There is much more to a tire than simply holding air and staying round. A tire effects the balance, braking and handling of a car and picking the right tire when it comes time to replace your existing tires is very important. A lot more effort should be put into picking a tire than just price and word of mouth. Knowing how a tire fits your given situation will assure your next tire purchase is a good one.

A car manufacturer produces a car they pick a tire that will not only compliment the car's ability but it will also help the car work properly. This may sound a little odd at first but let me delve in a little with my personal experience. We own a 2000 Honda Accord which is rather heavy when compared to our other car, a 2000 Saturn SC2. The factory tires on the Honda H rated (There are different speed ratings on tires and these are represented by a letter. These ratings are not in alpha-numeric order so do not be fooled by that. A higher speed rated tire means that is built and designed to handle higher speeds. This usually means that the tire has stiffer sidewalls capable of the increased stress of higher speeds. This does not mean that you car will now be safe at the speed rating. Actually tire speed ratings are not even tested by driving them but instead are rated by the material and compilation of the tire.) but instead of buying another set of H rated tires I went with a less expensive set of S rated tires. S rated tires are only rated at 112 mph while an H rated tire is designed to handle speeds of 130 mph. No big deal to me. My Accord is a family car and the Autobahn is in Germany. The truth is we should have stayed with an H rate tire because the Accord was designed to handle an H rated tire and only an H rated tire. Changing to a tire tha was S rated gave us a spongy feeling through the steering wheel and extended our stopping distance to near dangerous levels. The S rated tire we out in the Accord had a thinner sidewall than our previous H rated tires that allowed the tire to squat under hard braking and cornering causing very poor handling and an extremely soft brake pedal. Was it the tire's fault? No. I simply picked the wrong tire rating for the size car we have.

For our other car, the Saturn I picked a higher than needed speed rating thinking I could talk the economy car into the performance envelope by sporting some higher end tires. I ended up with a rougher ride due to the stiffer sidewalls that come with performance tires.

You see, when a car company picks a tire for their car they design the entire suspension around that tire to give you  the best possible ride and the safest braking conditions. The springs and shocks are all governed to match that given tire's abilities and characteristics. Changing your tires could possibly lead to a drastic change in the feel of your car and potentially affect the safety of the car.

Am I advocating that you need to stick with your OEM tire (OEM is an industry term for Original Equipment of Manufacturer. An OEM part simply means that it is thethe exact part that came with the car. In this case an OEM tire is the exact same tire manufacturer, size and model.)? No, not at all. There are plenty of valid reasons to pick a different tire than the ones that came with your car. I would however suggest that you stay with the same tire rating of you OEM tires to avoid some of the same pitfalls that I and many others have fallen into. You can read review after review on line from people bought tires and reviewed them badly. Then you will come across one review that seems totally out of place with teh rest and this person loved the same tire that everyone else wanted to tie to a tree for a swing instead of rolling another mile with them. Is this one positive review a lie? More likely this person found a tire that actually matched their car. Whether or not a person likes a given tire has a lot more to do with them matching that tire to their car than their driving habits!

If you are deciding to go with a higher speed rated tire you will need to prepare yourself for a harsher ride especially when you are putting them on a car without any other modifications to your suspension. The suspension is not designed to take the full responsibilty of the quality of the ride. You see, the tire itself is a component of your car's suspension. The sidewall of the tire can cushion impacts and absorb slight bumps with little or no help from the car's shocks, springs, or struts. Going to a performance tire with a stiffer or shorter sidewall will put more emphasis on your car's suspension on doing all the work. Over time this could lead to your shocks or struts prematurely wearing out. In some pick up trucks with leaf springs it could also mean broken shackles and springs. If you really want to take the step to performance tires you should be prepared to tune your entire suspension.

The opposite is true when you are looking to go to a lower than needed speed rated tire too. People usually step down in speed ratings because they are looking for a cheaper alternative to their current tire. Remember, it is possible to get the same size tire in different speed ratings. If you do go to a lower speed rating, like I did with the Accord then you will probably face the same pitfalls that I did. Because a lower speed rated tire has softer sidewalls the tire will give too much. You will experience a floating feeling at times, your braking distance can increase significantly, and the overall handling of your car will change for the worse. Depending on how much of a step down you take will determine how substantial the difference will be but even going down one speed rating can cause some difference in your vehicle's handling response.

So my advice is to take your time and choose wisely. Find the best deal for the appropriate tire for your given situation. If you have any doubts or questions on your choice contact a tire dealer that you trust or talk to you local car dealership. Take that information and shop around a little. A couple of phone calls could save you a lot of money.

I hope this helps you out!

Christian

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