Which car tyres should I buy?

Tyres are a generally underestimated part of a car’s anatomy. They’re an often neglected aspect of vehicle maintenance, and replaced only when strictly necessary. However, given that every accelerative, braking and directional force applied is passing through the small area of rubber in contact with the road, it’s essential to make sure they are in good condition and that you buy wisely.To get more news about car tires, you can visit gofortunetire.com official website.

How often should I replace my tyres?
Changing tyres shouldn’t just be a consideration when the tread depth is approaching the legal minimum of 1.6mm (across three quarters of the tread) – if a tyre has any lumps or bulges this suggests its structure is failing and not fit for purpose in the eyes of the law. Similarly, if any of the tyre’s internal metal cords are exposed, it’s time to change them immediately.

Ideally, you should replace all your car tyres at the same time, but this is rarely practical because front and rear tyres wear can wear at different rates, depending on your car. To prolong the life of your tyres you could consider rotating the tyres - putting the back ones on the front and vice-versa - mid way though their life, but ensure they are all equally sized before doing so.

A tyre’s ability to grip, especially in wet conditions, will deteriorate well before it reaches minimum legal tread depth, so start looking for replacements when the depth reaches 2-3mm. A new tyre has a tread depth of about 8mm, though specialist performance tyres can come with much less than this.

But which new tyres should you be buying? Your car’s handbook will be able to guide you as to the correct size, but there are a number of things to consider.
Summer or winter tyres?
In the UK, vehicles are fitted with summer tyres as standard. These offer their highest grip levels in warm, dry conditions, but are also designed to operate safely in the wet. For most drivers they will be the default choice, given their all-round performance.

However, if you’re changing tyres during the winter, you may wish to consider specialised winter tyres. These are constructed from a different rubber compound that stays supple at lower temperatures. Below 7°C, winter tyres will generally out-perform summer tyres in terms of outright grip.

Winter tyres also features tread blocks with small cuts or ‘sipes’. These sipes improve traction on both snow and ice enormously, and will give greater control in the slipperiest of conditions.

Of course, when the temperature rises above 7°C, it’s worth changing back to summer tyres, as not only will they perform better, but winter tyres wear out a lot quicker when used at higher temperatures.

Winter tyres are identifiable by the 'snow flake and mountain' symbol. Read our winter tyre guide for further advice.

All-season tyres
Bridging the gap between summer and winter tyres are all-season alternatives, which purport to offer improved performance in cold and slippery conditions without impinging on performance during the summer. However, their performance levels will not be as high in particularly hot or cold weather as dedicated summer and winter tyres.

For example, where winter tyres are a legal requirement during colder months (Germany, for instance), the majority of all-season tyres do not meet performance requirements and are unsuitable.

Run-flat tyres
Run-flat tyres are increasingly popular. If you have a puncture on your journey, a run-flat tyre uses a stiffened sidewall that supports the vehicle weight, so you can travel for another 50 miles or so at a maximum speed of around 50mph. The idea is it gets you to your local tyre dealer without you having to repair or change the tyre at the roadside.

There are many markings that could indicate your tyre is a run-flat tyre, including DSST, RFT, ROF and RunFL.

Run-flat tyres and traditional car tyres should not be mixed on the same car, as it could affect the ride and handling.

TyreSafe, an organisation that promotes tyre safety, advises run-flat tyres should not be used on cars without a tyre-pressure monitoring system, which is used to alert you of a deflation or puncture.

It also warns against using deflated run-flat tyres when towing, as they're only designed to support the weight of the vehicle itself.