Anna Walner, Kristina Matisic
What to Look For
Need New Tires?
- Before you head out to a tire dealer, make sure you actually need new ones. Many tires have bars of rubber molded into the tread; if the tire is worn down enough that you can see this bar, it’s time to replace.
- Check your sidewalls; if they have any cracks, bubbles or knots it may be time for a new set.
- If your driving conditions have drastically changed - like if you've moved to a different climate - you may need to re-assess your tire needs.
- If your treads are low they won’t allow room for water to pass under the tire, which can cause your tires to hydroplane. Keep a close eye on your treads so that your tires are doing their job and keeping your car on the road.
Back to the Dealership
Some people will opt to take their vehicle back to the dealer where they bought it for new tires. Typically, the dealership will install original equipment tires, which can cost you twice as much as going to the tire shop down the street.
Type of Tire
Most reputable tire dealers will be able to tell you the best tires for your car, but if you have any reservations the list of specifications for your tires that came with your car will be listed somewhere on your vehicle (usually inside the driver’s door or in glove box). There's also special coding along the sidewall that explains everything about the tire: what kind of car it’s for, size, aspect ratio, type of tire, diameter, speed rating and how much load it can carry.
Tread Wear Warranty
A manufacturer’s guarantee that the tires will last a certain amount of mileage is called the tread wear warranty (sometimes it will be stated as a time period). Most dealers will offer something competitive to guarantee the tires will get you where you need to go for a long time. If the tires wear out before the warranty, the manufacturer will replace them on a prorated basis. Always compare warranties before you buy and find out who will do what and for how long.
Speed Rating
A speed rating determines a tire’s maximum sustainable speed, or its ability to dissipate heat. Tires typically don’t like heat – the more heat, the faster the tire will wear. A tire with a higher speed rating can dissipate more heat on longer highway trips and is considered a more responsive tire, but the tread won’t last you as long. A lower speed rating generally means better ride quality and tread life. All four tires should be the same speed rating – mixing is not safe. Here’s a listing of speed ratings:
- S = 180 km/hr (112 mph)
- T = 190 km/hr (118 mph)
- U = 200 km/hr (124 mph)
- V = 210 km/hr (130 mph)
- W = 270 km/hr (168 mph)
- Y = 300 km/hr (186 mph)
But an important note to remember: speed ratings apply only to the tire, not to the vehicle; putting a speed-rated tire on any car does not mean the car can be operated at the tire's rated speed.
Installation
Make sure you find out if any extra services are included when you purchase your new tires, like rotation, wheel balancing and free flat repairs.
Look
If you want your car to stand out, high-performance tires with low-profile rims or even custom wheels are an option – but you'll pay for them!
What's Out There
Whether you drive a passenger car, minivan, SUV, high-performance sports car or truck, there’s a tire that's right for vehicle you drive, how you drive and where you drive. The most common everyday tire is the all-season radial, but talk to your local tire shop for their expert advice.
Cars & Minivans
- All-Season – the most popular category of tires; usually have a good long tread life, provide a comfy ride and will be OK in moderate amounts of snow or mud.
- Touring – focuses more on handling and performance than all-season tires; performs best on dry pavement.
- Performance – these will be standard equipment on sports cars; they’re not going to last as long, but they’ll allow your fancy sports car to realize its potential while looking great; if you’re interested, within this category you can also go hi-performance and ultra hi-performance; these tires will increase high-speed handling and stability – meant for the most sophisticated sedans and sports cars.
- Winter/Snow – only a consideration if you live in certain parts of Canada and the northeastern United States, but if you need them you’ll be glad you have them.
Light Trucks & SUVs
- All-Season – standard with most; the tread pattern provides a smooth, quiet ride and gives you adequate traction in most conditions; a good everyday tire.
- Street/Sport Truck – replace the original equipment tires on the truck and these babies will upgrade your vehicle’s handling and look with low-profile and large rim tires; not recommended for snow and ice.
- All-Terrain – one step up from the all-season for those SUV drivers who plan on driving in mud or rocky conditions, but are still perfectly fine for highway conditions as well.
- Mud-Terrain – when you’re planning on taking your car off-road, these will give you the grip and traction you’ll need in some deep mud and loose dirt, but on normal pavement and highway, they’ll give you a noisy ride.
- Winter/Snow – like on cars, these treads will give you the best performance in conditions including snow, ice, slush and freezing rain.
Our Tests
We tested four sets of the ever-popular all-season radials (all on the same make and model car), with the help of some certified, top-notch driving instructors, to find which tires would keep us on course. Our course consisted of tricky pylons as obstacles and a wet track to really put the tires to the test.
Falken
Tread Wear Warranty: 100,000 km
Cost: $105
Bridgestone
Tread Wear Warranty: 100,000 km
Cost: $121
Yokohama
Tread Wear Warranty: unlimited within 6 years
Cost: $134
Michelin
Tread Wear Warranty: 140,000 km
Cost: $166
Test Results
Since being able to stop on a dime is so important, we checked the braking power of each set by measuring the stopping distance from 60 km to a full stop. Here are the results:
- Yokohama = 16 meters
- Michelin = 14.7 meters
- Bridgestone = 14 meters
- Falken = 11.25 meters
The Falken was the big winner at the track for handling, performance, the best ride, braking and overall value.
After You Buy
Tire Care
- Rotate tires to maintain your warranty standing; every second oil change is a good way to keep track, or about 8,000 – 10,000 kilometres.
- Get regular wheel alignments. If your tires show signs of uneven wear (the tread is deeper on one side of the tire), the wheels probably aren’t properly aligned.
- Don't forget to check the pressure in your spare tire!
Tire Pressure
- Keep tires (front and rear can be different) at the pressure recommended in your car's manual. You can check PSI with a tire gauge; if you don’t have one, any service station should be able to assist you.
- If a long trip is planned and the car is heavily loaded, add about two pounds of air to the tires because added air pressure helps tires run cooler. But don't exceed the maximum pressure printed on the tires' sidewalls.
- Be sure to check pressure when tires are cool. Under- and over-inflation cause uneven treadwear and cut short the life of a tire.
Special Thanks…
Driving Unlimited
Kal Tire
You may take your tires for granted, but they can add to the overall performance and safety of your car. Given that we buy over 200 million replacement tires in North America each year, it’s probably a good idea to know what to look for and how to take care of them. We get the wheel story on tire buying.