Different Types Of Car Tires And How To Select One

Selecting the best tire for your car is crucial to get the required performance from your vehicle. The tire is more than just an air-filled component of rubber. It comes in many configurations and designs and is designed to tackle a myriad of challenges. So, there are different types of tire, and each has specific advantages, they can provide to your car.

There are two critical things – tread pattern and rubber. These are defined by the weather and road conditions. The wheels of your car will have excellent grip and handling, provided that the right tire is used from a reliable provider like tiregom.co.uk.

Below mentioned are the different types of tires from which you can select.

Summer tires

Summer tires deliver superior traction and handling on both wet and dry road conditions. They are less noisy and also have limited rolling resistance & improved fuel efficiency.

The summer tire’s tread pattern is more smooth than a winter tire, with less number of grooves for water clearance, increasing the contact patch with the road. Also, the car has better traction and braking during dry summer weather.

However, these characteristics of summer tires, the uncommon rubber compound, and simplistic tread design make them inappropriate in winter weather. At a temperature of 6 degrees Celsius or less, the rubber becomes hard and breakable, and the tread pattern can’t sufficiently bear snow or ice.

Winter tires

Winter tires have exceptional traction on roads blanketed with snow, as well as on wet roads. It contains more natural rubber, which doesn’t become hard when the temperature is below 6 degrees Celsius.

They stay soft and supple in cold weather to lessen the stopping distance when braking. The tread design of winter tires provides more grip as it has deeper grooves. The winter tire also has a large number of sipes, which are excellent for removing water and mud, thus lessening the risk of skidding.

However, winter tires shouldn’t be used in summers. Since the compound is very soft for dry roads, it will make the tire wear out faster. Also, the more the rolling resistance will be, the higher will be the noise and fuel burning.

All-season tires

An all-season tire has mixed features from both winter and summer tires, providing the benefits of both. However, an all-season tire cannot offer the specialty of a summer tire or winter tire in respective seasons.

Do remember that an all-season tire can only provide an ultimate blend of characteristics for those people who don’t require to go out in extreme weather circumstances.

Run-flat tires

Run-flat tires are one of the most significant elements in the automotive sector. In case of a puncture, or an unexpected drop in air pressure, a run-flat tire will remain utterly working until you safely reach your place or the nearest workshop.

It has stiff and thick strengthened sidewalls so that they can be driven on temporarily after a puncture. In general, you should be able to travel up to 50 miles when your run-flat tire is punctured. However, they’re not repairable, and you must get a new tire as early as possible.

4×4 tires

These tires have a more broadly spaced tread pattern than regular car tires, particularly deeper tire grooves, and a more massive tread block. 

Standard tires function poorly on muddy surfaces because the tread rapidly fills with mud, and the wheel starts to twirl unnecessarily, digging the tire more into a hole. 

If compared, 4×4 tires have a better grip on tight roads like mud, grass, and snow without the tread area becoming jammed.

Author: Brandon Park