Picking the Right Tire

Choosing the right tire wouldn’t be so much of a confusing job. You just have to be armed with knowledge about the tire type, size and mixing, which I opt to feature today.

I found a reliable info from uniroyal.com, which has been my basis on choosing my own tires. I wanted it to be precise so I took the most important portion of the article. And, with regards to the tire type, this would be of great help:

• Tires that provide comfort and handling – “Touring tires help provide excellent dependability on wet and dry pavement. They offer a balance of smooth and quiet ride with performance handling.”
• Tires that provide handling and performance, ideal for sports cars – “High performance tires are designed for use at higher speeds in dry and wet weather. They have a softer rubber compound for improved grip, especially on high-speed cornering.”
• Tires for pick-up truck or SUV – “Light truck tires help provide durability and traction in adverse off-road conditions. On the flip side, SUV tires are ideal for on-road, comfort-tuned SUV applications.”
• Tires for commercial vehicles – “Commercial light truck tires are designed to handle driving through dirt, mud and everyday wear and tear from commercial applications”
• Tires for winter – “Winter tires are designed to perform in cold, icy, wet and snowy weather. They are optimized for handling and traction under wet conditions, but can be used in dry conditions as well.”
• Tires off-road – “Off-road tires are ideal for drivers who take their vehicle off the road and do limited on-road driving. These tires have stiffer sidewalls for greater resistance against puncture when traveling off-road. The tread pattern offers wider spacing than an all-season tire to help remove mud from the tread.”

As with the tire size, you can find it in your owner’s manual. In case of absence of manual, your vehicle’s original tire size can be found on the tire label located on the driver’s doorjamb, glove box lid or inside the fuel hatch. If you are in doubt, you can seek consultation from your trusted tire retailer or checking your sidewall might do. Here is how:

• Tire Width – three-digit number indicate the overall width of the tire in millimeters
• Aspect Ratio – it is the relationship between the tire height and width
• Radial – “R” indicates a radial construction of the carcass plies. The carcass plies run across the tire from lip to lip, helping to provide strength, stability, flexibility, and ride comfort.
• Wheel Diameter – indicate the diameter of wheel the tire suits
• Load Index – this can range from 0 to 279. It indicates how much weight the tire is certifies to carry at maximum inflation pressure.
• Speed Rating – this indicates the top speed at which the tire can operate. Speed ratings range from Q as lowest to Z as highest. H rating falls between U and V.
• Mud & Snow – “M” and “S” indicate that the tire meets the Rubber Manufacturer’s Association’s standards for a mud and snow tire.

Remember, don’t get tires that are smaller of has lower load index than the original.

Considering the tire mixing, for front or rear wheel drive vehicles, it would be good to mount the new tires on the rear axle to prevent an unstable oversteer condition. If in case you’re only going to purchase a single new tire, get it paired on the rear axle with the tire having the greatest remaining tread depth, to get a closer balance.

As with the four-wheel drive vehicles, some owner’s manual provide instructions for tire mixing. In case of absence, refer to these guidelines:

• Do not mix sizes -- all four tires must be branded with the same tire size
• Do not mix radial and bias-ply tires.
• Outside circumference of all four tires should be within one and one-half (1-1/2) inches of each other.
• Do not mix tread patterns such as off-road and all-season.
• Exceeding the safe, legal speed limit is neither recommended nor endorsed.

There you go! I hope it will help in some way, just as it helped me a lot when I was a novice. Have a nice tire hunting!