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Simple Tips About Tires

All the the information you've ever wanted, and then some - it's all here in SimpleTire's handy learn section.

Tires may be made mostly of rubber but you might be surprised to learn just how much science and technology goes into making them. The tires we drive on today are strikingly different from what our parents used and almost nothing like the tires our grandparents drove on.

Our industry is an exciting one; tires have changed for increased safety, better performance, more varied or specialized uses, and (in some cases) can even run while flat to get you as far as the nearest service station for repair.

We’ve pulled together many articles about tires and the tire industry which we think will be both fascinating and useful for any driver. And, for specific content, browse our tire topics below to help guide you to the information you're looking for.

Tire Topics

Cracked Tires: Causes, Prevention & How to Handle It

Learn about the dangers of cracked tires including the causes, prevention, and what you can do about tire tracking.

Tire Wear Bars: Is It Time to Change Your Tires?

Tire wear bars will help determine your tire's condition. Learn more about how they act as a tread wear indicators as well as why your tread depth matters and additional ways you can test your tread depth.

Mechanic pointing to a tire's tread wear bars.

Find Your Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Factory

Learn about the importance and benefits of the factory tires also known as the original equipment manufacturer (OE or OEM) tires that come standard on your vehicle.

Original Equipment Tire Sidewall with Size Information

Best Tires for Luxury Vehicles

Find luxury tires to fit your high-end vehicle and increase safety. Discover the advantages and options available to find the best tire types and categories to pair with your luxury vehicle.

Tire Service Description & Tire Load Index Explained

Learn how to read and understand your tire's service description in order to determine the capabilities of your tire.

Tire Service and Load Index Indication on Tire Sidewall

The Dangers of Bald Tires

Most people are unaware of the dangers of bald tires. Learn more about bald tires and safety issues surrounding them.

What You Need to Know to Buy New Tires

Tire Maintenance & Safety

Tires affect your vehicle handling, ride, braking, and safety. For optimum performance, tires must have the correct air pressure, tread depth, balance and the wheels of the vehicle must be properly aligned. Learn all about these topics and more from our tire maintenace & safety articles.

Tire Buying Guides

Whether you're looking for a specific performance category of tire ranging from all season, all terrain, all weather to winter tires, or just need help interpreting tire language like load or speed ratings, tire service descriptions, and DOT codes, our tire buying guide articles will help guide you to buy the right tires for your needs.

Best Tires For

Find the best tires for your vehicle is important. The way that you drive, the location you live in, the weather conditions in your area all have an impact on the best tire to use for your vehicle. Discover the best tires to pair with your vehicle from a wide range of types like car or passenger, SUV, Crossover (CUV), light truck (LT) and more as well as the best tires for vehicle makes and models from Ford F-150 to Honda Accord and everything inbetween using our selection of best tire articles.

Tire News & Information

Read the latest in tire news and information including the basics of tire design from tire wear bars and tread designs like bias, bias-belted and radial tires to tire characteristics like cornering force, slip angles, rolling resistance and more. Get our expert advice on driving-related news as well from the best car apps to download, the best driving ettiquette, how to share the road with bikes and big rigs and even the basics of child car seats. You'll find everything you need to know within our tire news and information articles.

Compare

When it comes to making the right tire purchase, it helps to compare your options. Read about new vs used tires, racing vs street tires, and even specific tire product lines compared to one another to help you make the most informed decision possible. You'll find all the details you need to make the right selection within our tire comparison articles.

Tire FAQs

A tire's size is expressed in the format WWW/AA-DD (i.e. 205/60-15) where WWW is the tire's sidewall-to-sidewall Width in millimeters (205), AA is the Aspect ratio or profile of the tire which specifies the tire's height as a percentage of its width (60% of 205 = 123mm) and DD is the diameter of the wheel that the tire is mounted on in inches (15 inches).

If the size is shown as P205/60R15, the "P" stands for Passenger and the "R" is for Radial ply construction. Note that the width does not measure the tread, which can vary significantly between tires with the same nominal width, even within product lines from the same manufacturer.

Recommended tire pressures are set by the car manufacturer, not by the tire manufacturer and are stated in the owners manual as well as on a sticker in the door jamb or on the glovebox lid. It's important to check pressures frequently; at least once a month - more often if you find that you're losing pressure. For consistency, always measure pressures before driving when the tires are cold (parked for at least four hours; preferably overnight).

Recommendations for tire rotation patterns and mileage intervals vary; check your car's Owners Manual and the tire manufacturer's recommendations for some guidelines. As a general rule, rotation is advised at least every 10,000 miles. It may be prudent to rotate more often if you're using ultra high performance tires that wear quickly, or if your car's suspension settings tend to wear the tires at one end of the car at a much more rapid pace. Many people find it convenient and a helpful reminder to rotate their tires along with their oil change schedule, every 7,500 miles for the typical car or every other change for those with more frequent changes.

The best tire depends upon a wide variety of factors, and the more specific you can be when asking a pro for advice, the better advice you're likely to receive:

What car, truck or minivan do you drive? What's the stock tire size? Are you considering a change? How do you drive? Is your driving style aggressive, passive or in-between? Where do you drive? City, highway, back roads, mountains, at the track? In what kind of weather? What's your regional climate? Is the car used year round? How much snow or heavy rain do you get? What's most important to you? How would you prioritize traction, ride comfort, treadwear, steering response, handling and noise? What's your price expectation? How important is value compared to the tire performance items you prioritized above? Do you have any particular brands or models in mind? Have you had good or bad experiences with any models in the past? How did your current tires perform?

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Tire Topics

What You Need to Know to Buy New Tires

Tire Maintenance & Safety

Tire Buying Guides

Best Tires For

Tire News & Information

Compare

Tire FAQs

How SimpleTire Works

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Tire Maintenance & Safety

Tire Buying Guides

Best Tires For

Tire News & Information

Compare

Ready to find the perfect tires?

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you were looking for?