
Buying Tires… things to consider before making your purchase
You’ve noticed some wear in your car’s tires and the thought of new tires leaves you uncertain of what to buy. This is when a little homework goes a long way. There are many items to consider before you get prices on tires. What type of vehicle do you drive? All wheel? Front wheel? Four wheel drive? Are you looking for the least expensive? Do you drive in snow conditions? Do you drive in the country with hills or mostly city or suburban driving? If you have an SUV do you go off road or just highway? Do you want to buy a longer mileage tire knowing you want a keep this vehicle? Is a smooth ride very important to you? Do you want to use the same tires year round or change to snow tires?
The old saying “you get what you pay for” does apply to tires. If you drive a $30,000 car you need to invest in tires for that level of car. If you try to buy an entry level tire for a $10,000 car it will probably be fine but not for the $30,000 car. The quality and performance of a tire should match the quality and performance of the vehicle to which it is fitted. Tires models generally come in entry level, mid-level and premium levels.
Tread wear:
Most passenger vehicles are fitted with a mid-level all-season tire which usually average about 40-50,000 miles of tread life. All-season tires are good for year round driving. Depending on the vehicle, if it is a sports car or sporty, it may have more of a performance tire on it which handles extremely well especially at higher speeds but sacrifices tread life. This is where speed ratings come into play. The higher the speed rating, the higher the performance of the tire under high speeds and better at handling but the tread life goes down and the ability to be an all weather tire decreases. Vehicles with high performance tires in the summer will need winter/snow tires for the winter.
Tire Size:
Now it is time to find out what size tire my vehicle has. The tire size can be found on the wall of the tire or inside the driver’s side door jam on a sticker. For example, P215/65/15.

P = passenger
215 = section width in millimeters
65 = aspect ratio (section height to section width)
R = radial (for construction)
15 = diameter of wheel in inches
89H = load index and speed rating