The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Which tires are right for your driving style?
Need new rubber? There’s much more to consider than getting best deal possible
Raise your hand if you’re happy with the lifespan of the original-equipment tires on your new vehicle.
All I can see are no hands and shaking heads. How about the distance you got on a replacement set? Did it match the tire maker’s wear rating? Did you know they even had a wear rating? Chances are very few hands went up for those questions, too.
The untold reason why OE tires never seem to last
Automakers specify exactly what they want from a tire maker, and long tread life isn’t at the top of their list. They want tires to deliver quiet, smooth, and gripping performance, and those three attributes seldom mix with long-distance life.
With the never-ending quest for improved fuel mileage and lower production costs, things like sound deadening insulation have gotten lighter and more ineffective, so hard-compound, long-life tires are out.
Some tire manufacturers have pushed back against these demands, but most bow to the wishes of their number one customers: factory assembly lines.
A few questions to ask yourself
No matter what you drive or where you drive it, your driving style has a lot to do with the life you’ll get out of your tires.
In order to get the best advice from a tire retailer or your online research, you need to be completely honest when you answer the following questions: do you drive aggressively? Can you hear your tires above everything else when you make a sharp turn? How many times a day do you jack-rabbit start or panic brake? You should also consider how often you carry passengers and cargo, whether or not you tow, and how you’d rate the surfaces you usually drive over.
You even need to consider if you do a lot of stop-and-go commuting, and how many kilometres you got out of your last set of non-oem tires. The answer to this last question will provide you with the best answer as to what tire you should be shopping for next.
There’s a difference between mileage ratings and wear warranties
If you’re consistently getting, say, only 75 per cent or less of the tire’s published wear rating, stay away from anything marked or promoted as performance tires. These are most often made of softer rubber compounds, and few even come with a tread life guarantee.
In fact, not all tires have such warranties and if long tire life is at the top of your list, ask your retailer about their products’ warranties.
And yes, there’s a difference between mileage ratings and wear warranties; ratings are just numbers unless they’re backed up by a warranty. Michelin, for instance, offers mileage warranty on many of their tires.
If your purchase fails to reach that distance — and it varies with tire models — they’ll discount your replacement purchase by the percentage missed.
Keep in mind tire warranties come with stipulations, such as regular rotations according to the tire manufacturer’s recommendations (which may differ from the automaker), and restrictions on when winter tires can be put into use.