how to choose the right tires for your vehicle

shopping for tires

Tires are not always the most exciting thing to shop for, but yet remain one of the most important items if you own your vehicle. Choosing the right tires for your vehicle can feel like an uphill battle. With so many options available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, pissed off, and then you stop researching. However, choosing the right tires is crucial to ensure optimal performance, safety, and longevity of your vehicle.

1) what kind of driver are you?

2) check the size

3) Tire Type

4) WHat’s your budget?

5) Research!

What Kind of Driver are you?

What does a typical day look like for you? Do you have a short, or long commute to work? Do you need your vehicle for your job? What kind of weather occurs where you live? Sorry for all the questions, but these are factors to consider. These simple questions to ask yourself is more than half the battle, as it can direct to you as to what type of tire you need to shop for. For example, if you live in a very warm climate, you probably don’t need to shop for snow tires. Also, if you are constantly on the go, using the thruway, it would make more sense to purchase highway tires rather than off-roading mud tires.

Your lifestyle is a major factor.

Check the Tire Size

The tire size is a critical factor to consider when choosing the right tires. The size of the tire is usually indicated on the sidewall of the tire, and the standard size designed for your vehicle will also be located on the inside of your driver door. A tire size will be a series of seven numbers, with dashes to separate them, such as “225/65/17”. I am sorry if I gave you flashbacks of being in math class where numbers are being thrown at you, and you have no idea what they mean. The first part, the “225” in this case, is the width of the tire, as the “65” is known as the aspect ratio in the business, or the percentage of height to width, and the last part, the “17”, is the rim size.

It’s essential to choose a tire that matches the size of your vehicle’s wheels to ensure a proper fit.

Tire Type

This goes back to our first part, but what is your lifestyle? There are different types of tires available in the market, including all-season, winter, summer, and performance tires. All-season tires are suitable for most driving conditions, while winter tires are designed for snowy and icy conditions. Summer tires are ideal for warm weather conditions, while performance tires are designed for high-speed driving and handling. If you drive Toyota Prius for example, you more than likely do not need to purchase performance tires, but hey if you are racing with a Prius, than do not let me stop you.

However, if you drive in an area that sees a variety of weather to sunshine, rain, and snow like in the northeast, owning a good set of all season tires would be the recommended place to start shopping.

What’s your Budget?

Here comes a harsh truth, tires aren’t cheap. Well, they shouldn’t be. With that being said, your budget plays a major role in what you are comfortable spending for a new set. It’s always tempting to go for the cheapest option for now, but investing in high-quality tires can save you money in the long run. High-quality tires are more durable and provide better performance and safety, which means you’ll need to replace them less frequently. That is why research is such as an important next step. Before you spend your money, you need to be comfortable knowing what you are spending your money on. Because again, tires aren’t cheap.

Research Online

Hey that’s what we’re here for! But this is probably the most important step because you need to be confident in what you are spending your money in. You may already have a brand in mind to start, which is a great place to start, but it is crucial to compare brands against one another. You will want to check not only price, but also factors like the kind of tire they are, mileage warranty, and the UTQG. UTQG stands for Uniform Tire Quality Grade, that was created by the US Department of Transportation that allows consumers to research based on temperature, traction, and treadwear.

Doing your homework online is a huge step that can steer you in the right direction. Resources such as this one, or even looking up your question on social media will be huge resources to help make the decision.

1 thought on “how to choose the right tires for your vehicle”

  1. A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment. I believe that you ought to publish more about this subject matter, it might not be a taboo matter but typically people do not discuss such topics. To the next! Kind regards!!

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