Car tires are things we tend not to think about too often unless we need a repair or it is time to replace them. Many times we ignore them but in fact, they can have a lot to do with safety, functionality, and even aesthetics. For instance, you wouldn’t want a Z-rated race tire to pull a travel trailer with your diesel pickup truck any more than you would want a knobby off-road tire on a Ferrari! If you have a powerful truck and plan on hauling heavy payloads or towing large trailers, you might want to add the strength of a thicker wall tire. If you own a Corvette and want to be able to carve the corners and make long sweeping turns on rural highways, you may want to get a set of car tires with a little bit better grip.

Having a low profile tire on a big wheel may look very attractive but it can hurt the comfort of your ride. The taller the sidewall on your tire, the more flex it will have. This will allow it to absorb more bumps and irregularities on the road before they get transferred to the wheel and ultimately, through the suspension. Wide tires with a very soft rubber compound may be expensive but they often have the best grip. This will allow you to take turns at a higher rate of speed as well as accelerate more quickly without spinning your tires or losing control of the vehicle.

Truck tires are a little different compared to car tires in a way that they usually have a taller sidewall for a softer ride and to help support the weight of heavy loads. Large knobby tires that are meant for an off-road rig may look great and work well in the mud but they may also make a lot of noise when going down the highway at 70 miles per hour. Read the rest of this entry »