Everybody is aware that the engine is the most essential part of any vehicle. A car with even the most powerful and efficient engine won’t be able to take you to your destination without tires. In fact, tires are the only part of your car that is connected to the ground and help you move towards your destination.
Your driving style dictates the type of tires you should buy. This article will help you understand the piece of technology that keeps you rolling wherever you may want to go. There are 3 types of tires and depending on your vehicle and driving type you can choose the appropriate tires to drive on the highway.
Performance Tires: They are also known as summer tires. One thing that defines this type of tire is speed. The grip is the key to speed. Since they are made of soft rubber components, they have the best grip on the ground which enhances the performance.
All-Season Tires: Every modern car in the assembly line comes with a set of all-season tires. These tires help you with the right balance of performance grip and ensure your safety on wet roads. They are also very durable. They are constructed using harder compounds hence they don’t have a great impact on performance and grip.
All-Terrain Tires: All-terrain tires are for people who drive SUVs as they have very stiff sidewalls, allowing them to roll over rocks and other objects on bad roads. The dirt grips on to them as they have larger tread block patterns. The large tread blocks make these rollers noisy and result in reduced grip on paved roads. When it comes to hardness, these tires are in between hard and soft.
Tires are not only responsible for drivability and performance but also are an integral part of your vehicle. This is exactly why you need to make sure that you have a set of compounds that can maintain excellent contact with the road. Here are some things you need to look for when checking the integrity of your tires.
Shoulder Wear: Both shoulders of the tire show signs of wear, a lot faster than the center. This can be caused by underinflation of the tires.
Center Wear: Overinflation of the tire can show the signs of wear in the center of the tire. It can also mean that the tires have not been rotated properly at all.
Spot Wear: If you can spot damage in one spot or section of the tire, it is called spot wear. This can happen due to faulty brake components, faulty suspension or faulty rotating parts.
Diagonal Wear: Diagonal wear typically occurs on tread components, so this should not be confused with spot wear. It usually follows a diagonal pattern. The causes are somewhat similar to spot wear, but improper wheel alignment and failure to rotate the tires are common causes for diagonal wear.
One of the common reasons for uneven wear in tires is the failure to rotate in a regular manner. Swapping out the front and rear rubbers to make sure the wear is even, is known as rotating the tires. In general, you need to rotate your tires almost every 5000 miles even if the tires show no signs of wear.
Since most accidents occur on highways, your car’s safety on the road is dependent on a lot of factors. And since the tires are the only part constantly in contact with the road surface, they can save you from accidents. Therefore, it is most important to keep these rotating rubber compounds in the best shape possible.
