Are you on the market for a new set of tires and you are looking for the best car tires? If that is the case and you want to find a replacement for your current set of tires, then you are at the right place because we are going to cover everything you need to know when it comes to this purchase.
Choosing a new set of tires can be rather difficult since there are a ton of tire brands out there that sell tires for different audiences. In the age of being able to find cheap tires online with free shipping, we are exposed to more options than ever before, with a tremendous variety of makes and manufacturers. This means that not all tire brands are the same price-wise and quality-wise.
In fact, there is a big difference among manufacturers and this is why choosing the right tire for your budget can sometimes be a lot difficult since you will probably be very confused by the offering and you will not going to know what to choose for your vehicle. And this is why we are here to help you out understand car tire brands the best that you can and help you choose the right tire for your car.
First, we will cover the different tiers of tire brands and see what’s the catch. Then we will cover the types of tires that are out there and also we will learn how to read tire numbers to determine what size you need.
Then we will learn how to read tires and see whether or not you need a replacement. After that, we will cover the best car tires in different categories. So, you don’t want to miss that. If you want to learn more, follow along till the end.
Best Tire Brand
Now before we dive into the best car tires, let’s learn more about tire brands. Knowing the tire brands is the most important thing because when you know them, you know what type of tires you need for your budget.
Nevertheless, when it comes to car tires, there are different tiers of brands that are out there. Each of these tiers is targeting a specific audience. There are in fact four tiers of tires that you can purchase depending on how deep your pocket is.
There are premium tire brands. The premium tire brands are the most expensive tires. These brands throw a ton of money into marketing and their audience is always the people who want to spend the most money. Examples are Bridgestone, Michelin, Continental, Goodyear, and Pirelli.
Then there are tier two tire brands. These tires are marketed for people who have to spend. But still do not want to spend their life savings on a new set of tires. These are brands like Firestone, Yokohama, Toyo, BFGoodrich, and Dunlop.
Then there are tire three tire makers. These are some of the cheapest tires also known as value tires. These brands are Riken, Hankook, Kumho, GT Radial, and other good quality tires that offer good rubber for a relatively low price.
And the tier four are the cheapest tires out there. When it comes to these tires, there are some good brands that are on par with the tier three tire brands. But there are also some really bad ones. This is why reading reviews about the tires that you want to purchase will help you get the best car tires possible for your budget.
Types Of Car Tires
Now let’s cover the most common types of car tires. Knowing this will be really important if you want to purchase a new set of tires and you don’t know after which ones to go for.
There are three types of tires in total and in the following three chapters, we will cover each of these tire types in detail and learn which is the best for what season. So, let’s get into it.
Summer Tires
The first type of tire is the summer tire. When it comes to the best car tires we can say that this type is the best type of tire to use during the hot summer months when temperatures are getting really high.
These tires are perfect for summer. Mainly because they are using harder compounds than the other two types of tires and also they have fewer grooves and are flatter. Allowing good contact with the surface.
They may outperform anything on the dry. But when it comes to wet conditions, their performance sometimes is questionable since they are harder and do not stick to the road surface as the winter tire or the all-season tire does.
This is why they should be only used for the summer and you should never run summer tires for the winter. A little bit of black ice on the road and you will be ice skating into the wall or a car in front of you. So, be really aware when you look for the best car tires and you are looking for a new set of tires.
Winter Tires
The second type of best car tires that we are going to cover are the winter tires. The winter tires are as their name implies, dedicated for the winter only.
These tires are really soft and they offer a ton of grip on the dry and also on the wet. They have a ton of grooves and they will basically outperform any tire out there in terms of grip and pulling power in extreme conditions such as wet or frozen surfaces.
But they also have some downsides that are worth mentioning. With this type of tire, you cannot drive in the summer. Mainly because this type of tire is soft and the tire will start to degrade at a fast pace. And you don’t want that.
In addition to this, this type of tire will deliver you a slightly worse fuel economy. When you use winter tires, the MPG will drop and you will more frequently visit the gas station to fill up the fuel tank. These are the reasons why we would not recommend you to drive winter tires during the summer. Now let’s cover the next type of best car tires.
All-Season Tires
Now let’s cover the last type of best car tires which is the all-season type of tire. The all-season tire as would some people say is a jack of all trades and master of none.
