Which Kind of Tires Do You Need?

It’s raining hard, and the road is covered in water when without warning, the SUV in front of you slams on the brakes, forcing you to do the same. You hit the brakes and can feel the tires slip on the road surface; the decision to put off buying a new set of tires flashes in your mind. The best way to avoid these frightening scenarios is to find yourself the best tires in Cincinnati.

We know that many drivers put off buying new tires. We get it – they’re expensive, there are a lot of choices, and it can be easier just to keep your current tires for another year. However, keeping your vehicle equipped with high-quality tires is vital to staying safe on the road. And as an added benefit, good tires can even reduce fuel consumption. If you are looking for the best tires and tire advice in Cincinnati, then come visit us at McCluskey Chevrolet. Until then, here are some tire tips you should consider.

Determine When to Replace Your Tires

Your tires have a significant impact on driving safety, so it is critical that you know when they should be replaced. There are two important considerations in determining when to replace your tires are age and tread depth. However, you should also regularly inspect your tires for damage, punctures, or slow leaks.

The Lincoln penny tread depth test has been a suitable method of determining when to replace tires for many years. All you need to do is simply take a penny and slip it between treads, make sure that Lincoln is upside down. If any part of Lincoln’s head is obscured by the tread, the tires are good to go. If you can see all of his head, it’s time for a new set of tires. When tread wear reaches around 2/32 inches of depth, the tires can no longer effectively grip the road in adverse conditions.

Regardless of tread wear, it is recommended that you keep a set of tires for no more than six to ten years – check the tire manufacturer’s recommendations for your specific tires. Even though your tires might have plenty of tread depth and look fine, aged tires can become dangerous due to heat, the sun, and extreme weather conditions. The sun and heat cause structural changes to your tires, and potholes and other road hazards can damage your tires over time.

Determining Tire Size

You can find your vehicle’s tire size in several places. In most cases, there will be a placard on the driver’s side door indicating the tire size that fits your vehicle; it is just a string of numbers that indicate tire width, height, diameter, and so on. You can also check your car’s owner’s manual to find tire size. Finally, the current tires on your vehicle also have the size stamped on the sidewall.

If you are comfortable determining the size with this information, that’s great. However, many people see the numbers and panic; this is fine because there are other ways to determine what size tires your ride takes. The easiest way is just to give us a call and ask; our staff is knowledgeable about tires and happy to help. If you prefer shopping for tires online, we offer a handy tire size guide; all you have to do is fill out your vehicle year, make, model and trim.

Winter, Summer, or All-Season?

Many drivers think that installing all-season tires is the ideal choice for year-round weather conditions, but this is not always the approach you should take. You see, all-season tires make certain sacrifices to accommodate all types of road conditions. That is, all-season tires have less warm weather grip than summer tires and less cold weather grip than winter tires. So while all-season tires are a safe choice, you will get the most performance out of your car with separate summer and winter tires.

Many drivers believe that summer tires are build only for dry conditions, which is not true as they perform quite well in wet conditions as well. As long as it doesn’t get too cold outside, summer tires are the best choice as they are softer and provide great handling with excellent wet traction. Just don’t use them in the cold and snow.

Winter tires are built exclusively for driving in cold conditions. They are made with compounds that remain flexible even when the temperature drops below zero, and they have an aggressive tread pattern that helps grip ice and snow. Since winter tires are specialized to perform well in winter driving conditions, they do not perform well in hot and dry conditions and will wear out quickly if used in the summer.

Of course, you might have an SUV or truck that you use to drive in off-road conditions or at worksites where the roads aren’t paved. In this case, you might be interested in a mud-terrain tire. If you are thinking about choosing a set of mud tires, you need to understand that while they perform quite well in mud, they do not fair very well on paved roads.

However, there are off-road tires that are versatile and can perform on both paved and unpaved roads. All-terrain tires are essentially the jack-of-all-trades tires, and they are perfect for drivers who desire a tire that can crawl through mud and over rocks while still performing well on the paved roads. They are only a smart choice if you spend a significant amount of time on unpaved roads, but like all-season tires, they do not excel in any one area.

Other Considerations

You will want to ask yourself what type of tires are best for your driving style, as this will help when determining what type of tires to get. The first thing you need to do is determine whether you drive a lot in the city or on the highway. If you love cruising your sports car around the city, you might lean towards a performance tire that helps your car stick to the road while cornering. If you spend hours and hours on the highway, you definitely want to look into a touring tire that offers a comfortable and quiet ride.

Value is one last consideration you should think about before buying a new seat of tires. It is a good idea to think about tire cost over time as opposed to the up-front cost. A long-lasting tire from a major brand like Michelin or Continental can be a significantly smarter buy when you consider the overall cost per mile, improved handling, improved comfort, and safety. In the long run, it could save you a lot of money going with a high-quality set of tires.

If you are considering buying a new set of tires, McCluskey Chevrolet is here to help. Buying new tires is a major decision, which is why the tire pros at McCluskey will walk you through your buying experience. We have only one objective when you visit our tire department, and that is to help find you the best tires in Cincinnati for your vehicle and your lifestyle. We stock the very best brand names and offer every type of tire you can imagine. Whether you are looking for a set of all-season tires, winter tires, or performance tires, we have just what you need. Stop by McCluskey Chevrolet today and let us help you get your vehicle into a new set of tires.