Many people wonder how to get the right tires for their vehicles. Without giving much thought to this, they head to the tire sales shop and end up making the wrong choice. The following guidelines will help form the basis for the best tire selection.
Determine Whether You Need New Tires
You do not need the help of an expert to determine if your tires are in need of replacement. You can do yourself by simply taking a penny, placing it at the bottom of the tire’s tread and looking out for the head of the figure on top. If the head is seen poking above the tread, then new tires will be necessary. A majority of tires have wear bars drawn in the form of colored lines. This will be useful pointers as to when to go for a replacement.
Getting Tires That Maximize Performance
High performance in a car often means getting the right tires. It is not enough to focus on torque and horsepower. You should also focus on the type of ride whether it’s a muscle car, off-road rig, sports car, grocery getter, hot hatch or highway cruiser. After knowing the use to which the car is put, it becomes much easier to know the right tires that will help the vehicle serve the purpose sufficiently.
Reading and Interpreting The Tire Sizes
Tire size is the number one requirement while at the tire sales shop. They are usually printed on the sidewalls in a conspicuous manner. The size is written as a series of numbers, letters and in other cases slashes. The easy way out of it is to read the sizes and see if they correspond to the wheels of the vehicle. An example of a tire size format is P335/70/R12. The 335 indicates the width of the tire in millimeters while R12 stands for the radial inner diameter.
Load and Speed
The load and speed rating is indicated in number form. The load index displays the loads that can be carried by the tire. The speed rating is shown by a letter and it usually has the highest speed at which it can be operated.
