tire compound will not be able to perform as well in temps under 45F. Winter tires are an investment in safety, peace of mind, and confidence. Many drivers who weather a snowy season with winter tires say they’ll never bother with all-seasons in the winter again.
At America's Tire, we test winter tires for acceleration and stopping power, as well as lateral (side to side) grip and predictability in handling situations. Here are a few of our favorites to get your search started.
Our Recommendations for the Safest Winter Tires
Coupe & Sedan:
Crossover/CUV:
Michelin X-Ice Snow (see above)
Pickup & SUV:
Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2 (for SUV)
Cooper Discoverer Snow Claw (Josh says it’s the best!)
There are fewer winter tires on the market compared to other tire types so you’ll have less searching to do. And because they are engineered specifically to keep your vehicle planted in the most challenging driving conditions, winter tires tend to be high performers in important performance stats!
We don’t just have the biggest selection of well-priced winter tires, we also offer winter tire changeover services!
Josh says: “A safe tire is one that will wear all the way out without any surprises. Everything we sell, including entry level tires, meets that criteria.” America's Tire only carries the most reputable and reliable tire brands out there.
Ready to roll?
If you’re ready to roll out on a safe set of new tires, buy and book online to save time in-store! If you need any further help, give us a ring or drop on by and we’ll get you taken care of.
For more information on this and other tire and wheel services, check out our YouTube Channel or reach out to us on X, Facebook and Instagram.