Tips for Choosing the Right Tires for Various Road Conditions

Choosing the right car tires can be a hard task, especially if you’re changing tires for the first time or just bought a new car. Don’t worry, we’ll thoroughly discuss tips for choosing the right tires for various road conditions in this article.

Tires are one of the crucial parts of a car. Their function isn’t just as a wheel base. Tires also play an important role in your driving safety, comfort, and performance. Because of that, it’s important to choose the right tires for your car.

Now, before we get into the tips, let’s discuss the various road conditions we usually encounter. There are smooth city roads, potholed roads, rocky roads, and muddy roads. Each of these conditions requires different tire characteristics.

1. Choosing The Right Tires According to Car Size

The first thing you need to pay attention to is tire size. Make sure you choose a size that matches your car’s specifications. Your car tire size is usually listed in the manual book or on the driver’s side door.

Don’t just choose any size. A size that’s too big or small can make the speedometer inaccurate and even affect the car’s safety systems.

Read more: Understanding About Gas Type for Your Vehicle?

2. Pay Attention to Tire Codes

On the tire wall, you’ll find a series of numbers and letters. This code shouldn’t be ignored. It tells you about the tire’s size, load capacity, and maximum speed.

For example, the code P195/55R16 87V. ‘P’ means passenger car tire, ‘195’ is tire width in millimeters, ’55’ is aspect ratio, ‘R’ is radial construction, ’16’ is rim diameter in inches, ’87’ is load index, and ‘V’ is speed rating.

3. Match with Road Conditions When Choosing The Right Tires

If you often drive on smooth urban roads, tires with a softer compound can be a good choice. These types of tires provide good grip and comfortable driving. But if you often pass through potholed or rocky roads, look for tires with thicker sidewalls which more resistant to shocks and punctures from sharp objects.

For off-road enthusiasts, tires with aggressive tread patterns can be the right choice. Deep groove patterns help tires grip soil or mud surfaces better.

4. Consider the Weather

Driving on rainy day

Indonesia has two seasons: dry and rainy. In the rainy season, choose tires with deep and wide grooves. With using those types of tire, it helps expel water and reduce the risk of aquaplaning. While in the dry season, tires with harder compounds can be a good choice. These types of tires are more wear-resistant when used on hot roads.

5. Check the Year of Production

Even if unused, tires can still deteriorate over time.The last four digit of DOT code on the tire wall indicate the week and year of production. For example, “2619” means the tire was produced in the 26th week of 2019. Avoid buying tires that are more than 6 years old, even if they’ve never been used.

6. Choosing The Right Tires from Trusted Brands

Pirelli Tire

There are many tire brands in the market. Although price isn’t the only measure of quality, usually well-known brands offer better quality and performance. You may know these trusted brands, they are Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, and Continental.

But don’t immediately cross out local brands. Some local tire manufacturers also have equally good quality.

Choosing the right tires can also have a significant impact on your car’s fuel consumption. To monitor the effect of tire changes on fuel efficiency, there’s a cool app called FuelPro that you should try.

FuelPro makes it easy for you to accurately record and analyze your fuel consumption. By using FuelPro, you can compare your fuel consumption before and after changing your tires, ensuring that your new tire choice is not only comfortable to drive but also fuel-efficient.

To learn how to use FuelPro, you can read the tutorial here!

7. Balance Price and Quality

Indeed, high-quality tires are usually more expensive. But don’t be tempted to always buy the cheapest tires. Cheap tires might save you money in the short term, but can be wasteful in the long run.

Quality tires usually last longer, are more fuel-efficient, and provide better performance. So, consider tire purchases as an investment in your driving safety and comfort.

8. Pay Attention to Noise Level

If you like long-distance driving or are often on highways, tire noise level becomes an important factor. Tires with low noise levels can make your journey more comfortable.

Usually, tires with smoother tread patterns have lower noise levels. But remember, this can reduce grip capability on wet roads. So, consider your needs carefully.

9. Don’t Forget the Spare Tire when Choosing The Right Tires

Don’t forget to also pay attention to the spare tire when you changed tires. Make sure its size and type match your four main tires. Different spare tires can make it difficult when you need to use them.

If your car uses runflat tires, you don’t need a spare tire. But you still need to regularly check their condition.

Conclusion

Choosing the right tires does require a bit of effort and knowledge. But by paying attention to the tips above, you can get tires that suit your needs and driving style.

Remember, tires are the only part of the car that directly contacts the road. Hence, don’t hesitate to invest in quality tires. Your driving safety and comfort are paramount.

About Choosing The Right Tires for Cars

Other than tips above, there more things that you need to check while choosing the right tires for your car. Below are question and answer that can be your guidance while doing it.

How long is the lifespan of car tires?

Generally, car tires can last 3-5 years or about 40,000-80,000 km, depending on tire quality, driving style, and road conditions.

Are tubeless tires better than regular tires?

Tubeless tires do have some advantages such as being safer when punctured and lighter. But regular tires are still widely used because they’re cheaper and easier to repair.

How to check tire wear?

A: An easy way is to use a 500 Rupiah coin. Insert the coin into the tire groove. If the ‘500’ part is still visible, the tire is still okay. If it’s submerged, it’s time to change tires.

Are expensive tires always better?

Not always. Expensive tires usually have better quality and technology. But the most important thing is to choose tires that suit your needs and driving conditions.