When you are ready to buy new tires for your car or truck, it is essential that you understand enough about the tires to get the right tires for your vehicle. Often the dealer selling the tires will give you some information about the tires that they suggest for your vehicle, but making informed choices can save you a significant amount of money.

Tire Sizes

The first place you should look to determine which tires you need is in the owner's manual for your vehicle. The manufacturer will recommend tires with the proper size and load-carrying ability for the vehicle, so starting with these tire sizes will help ensure that you get tires that will function as the manufacturer intended. 

The tires that are the right size for your vehicle might have a different tread design than the ones that initially came on it, but that can also be important if you plan on driving in adverse weather or tanking your vehicle off-road. Start with the right size, and then you can look at the different designs and ask questions that will help you choose the perfect tread design for your needs. 

Tire Performance

Often the significant differences in tires are related to how they perform or handle on the road. A tire with a very aggressive tread design can be useful in snow and bad weather, but the tread will be very noisy when driving on dry pavement. 

If you need a tire for bad weather, you may want to buy a second set of tires that you can keep on hand for winter use. The standard tires you use daily should make your car feel safe and stable on the road, so finding a tire with a good tread pattern with water channels in the tread to help remove water from under the tire is a good starting point. 

Most modern radial tires will be sufficient for daily commuting and driving around town, but there are some tires that have softer rubber and higher grip ratings if you have a performance car and want more grip on the road. 

Mileage Ratings

All tires have some form of mileage rating on them, and while that number is for tires used in optimal conditions, a twenty thousand mile tire should get close to that before it is worn out. You can buy tires with higher mileage ratings, but the cost of these tires will increase as the rating increases. 

Most people can get away with a thirty-six thousand mile tire and replace the tires about once every two years, but if you do a lot of driving, it may be worth it to consider a tire with forty or even fifty thousand mile ratings. 

For more help with choosing tires, contact a local auto service.