Aug 15, 2019

Get Your New Tires From A Quality Source

Maintaining control of your car and assuring safe operation relies on your tires. The key to optimizing the performance of your car is to make sure you have the most appropriate tires for your vehicle and driving needs.

Tire Tip: How to Check To See If You Need New Tires: Use the penny test for a quick and easy way to check if you need new tires. Take a penny, and with President Lincoln’s head downward, insert the penny into the grooves of your tire. If most of Lincoln’s forehead is covered by tire tread, your tires still have good life left in them. However, if you can see Lincoln’s entire head, it’s time to invest in new tires.

If you notice any other issues with your tires, such as a bulge or a bubble from hitting a curb or a pothole, you should take the tire in to be repaired or replaced.

How to check your tires

(Image Source: Country Financial)

Of course, replacing tires can be expensive, and owners are often tempted to run to the local warehouse club or discount tire shop to get the least expensive tires available. But since your vehicle manufacturer already equipped your car with the best tires to work with your vehicle make and model, it’s not a good idea to put cheap tires on your car.

Original Equipment (OE) tires are built specifically for your vehicle and perform best with what your vehicle was intended to do. Original equipment tires are designed to complement and enhance the driving characteristics of your vehicle. Further, original equipment tires provide the desired ride and handling qualities and are engineered specifically for your vehicle by the manufacturer. Tire weight, rolling resistance and even the tread pattern of OE tires optimize the purpose of your car.

Not All Tires Are Created Equally

The same exact make and model tire could have different rubber compounds, tread styles and could be used for multiple different purposes. For instance, the Goodyear Eagle — designed for trucks — is a harder and noisier tire with and aggressive tread pattern. The same designed for an Accord hybrid is a more luxurious version of the tire centered around fuel economy and is intended for a quieter ride and all-weather traction.

Tire Tip: Maintaining your tire pressure at the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation is the most important consideration for tire maximizing tire performance, regardless of the tire. Keeping the correct tire pressure extends the life of your tires, optimizes the performance of the tires with your vehicle and prevents unexpected problems like blowouts or flats. Check your pressure often — particularly when the weather experiences seasonal changes.

A car owner may buy the same brand replacement tire, but instead end up with tires meant for fuel economy instead of good handling or buy tires designed for high speed and not a quiet, comfortable ride. If the wrong tires are purchased, they could result in poor performance or harsher wear and tear of suspension components on the vehicle.

The specifications for warehouse club tires are rarely the same standards as original equipment tires. Tread patterns can vary substantially, as can sidewall construction, weight and speed ratings and ride quality. The high volume of tires delivered to discounters like Costco are also prone to cosmetic defects due to the high levels of mass production.

Tire companies and warehouse stores can usually get original equipment tires, but often don’t because of the increase in cost they would have to pass along to the consumer. Big box stores will purchase tires from Michelin, for example, but those tires might have slightly less tread, will typically be a lower overall quality (but still safe) and ultimately a lower price.

Neil Huffman Honda in Clarksville gets most of its tires direct from the vehicle manufacturers. There’s peace of mind knowing our customers driving Honda vehicles are riding on tires from Honda – tires that are specifically designed for your vehicle. Stop into Neil Huffman Honda of Clarksville today for a tire inspection and quote on the best tires for your vehicle.