Helpful Tips for Buying New Tires

Car tires normally last 3 to 6 years. The wrong tires can cause your vehicle to handle worse on the road, lose performance and become a nightmare in bad weather.

Choosing the right tires is an intimidating process, especially when all tires appear identical in your local tire shop.

When buying new or used tires, there are a few tips that every automobile owner can follow to make the process as easy as possible.

The Same Type of Tire is a Smart Choice

Manufacturers develop tire models that match your vehicle. The attributes of a tire help your vehicle hug the road and provide added traction if your sporty vehicle doesn’t perform well in the rain or snow.

If you liked your old tires before they started losing their tread, buying the same exact tire is a smart decision.

Tire Age Matters

Tires have an age, like any other part on your vehicle. Just because a tire is new doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been sitting on a shelf for months or years in some cases. Deterioration occurs quickly, especially in hotter climates.

You can find when a tire was made by looking at the four-digit number found next to the letters “DOT.”

These represent the week and year the tire was manufactured. For example, a tire may have the following: DOT1013. This would indicate that the tire was manufactured on the 10th week in 2013.

Driving Conditions Become Irrelevant

When the tire was manufactured is so important because tires deteriorate even when a vehicle isn’t driven. Tire manufacturers recommend changing tires after 6 years even if the vehicle is just a weekend vehicle that stays in the garage most of the time.

If your tires are older, no matter the tread, it may be time to replace them.

Get the Right Tire Size

The right tire size for your vehicle is listed on your sidewalls. This is a number represented as P215/70R16 or other numbers. The “P” stands for passenger car and is used according to the P-metric of tire sizing,

The 70 (or any number before the R but after the forward-slash) represents the height of the tire in respect to the width. The tire above would have a height that is 70% of the tire’s width. R represents the radial of the tire which is the number of layers that runs radially across.

Choosing the tire size and type that is meant for your vehicle will ensure that your tires match the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Tires Morgantown WV

If you are in need of new tires, check our Morgantown WV’s best tire shop South Park Service Center! Call (304) 292-4390 today to find out which tire is best for your vehicle.