This type of tire is really good actually for both summer and winter. But you cannot expect it to handle in the summer and winter as a summer tire or a winter tire respectively. So, why is this the case?
Well, this is the case actually because you cannot have everything in one. Don’t get me wrong. All-season tires are great. But they are lacking when it comes to comparing them to a proper winter or summer tire.
This is why we would recommend them to you if you live in a place where there are no strong winters with a lot of snow and ice and if you don’t want to spend a ton of money for two separate sets of tires for both winter and summer.
Another thing to add is that this type of tire performs rather well on the wet in comparison to a summer tire. So, it might be a good idea if you drive a lot on the wet to get a proper all-season tire instead of a summer tire. Now before we cover the best car tires in separate categories. Let’s first learn how to read tire numbers.
How To Read Car Tire Numbers?
Now before we cover the best car tires, let’s learn more about how to read tires. Knowing how to read tires will help you quite a bit before choosing the right tire for your car or truck. I bet that there are a ton of confused people who don’t know what tire they need and that’s why we will make a short guide on reading tire numbers.
You have probably come across the combination of letters and numbers like in the case with P205/55/R16 91S. What does all this mean in the first place? Well, let’s dissect it in small chunks.
The first letter P stands for a passenger vehicle. You might also notice LT which indicates that this is a tire intended for a light truck or SUV.
The number after the P letter is 205. This number indicates the tire width. This measurement is in metric. And it refers to 205 millimeters.
Then the next set of numbers is the number 55. This is another measurement in metric units. Which refers to the size of the tire sidewall. Which are 55 millimeters wide.
And after the width, there is the R16 combination of letters and numbers. This means that the tire is a radial tire and the wheel diameter for the specific tire is 16 inches. This means that you will not be able to mount this tire on a 17-inch rim. This is why these numbers are important.
After that, follows the tire number for the load capacity of the tire. And last is the symbol which indicates the maximum speed of the tire under full load. Overall, this is the most important thing to know about tire numbers when it comes to picking the best car tires.
How To Tell That I Need A New Set Of Tires?
Now before we cover the best car tires, let’s learn more about how to tell that you need a new set of tires. Which are the tell-tell signs that you definitely need a new set of tires? Let’s explain briefly before we cover the best options for you on the market right now.
Telling that you need a new set of tires is fairly easy to do. The first and most important thing is the year of production of the tire. You do not want to run old tires on your car.
You will be able to tell how old your tires are by locating the production year on the tire sidewall. This should resemble something like 3419. This means that the tire was produced in the 34th week of the year 2019.
Having older tires on your car is a sign that they need to go. If you have tires older than 5 years, it is highly recommended to replace them no matter the wear.
The next important thing for you is tire wear. Tire wear should be always the most important thing to be aware of. If your tires are worn out to the wear marks, then you need to replace them. Also, you will be able easily to tell if a car has worn out or not only by looking at it.
Another thing to notice is damage to the sidewall. Old cars are starting to develop cracks on the sidewall. So, sidewall damage should be another place to look in order to determine if you need replacement. But what are the best car tires? Well, more on that, next.
Best Car Tires
Now let’s get to business and start covering the best car tires. We will cover the best car tires in a lot of different categories. These categories include SUV and truck tires, performance tires, best gas-saving car tires, best all-season car tires, and more.
So, if you find one of these categories matching your demands, you should go for it. We will also list some links on Amazon where you can purchase these sets of tires. Now let’s begin covering the best car tires.
Best Truck Tires
The first category that we would like to cover when it comes to the best car tires is the best truck tires and the best tires for SUVs. Although our main focus is car tires. Still, there are a ton of people who have trucks and want to get a good deal for their truck or SUV.
When it comes to these types of tires, we would kindly recommend you the BFGoodrich Trail-Terrain T/A On And Off Road.
Why specifically this tire? Well, because they are one of the best tires out there when it comes to tires for trucks. They are perfect for on-road and also off-road use. They are also a really affordable option when it comes to tires for your truck. The size is 235/75R15/XL 109T which means that it will be a good fit for most of the trucks and SUVs out there. Still, make sure that you get the exact size if this size is not right for you.
Best Performance Tires
Now let’s cover our second category which is the best performance tires or also known as the best tires for sports cars. And our choice for this category easily is the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S Performance.
