Types Of Tires
There are a large variety of tires available for purchase, each type designed for a specific purpose. Tires are built to respond to different types of weather, driving habits, and size of many kinds of vehicles.
Summer Tires
Designed primarily for dry and some wet driving, summer tires are not built to perform well on snow and ice, or in cold temperatures. Summer tires are designed for hotter weather, providing maximum traction and resilience on the road. Summer tire tread design ranges from orbital grooves, to complex directional patterns, promoting various levels of handling in summer driving conditions. Not sure which summer tire is right for your vehicle? Consider the following:
For most vehicles, the original tire size is a good guide in choosing new summer tires. However, you should take into account that the larger and wider the tire, the increased likelihood of hydroplaning. To help prevent this, choose a summer tire with directional tread design.
Winter Tires
With the volume of vehicles equipped with all season tires, many drivers are unaware of the benefits of winter tires. Winter tires are designed to provide effective traction in difficult winter conditions like snow, ice and sleet as they feature a combination of specialized tread design and compounds that provide more effective traction in Canada’s difficult winter conditions.
Selecting the right winter tires for your vehicle should be based on your driving style and purpose of your vehicle. Having the right winter tires on your vehicle will offer optimal control and traction, while helping to maintain the vehicle’s fuel-efficiency.
All Season Tires
Perhaps the most economical type of tire is the “all-season” tire, because it is designed for year round use. All-season tires feature a blend of technologies that make use of different compounds and detailed tread configurations, designed for most driving conditions like snow, rain, heat, cold etc. It’s the “almost” perfect tire because it offers a smooth, quiet ride, with exceptional handling in many conditions.
All season performance does not mean best performance, however. The trade-off is a loss of traction and compound stiffening anywhere below 7 degrees Celsius (44.6 F). Also, while all-season tires offer greater highway ride comfort, they are not as effective on snow as dedicated winter tires.
All-season tires come in two classes: Passenger Tires and Touring Tires. Passenger Tires feature a smoother ride and longer tread-life while Touring Tires offer low noise and enhanced handling characteristics.