Tires are not the same anymore!

So you find out you need new tires for that car of yours. No big deal, last car you had several years ago prices were around $100.00 each and you had lots of options to choose from. Wait – let’s take another look again at those tires. Consumers like you are being met with a surprise about the replacement cost of their tires and the complexity that goes into tires.

Many cars come from the factory with what’s considered to be a performance tire. Now your average family sedan or compact car comes equipped a performance rated tire. Why is that?  Significant advances in vehicle designs require tires to have better road control, reduced tire noise, while ensuring safe braking distances are met along with maintaining proper fuel efficiency. That’s a lot of technology that goes into the rubber that connects your car to the road.

Tire Size

For most purchases make sure they are the same size.  For example P205/60R16.  The exception may be when modifying the vehicle from the manufacturer specifications by lowering the vehicle and adding larger wheels as seen on some Honda Civics out there.
Tire Weight and Speed Rating

This is important! This is where I see many people not comparing “apples to apples” when pricing out tires. After your tire size, you will see several other characters. Example P205/60R16 91H.   The 91 number is the load index (how much weight tire can support), which in most cases should be the same or higher number when replacing tires.  The “H” is the speed rating of the tire. Consequently people may purchase a less expensive tire in the same size but with a lower speed rating. Consumers must be aware that it’s not a question of how fast they drive, but rather how the manufacturer designed the vehicle for how safe it must remain.

Recently we had  a vehicle in the shop for a road handling diagnostic and the customer complained that they had a sloppy feeling, and it didn’t feel right on highway or lane changing. Upon initial inspection, we noticed new tires had been installed on the vehicle, which lead to some questioning. The tires were much cheaper than most other places the customer said. After reviewing his P225/60R16 tires, what was installed were economy “S” rated tires but the vehicle called for an “H” rated tire.  Same tire size, same weight rating but different speed rating. It wasn’t speed the customer had an issue with, it was the handling. The H rated tire has a firmer side wall, more technology in the development of the tire which provides a firmer more responsive handle.  It was what the car was designed for.  After a trip back to the original tire shop and a different tire set was being installed, voila! Problem solved – nice ride, nice feeling, higher price!

Brand and Quality

There are so many options to tires now because we live in a global economy. Korea, China and several other countries now supply to the North American market with often lower priced tires with varying quality levels some that are at best a basic tire and others that are competitive with brands that consumers are familiar with like Goodyear and Michelin

Ask your service advisor for some information on the tires and in some cases check the online reviews on those tires.  Comparing a P225/60R16 91H from one imported brand to lets say a Michelin tire can see almost be a 50% jump in price.  The tire should match not only your budget but the manufactures requirements of the vehicle and ultimately your safety. As a tire installer I’ll ask myself these questions when selling a tire. 1) What is their budget 2) What are the specifications for the tire 3) Are they name brand purchasers 4) What mileage are they wanting from a tire and then slow down and educate the customer on a good, better best option for replacement.

Performance tires are now becoming the industry standard for many vehicles, but motorists are just starting to realize it. When you’re buying a vehicle, be aware of the tire that is equipped with the vehicle and its replacement cost. Also in many cases the requirement of winter tires as those performance tires are not sufficient enough for premium traction and safety during winter driving.

There is a science behind tires, there is a significant amount of technology going into that tire and no tire is 100% perfect. For every application make sure you do your homework and trust your tire advisor.

As an added note as I finish this blog, I just received an email discussing a new Michelin product out from Michelin that may be coming to a vehicle near you some day soon. Check it out.

Look No Air

These tires are airless and are scheduled to be out on the market very soon.
The bad news for law enforcement is that spike strips will not work on these.
Just think of the impact on existing technology: 
A. No more air valves…
B. No more air compressors at gas stations…
C. No more repair kits… 
D. No more flats… 
These are actual pictures taken at the South Carolina plant of Michelin

Carlo Sabucco

Sils Complete Auto Care

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