Tire Types

All-Season

The most common type of tire that you’ll find on a vehicle is an all-season tire. True to its name, these tires can often conquer roads in all four seasons. However, depending on where you plan on driving your vehicle, you might want to switch out your all-season tires for different types.

Winter

Winter tires are made from a specialized rubber compound that works ideally in extremely cold weather. They also have grooves in them called sipes that remove water from the surface of the tire to improve traction and grip.

Summer

Touring

Touring tires are great for sedans, crossovers, and minivans. These are very similar to all-season tires, but go further to provide an even smoother ride. Additionally, touring tires can often handle higher speeds.

Highway

Commuting can be a pain, especially when it comes to the tread wear on your vehicle’s tires. Consider switching to highway tires if you find yourself driving at high speeds for long distances. These special tires have tread patterns that help avoid unevenness in tread wear.

Performance

If you’ve got a manual transmission or a hearty V8 engine that you can’t wait to test out, you might want to switch out your standard tires for performance tires. As their name suggests, they are geared toward performance and have even higher speed ratings than touring tires. They also perform exceptionally well in wet weather thanks to how the grooves in their design.

Spare

At some point, you might find yourself stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire. That’s where a spare tire will come into play. You’ll want to check and see if your vehicle has a spare tire, which can often be found under the cargo area in the back. Spare tires are meant to be used temporarily. Due to their smaller size, in order to fit in your vehicle, most manufacturers suggest that you drive slower on a spare and only as long as you need to before swapping it out for a new tire.

How to Tell When You Need New Tires

Low tire tread

Eventually your tire treads will wear down and no longer grip the road effectively. To test tread wear, stick a quarter upside down between the treads. If you can see the top of George Washington’s head, it’s time for new tires. Some tires also come with tread wear bars that indicate wear when they’re close to flush with the tread.

Uneven tire tread

In certain cases, your tire treads may be worn unevenly — if this is happening, it’s important to have the vehicle checked for suspension, steering, or alignment issues in addition to getting new tires.