How to Choose Auto Tires

Choosing tires for your stock or aftermarket rims may be difficult without some insider knowledge. Ratings based on weather conditions, rim size and vehicle status all affect your tire decision. You must also choose between performance and comfort or decide to meet in the middle.

• Decide on which tires you would like to put on your vehicle. Do you need truck or SUV tires? Do you need low profile tires that will fit your lowered ride? Try to look for tires that will give you the most quality for your dollar. Regardless of the amount of money you put into performance parts or use to maintain your vehicle, if your tires are poor quality, your ride will suffer.


• Check your current tire and rim size. Look on the sidewall of your current tire for this information that often resembles P225/50R16. The string of information will often start with the letter ‘P,’ but can also be preceded by ‘T,’ ‘LT,’ ‘ST,’ or no letter at all. The next three-digit number is the width of the tire from sidewall to sidewall. The number listed after the slash denotes the sidewall height. If your car is lowered, please choose a tire with a shorter sidewall. Finally listed after the ‘R,’ you will find your rim size. In the example above, the rim size is 16s.


• After you decide on an appropriate tire size, choose which brand you want. Common tire brands include Dunlop, Bridgestone and Michelin. If you live in an area with variable climate, do not choose summer tires unless you plan to have them switched out each season. The all season radials will perform well through wet or dry conditions.