Figuring out what kind of tires your vehicle needs can be confusing. Tires are a major wear item on your vehicle and they not only wear by use but also by age.
Buying tires is often a cost vs. benefit decision, so the tires you choose for your vehicle should:
- Be the proper speed rating and size for your vehicle
- Fit your road condition needs
- Fit your mileage needs
- Fit your budget needs
Size
Every vehicle has a white and yellow sticker inside of the driver’s door jamb. This sticker is called the tire placard and it states the acceptable size / sizes of tires, the required speed rating and the recommended tire pressure. We recommend following your vehicle’s guidelines for tires. Having the right size, type and air pressure in your tires will not only ensure your vehicle performs as designed, it will also help make sure your traction control system works and will help you as much as possible during emergency maneuvers. All tires we recommend will always meet or exceed your vehicle requirements.
Road Condition Needs
Your needs will reflect your driving lifestyle. Most of our clients are using their vehicles on paved roads and are looking for the smoothest and quietest driving experience available. However, some clients are looking for the look and performance of an all terrain or summer performance tire. Other clients are looking to improve the load handling ability of their truck or SUV. Whether you are using your vehicle for only on-road driving, for track days, or you love hitting the trails on the weekends we have a tire that can help you get the best driving experience with your vehicle!
Mileage Needs
We find that there is a large variance in the yearly miles clients put on their vehicles. While some vehicles are used for work or long commutes other vehicles we care for spend most of their time in town being used less than 10,000 miles per year. Most sizes of tires have the option of many different mileage ratings to help fit the tire to the needs of our client. Vehicles that see more miles can benefit from a higher mileage tire. While the tire may cost more per tire it may be a good financial decision to buy a more expensive tire if you will be able to enjoy the benefit of more miles during its service life. Similarly if you will only have driven your vehicle 50,000 miles during the 5 years of recommended service life of your tire it does not make great financial sense to buy a tire that could have gone 80,000 miles. Lower tread life tires are typically less expensive, they are just as safe as high mileage tires they will just wear out in less miles.
Budget
Cost is always a factor in choosing tires. While some prefer the name recognition and company reputation of a premium brand of tire there are many great quality lower cost options. At Tim’s we are constantly researching, and trying different series and brands of tires to be able to offer our clients safe and well built alternatives. Many of our alternative brands of tires offer models that outperform and outlast our premium offerings! We can help with most brands of premium tires!
At Tim’s our primary focus is our clients safety and satisfaction. We will walk you through the process of picking out the tires that meet your needs. Also, all the tires we sell at Tim’s have the option of having our industry leading Tire Protection Plan.