When it comes to high-performance tires, Michelin is one of the best out there and there are not a lot of tire brands that could outmatch it. So, if you have a high-performance car and you want to be safe at high speeds, this is the tire that you are looking for.
They are expensive though. But when you are looking for the best among the best car tires, money isn’t as much of a concern, I guess.
The recommended tire size is 235/40ZR18/XL but if you have larger diameter wheels, you can browse for other sizes of the Pilot Sport 4 S.
Best All Season Car Tires
When it comes to the best all-season car tires, the choice is really easy to make. And that is the Yokohama Avid ASCEND GT. This tire is one of the best all-weather tires out there that outperforms almost everything.
And also, it comes for a good price. The tire size for this tire is 225/60R17 99V. But you can choose another size if you have a different wheel size.
What is worth noting is that this tire has the most positive feedback out there and also really favorable reviews that praise its performance across different seasons. It doesn’t matter if you drive in mud or snow. This tire will tackle almost anything you throw at it.
This tire is one of the best all-season performance tires. But if you want something even better that is performance-oriented, you should opt for the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus II Performance Radial Tire.
The Pirellis are one of the best in the game when it comes to all-season performance and you should definitely check them out.
Best Car Tires For Rain
When it comes to the best car tires for rain, the choice is rather simple. And that is the Michelin CrossClimate2 All-Season Tire.
As you are able to tell, this is another all-season tire that is designed to work the best in wet conditions such as rain, mud, and snow.
This Michelin tire has impeccable ratings and also it comes for a good price. If you don’t want to spend a lot on tires. We have another option.
And this option is the Fullway HP108 All-Season Performance Radial Tire. This tire has special treads like the Michelin that we discussed before and delivers an excellent performance in the wet. Not to mention that it is dirt cheap to purchase and frankly if you want good value for your money, this is the right tire for you.
Best Car Tires For Highway Driving
And now let’s cover the last category which is the best car tires for highway driving that are also known as the best gas-saving car tires.
And when it comes to this category. We can easily recommend you the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 K120 tire. This is a summer tire that performs really well as a summer tire and is perfect for highway driving during the summer.
This tire is a perfect balance between value and performance. So, if you want to get something that performs really well and will not hurt your pocket. Then this is the tire that you are after.
What is worth noting is that the Ventus V12 comes in the 225/45R17 94Y size. But you can browse the Amazon store and find the right size for your car if this size doesn’t fit your bill.
Conclusion On Best Car Tires
In this article, we have covered quite a bit when it comes to the best car tires. First, we learned more about the tire brands in general and the different types of tires that are out there.
After that, we learned how to read tire numbers and how to know when you need a new set of tires for your car and truck. Lastly, we covered the best options for tires in different categories.
F.A.Qs On Best Car Tires
Now let’s answer some frequently asked questions.
What Are The Best Tires For My Car
This question is really difficult to answer because it really depends on what type of tires you are after. For example, if you are preparing for the winter season, then you definitely need a good quality winter tire for your vehicle. Or if you want to get the best tire for the whole season which includes winter and summer, you should go after the best performing all-season tire. This way you will get the best tire for your vehicle.
Are Cooper Tires Good
Cooper tires are one of the American “value” brands. This means that they are excellent tires for the price that they sell. They might not be comparable to Michelin or Goodyear but still are fairly good tires that will deliver good performance for your budget.
Are Continental Tires Good
Continental tires are one of the best tire brands out there. Continental is a German brand and is one of the biggest tire producers in the world. They make excellent products and going for a continental tire is a no-brainer in my opinion.
Are Pirelli Tires Good
We can say that Pirelli tires are good tires. They are somewhat a mixed bag for some people though since they are rather expensive. They offer excellent high-performance tires such as the Pirelli P Zero that a ton of really high-performance cars are using. So, when it comes to high performance you should definitely go after the P Zeros.
Where Are General Tires Made
General tires are made in the US. More precisely in MT. Vernon, Illinois. General Tires are also produced in Europe and they are selling the biggest portion of the tires on the old continent.
What Tires Are Made In The USA
There are a ton of tire makers from the US. Namely, Cooper, Goodyear, General Tire, and Firestone. They are all made in the US. Also, foreign brands such as Continental, Pirelli, Bridgestone, Michelin, and Yokohama also have factories in the US.