Getting new tires is often a difficult thing to do. You might not be an expert in cars, but you know that tires constitute a big part of your vehicle’s efficiency and safety.
You put yourself at risk if you don’t make the right choice. Further, you don’t want to be sold by a savvy automotive salesman looking to make a buck. The key to tire buying is understanding what you’re looking for before you step into an actual business.
If you can be steadfast in your decision before you even leave to buy new tires, you’ll set yourself up to get the best possible deal. We’re going to look at the essentials when it comes to buying tires today.
Hopefully, the information below can give you a good idea of what the difference between tires is, how much they should cost, and where to go to find them.
The Essentials of Tire Buying
The first thing to do is figure out the type of tires that you’re looking for. All of the information on your tires can be located on the inside wall of the tire in most cases, or on the inside of your driver’s side door.
There’s a small sticker that the manufacturer puts there, detailing the specifications of the tire as well as some insight into the optimal air pressure and other factors.
Knowing where the sticker is isn’t all that helpful, though, there’s still a lot of coded information on that sticker.
There will be a code that looks something like P194/64S943H.
If the code starts with a “P,” that means it’s a “passenger” vehicle. These are consumer vehicles that are meant for personal use and require a specific form of tires. If your code starts with “T,” that means the tire you’re looking at is a spare and shouldn’t be used for the long term.
When the code starts with an abbreviation that you’re not familiar with, it’s best to call the manufacturer and ask about the tire specifications.
The number after the code refers to the width of the tire in millimeters. So, P225 means that your tire is a passenger tire that’s 225 millimeters wide.
Those numbers are followed by the aspect ratio, construction type, and wheel diameter. These specifics can be referenced when you go to pick the tire up.
Choosing The Right Kind of Tire for Yourself
Beyond the details of the tire needing to match your specific car, you also have to look at what your desires for the tire are. Do you want summer, winter, or all-season tires, for example?
You might also be interested in high-performance tires. These are wheels that have a low aspect ratio and firm sidewall that allow the driver to feel each bump, crack, nook, and cranny of the road.
Individuals who are interested in sports cars and driving fast on raceways might be in the market for some excellent performance tires. If you’re someone who drives a lot of dangerous highways or thin pathways, these tires might also be great options.
On the other side of things, you might be interested in touring tires if you’re a road-tripper. Touring tires have a high aspect ratio and provide a smooth ride for long distances. This allows the vehicle to perform well for long periods of time while maintaining an eco-friendly impact on gas mileage.
The seasonal tires should get chosen based on the climate that you’ll drive the car in the most. If the climate you find yourself in fluctuates but never gets too extreme, you will get by just fine with all-season tires.
That said, an area with extreme snowfall or blistering heat for long periods of time might require winter or summer tires to ensure your safety.
How Many Tires to Purchase
You might not need to buy a whole new set of tires. Depending on your wheel configuration, you might only need to replace the two tires that get the most wear and tear.
Front-wheel drive puts a lot more pressure on your front tires and the same goes for rear-wheel drive. If you haven’t been rotating your tires on a regular basis, odds are that those wheels will need to go long before the other two have to.
While it’s not recommended to skip rotations, it might save you a little bit of money in this instance. Just replace the tires that are most worn out and change the other ones when their time comes.
Best Place to Buy Tires
Ask ten different car buffs where to get the best tires and you’ll get ten different answers.
So long as you’re getting all of the specifications that you need in the tire, you can try to find the cheapest place to buy tires or explore other more expensive options.
It’s also a smart idea to buy tires online on sites that have a wide selection of options. Getting your tires online gives you the chance to look at thousands of more options that you’d be able to find in any given store. You can look at sites like https://www.ozzytyres.com.au/
It can be nice to talk with a real person about the options in front of you, though. If you’re someone who likes to talk things through, it might be second nature to stop into an auto shop and talk tires.
Note that you can do the same thing online, though. Most auto sales websites have a helpful customer service team that will be able to give you insight into what you need to buy.
If they don’t have customer service, that’s a good indication that you should look elsewhere.
Still Curious about The Best Place to Buy Tires?
Hopefully, the information above gave you some insight into what you should think about while you’re tire buying. There might be a lot more to think about, though, and we’re here to help you through that difficult decision-making process.
Explore our site for more ideas on tires, auto parts, finding the right match, and more.
