HOW TO DETERMINE WHAT TIRES TO BUY
What tires you buy depends on the type of vehicle and on your driving patterns.
For example, if you drive a sedan on highways all year and live in a climate
where there is little or no winter weather, a long-lasting all-season tire that does
not have an aggressive tread design will fit the bill. A tire of this nature delivers
good traction in moderate weather, wears 40,000 to 50,000 miles (assuming that
the alignments and tire rotations are performed), and offers a relatively quiet
ride.
If you drive a pickup truck that is used for work, however, obviously you
should purchase truck tires. They are made with a heavier carcass (body) and
with multiple plies (sometimes steel plies). The construction of truck tires tends
to vary with load range; the heavier the load range the tougher the tire
construction. Also, truck tires tend to have stronger sidewalls to resist impact
breaks, and deeper tread with a heavier rubber compound. Usually, the tread
design is aggressive, providing greater traction in mud and snow. On the down
side, truck tires are often quite noisy and offer a stiff, hard ride.
Let’s say you drive a collector car only in good weather. In this situation a
highway tread would work well. The tread is ribbed, and straight even grooves
are cut into the rubber evenly around the circumference of the tire. This type of
tire delivers a smooth, quiet ride. If you were trying to pull through snow with a
highway tread, however, it would be like trying to climb a mountain in high
heels. Impossible! So the rule of thumb when buying tires is this: Determine the
service needs and fit them.