Top Tips for Choosing the Best Tyres

When you notice that wear pattern on your tyres that is a sure sign you need new ones, then you have to face the confusing world of choosing new car tyres.  Maybe you have the MOTs due on your cars and want to have the tyres checked and replaced.  Or even as part of car repairs in West Sussex, your garage recommends new tyres.  But in any situation, how do you know which are the best tyres to choose?

Look at your existing tyres

To understand your tyres, the first things to do is look at the basic information on your existing tyre because this tells you a lot of what you need to know.  Let’s use an example to illustrate the kind of information you will see:

195/50 R15 92H

But what does this mean?  Well, the first number 195 is the width of the tyre in millimetres.  Next is the aspect ratio or profile which is 50 in this case.  The lower the profile tyre, the firmer ride you get with better handling but also more road noise and often a bigger price tag.

R15 refers to the rim diameter which confusingly is measured in inches.  Then there is ‘92’ which refers to the load rating, the maximum load each tyre can support.  Lasting H is the speed rating.  Examples of what these can be include:

• H – 130mph
• Q – 100mph
• Z – over 149mph
• Y – 186mph

Quality and price of tyres

While there are standards about the amount of tread on tyres and the car itself requires a certain size and speed ratings, there’s nothing to stop you spending as much or as little on the tyres as you want.  When you go to a Worthing garage, you will find that there are many different makes that offer different price tags and generally have different lifespans.  Like things such as the brakes, tyres are often worn down by use so the more miles you do, the quicker they will need replacing.

Premium tyres

Premium tyres include makes such as Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear and Michelin and use the highest quality materials.  They will usually last for 15-20,000 miles and have better stopping distances and fuel economy.  They are also the highest priced tyres.

Mid-range tyres

Mid-range tyres include makes such as Falken, Hankook, Toyo and Uniroyal and offer a good quality, well-designed tyre that is great value for money and can still last for a good lifespan, especially if you do lower than average mileage.

Budget tyres

If you want to stick to a strict budget then makes such as Evergreen, Autogrip and Landsail will be ideal, offering good tyres that might not perform as well in wet or icy conditions but are more than enough for legal requirements and will normally last for 7000-8000 miles.

Getting the right tyres

When you visit your local garage for car diagnostics, repairs or even new windscreens, they will usually let you know the status of your tyres.  This helps you be ready if they need replacing or have some idea when the job would have to be done.