When it comes to the performance of your car, the first thing that people look to is the engine and how to seek out every little bit of extra horsepower out of it. And there are many modifications that you can make to your car’s engine to improve its performance, but to get the best overall driving experience, you can’t neglect your tires. Without tires, you won’t be going far, and with cheap tires, you won’t get that much further.
Choosing the right tires for your car can affect its speed, handling, comfort, and fuel economy. Depending on how you use your car, only some of these will be applicable to you, but we can guarantee that at least one of them will be.
If you have a large family and drive a car that needs to be able to fit them all in and get from A to B with the most comfortable ride possible, you will have very different needs to the car that you drive on winding roads at the weekend.
If you take this all the way to different types of professional drivers, then the importance of choosing the best tire for you becomes even more clear. A Formula 1 driver will need a tire that has minimal tread and as much surface area as possible to keep the car glued to the tarmac when going at high speeds.
A rally car driver, on the other hand, will want to maximize tread reduce tire thickness to carve through mud and dirt. This applies to you, just in a less extreme manner. If you live in an area that is prone to snow, for example, you may want to look at tires with more tread. If you have to drive long distances to work, then minimizing road noise will be your priority. With this in mind, here are some of the most common types of tires that you may want to consider. For all of your wheel and tire needs, Revology Cars is a great place to start.
Summer and performance tires
When going back to the analogy of professional drivers to help us understand the best tires for your needs, the summer tire is closest to the Formula 1 car. If you want to be able to drive fast either on quiet roads or even on a track day, then you will need tires that will support you. When it comes to driving quickly and taking corners, the grip is your main priority. There is no point in having a perfectly tuned engine without the grip to get you anywhere beyond a straight line. To maximize grip, performance tires will be wider than stock tires to increase the amount of surface area connected to the ground. There will be very minimal tread, as this causes raises in the tire that won’t be touching the road. They will also be softer than other tires so that you get that extra amount of grip on the road as you take corners. You won’t get as many miles out of them, but that isn’t the priority for performance tires.
All-purpose tires
Most cars that are made for the average driver come with all-purpose tires. These are not optimized for any particular type of driving or road surface, so they will provide the best all-around experience for a wide range of drivers. They will be at least average when driving in different types of weather, including rain and the snow, and will also give a comfortable ride when driving long distances. They are not built for driving fast or for performance, but for 99% of drivers, this is not a priority. For most drivers, the all-purpose tire will be just fine for almost all of the driving that you need to do.
Tires for wet weather
If you live somewhere that has a significant amount of rain each year, then you may want to go beyond the standard all-purpose tire. While they are quite good at dispersing water from the road as you drive, they are not built for a torrential downpour. If you have summer or performance tires on for the extra performance when it is dry, then these won’t be terrible at performing in wet weather. The large surface area is beneficial for displacing water, although wet weather tires are generally softer and have additional sipes to help move water out of the way of the tire so that it can maintain contact with the road.
Tires for snow and off-road
Snow is one of the most difficult surfaces to drive on, and if you don’t have the correct tires, this will be even more difficult. Where you may be able to get away with all-purpose tires for most of the year, if there is a high probability that you will get at least one significant snowfall, then winter tires are a good investment. There are two main types of a winter tire, depending on the conditions. Snow and mud tires have more tread than all-purpose tires to help you grip through whatever is on the road. If you have ice as well as snow, look for tires with a snowflake symbol on them. These have even greater tread as ice is very difficult to maintain a grip on. You may even need metal studs in the tire itself if conditions in your area get particularly bad. While these will give you maximum grip in the snow and ice, they are very impractical when driving in regular conditions and will have a lot of road noise. Check out this list of the best tires for the winter if this is an important decision for you, and you need more information.
Tires for SUVs
If you drive a small truck or SUV, then an all-terrain tire will be the best choice for you. These are made to be very stiff, allowing you to go over rocks and other difficult terrains more easily. These aren’t great on tarmacked roads though and will have quite a bit of road noise, so if you aren’t going to leave the city, then a more traditional tire will be fine.