Tires are the only contact patch between your vehicle and ground. Tires mean everything in terms of performance and safety and the smart consumer will make good decisions based on solid research when it's time to buy a new set. Understanding the contact patch is especially critical when you consider the massive loads that tow rigs can pull.
But some of us don't have the kind of time needed to get all the facts. So here's an abbreviated tutoring in overall tire performance; what to look for when buying a set and how to distinguish one type from another.
Selecting the Correct Tire
We purchase new tires for different reasons; often when we wear out the tread after miles of use or when we buy a truck or trailer that needs new shoes. Regardless of why you need a new set of tires, it is important to buy the correct tire for all the right reasons. Buying the wrong tire can be inefficient, costly and even unsafe.
Examples of this would be: Buying a summer tire for year-round use in Vermont, using a highway tire on a ranch in Montana, or having 22-inch tires with an insufficient load capacity on Mom's Expedition.
What to Know
The most important things to consider when buying a set of tires are intended application, climate consideration, and load and speed capacity. Tire prices are always an issue, but when you are looking only at cost, the trade-off is often less than desirable.
Intended application sounds simple, but you really have to be honest with yourself. We know that you might want to take the truck off the highway, or to the snow but will you really? A highway tread tire will often work fine in light-duty off-highway conditions if you aren't planning to drive in deep sand or mud. If you really go trail blazing, an all-terrain tire is advisable but be prepared to give up some highway noise and ride comfort.
| A look at the tread reveals some interesting aspects of the tire, including how it will perform in wet road conditions since the tread blocks are critical to evacuating water.
Also, ask yourself if you really need ultra high-performance tires. If you think you do, don't complain when these softer compound tires wear out faster than the stock touring tires that you replaced.
Everything is a trade-off with tires. Tire designers call this "target conflicts". Better rolling resistance costs wet traction. Better wet traction costs dry traction. Better dry traction costs snow performance and so on. Tires are designed for specific applications. The key is, you have to know your application, and buy tires for that application. You will get the best performance from your tires if you do.
The other thing to consider is the climate that you live in. Climate consideration is often overlooked with today's all-season tires. All season tires are target conflicts in themselves. They don't perform as well in warm weather as summer tires and in cold weather they can't keep up with winter tires. What they give you is the convenience of not changing tires with the seasons. Are they worth it? You have to decide this, but there are significant performance improvements with using seasonal tires.
For light trucks and SUV's, some all-terrain tires are intended for winter use, while some are pinned for studs. This might be something that you to consider.
| The new General Grabber AT2 has good to excellent off-highway performance.
Buying tires with sufficient load capacity is important and often overlooked when changing the stock tire sizes on a vehicle. (The tire's maximum load capacity is shown on the sidewall along with a load index number.)
The reason that this is important is if a tire is running at or near its load capacity, it means that the load safety margin is reduced. Since inflation carries the load and all tires naturally lose about one pound of inflation pressure per month, tires running at maximum load capacity are always moving towards being overloaded.
Avoid this by buying tires with at least the same load capacity (index number) as the original factory tires. Remember, the automakers did their homework and spent a considerable amount of time and money when they selected the tires for your vehicle or trailer.
If you are buying trailer tires and don't know the original load, it is best to weigh the loaded trailer and use tires intended for trailer service with at least 30 percent extra load capacity.
When concerning a tire's speed capability, always use tires with speed symbols equal to or higher than the original equipment tires. Simple concept, but it ensures safety and the vehicle's overall performance will be maintained.
| The tire's maximum load capacity is shown on the sidewall along with a load index number.
The Most Important Issue
You have to keep the correct inflation for your tires to perform as designed. The tire industry's national organization, the Rubber Manufacturer's Association (RMA) publishes a list of the most important factors in tire care. Proper inflation pressure is the first item they list. This message can't be stated enough to those of us who drive an RV or tow a heavy trailer.
This is because under-inflated tires flex more than they are designed for and ultimately can cause a separation. This separation is typically starts at the edge of the steel belt and the rubber directly below it. Unfortunately, the separation won't end there, if ignored, it will propagate across the belts until the tread and belts come off completely.
The industry refer to these tread/belts components lying on the side of the road as "alligators" due to the similarity to a reptile laying in the grass. Since we don't want alligators lying on the road, check your tire inflation at least once a month to be safe.
Buying tires can be a complicated ordeal so it pays to visit your local tire store and ask a lot of questions. Tires are highly engineered and very specific products. But if all you do is consider the points we've made, you'll be light years ahead of the game.
| Ask yourself if you really need ultra high-performance tires. If you think you do, don't complain when these softer compound tires wear out faster than the stock touring tires that you replaced.
