We All Need Tires But What Is the Difference In Size and Ability

I do not know about you, but my knowledge about tires and sizes is none existent. I needed some new tires and when I rang my local tire shop he asked what size I had on at the moment. I had to hang up and go and write down the numbers and letters on the side of the tire. I did tell him what car it was thinking that would inform him as to the size, but he informed me different models have different sizes fitted.

The tire read in a clock wise rotation 165/65/HR14 this meant nothing to me, but when I called him back he was able to give me two quotes, one was for imported tires and one was for premium tires. I was back to square one, what was he talking about. My quest for new tires just gets more confusing minute by minute and conversation by conversation.

Okay it appears to me, imported tires are the cheaper option, but offer substandard quality. The imports are from places like China and the Far East. They meet current road legislation and laws but can be poor quality. The premium tires on the other hand are the best you can purchase. The quality of the tire is the best and I read with interest they will last a lot more miles. So having made the decision about the purchase of premium tires what do all the numbers mean?

The 165 is a measurement of the width of the tread in millimeters, whilst the 65 is the side wall measured in a percentage of the width. In my case the height of the tire is 65 percent of the width. The HR indicates a safe operating speed, of the tire, in my case it is one hundred and thirty miles an hour. Finally the 14 is a measurement in inches of the tire circumference. So in my case it is 14 inches.

With all this new found knowledge of tires and the correct sizes, I will ring around the retailers to get the best competitive quote for four tires, valves and balance. I even know if a tire and wheel is not balanced correctly you may develop a wheel wobble, at a certain speed, so this is vital with new tires as it also prolongs the life of the tire and protects other mechanical components.

Having new tires fitted on your car has a positive effect on the mechanical components such as shock absorbers, ball joints and wish bones. Every mechanical component has a limited serviceable life span, by keeping them in tip top condition, can only enhance their life and offer you a more comfortable ride. If you ever decide to change the size of your tires, you must take into account the diameter is relevant to the speedo drive. The speed of the car can be changed by a different size of wheel and tire, so be careful and gain professional advice.

If you are interested in the best summer tires and best winter tires you may also find interesting to check the Swedish terms for that bästa sommardäck and bästa vinterdäck in your search engine. Get the best of your set of tires!