How to Find the Best Car Tires for You

Car tires play a big part in getting the best gas mileage for your car, they provide stability and handling for your vehicle and the tires also can be a statement of style.   Looking for those perfect and affordable tires?  Have some trips planned or towing a boat soon? Get tires rated for your needs and care for them to roll on your way.  Investigating car tire ratings can make a difference when you are purchasing the next set of tires for your vehicle. 

If you want to tow something like a boat or trailer, or you plan to add weight to your car for cargo of some kind, then you should get tires that are rated to carry more weight. Checking the grades for treadwear, traction and temperature for your new tires can make the car tire ratings serve you well for the type of driving that you intend to do.  The higher the treadwear rating number the longer it should take to wear down.  The traction grade refers to how your tire will allow your car to stop on wet roads.  The higher this number, the shorter distance it should take to stop when on wet roads.  A lower traction number means it will take longer to stop.  Temperature ratings refer to how well the tire can withstand high heat for a sustained time before leading to tread separation or to a blowout. 

Another rating to pay attention to is your car tire pressure.  This is the one easy thing to check on your car that most people neglect to do.  Each tire has a recommended pressure and if the tire is underinflated or overinflated, then it can cause problems for you. You can experience poor performance in cornering and stability and even braking can be compromised with improper pressure. Aside from the performance issue car tire pressure can affect your gas mileage and that can cost you more money at the gas pump.  If your car tires are underinflated, then you could see the mileage drop and you can wear your tires out much faster that they would normally. Even if your tires look fine, they need to be checked because they may be low. Check the tire pressure every month at a minimum to keep the tires rolling at their optimum levels. A tire gauge can be a great tool to tuck away in your glove box. Some even talk or have a light to make the reading easy. Look inside the door to see what number the car manufacturer recommends.  This number may be different from the number on the tire itself.  Inflate to the specifications on the door for maximum performance.

Once you know what to look for in the tires, then shopping for the best price through sales flyers, Internet searches and even word of mouth can lead you to the most affordable tires for your adventures.

Car tires are as important as the brakes for the safety of your vehicle.  Keeping them inflated to the proper size and checking them often to keep them that way can extend the life of the tires and also helps them to serve you well in all weather conditions.  Learning how to use a tire gauge is important so that you are never unable to check your tires even if you are not near a garage.  Choosing tires that are rated for the type of cargo, travel and speed that you need can help you get the most performance and safety from your vehicle. Add some flashy rims and you’ll really be finishing in first place.