by: Ronald Baker
There are a lot of things on your car that need to be regularly checked and replaced, but none may be more important than your tires. As your anchor to the road, your tires need to be in top condition for what ever driving situation you find yourself in. Before you walk into a Marengo tire store, here are a few things you need to keep in mind.

When purchasing tires, it is important to make sure that all the tires on your car are the same or at least very close to the same. This is most easily done when buying all four tires at once. But lets say you need to change just one or two tires because they were damaged. You just have to makes sure that you try and buy the same brand, size, type, and speed rating. Even if this tire is a little more expensive than others, your safety is worth it.

The next thing you need to know when buying tires is what kind of conditions you will be driving your car in. Foxlake, IL tires are going to be different than San Diego, CA tires. In Illinois, there is a lot of snow in the winter and lots of rain throughout the spring and summer. Because of this, someone’s Foxlake, IL tires are going to need to be the best tire for the worst driving conditions you will face. This might mean buying two sets of tires, one for the summer and one for the winter. This way, you will always have the right tire for your situation.

For places with milder climates, you may be able to get away with just one, all-season tire. But you have to consider your normal driving habits as well. If your furthest driving distance is to the local shopping center, you can choose just about any tire. If you spend a lot of time in rush hour traffic, you’ll be better off getting more responsive tires. For regular long highway trips, you’ll need some smooth, quiet, long lasting tires. And it comes to no surprise that you’ll want tires with great handling if you frequently find yourself on a winding mountain road.

One of the last things you need to think about is your tire’s speed rating. This is an important number to pay attention to because it can save you money if you know what to look for. Lets say you’re at your local Marengo tire store and you think you’ve picked out the prefect tire. What’s the speed rating on that tire? If it is any higher than 150MPH then you’re paying too much for a tire that you’ll never fully use. When are you ever going to be driving faster than 150MPH? If you knock down your tire’s speed rating to 130MPH, you’ll also knock down it’s price. Most high performance tires come with a higher speed rating, even though you’ll never use it, so just know what you’re actually paying for. And be cautious. Most tires with a high speed rating have softer rubber and don’t last as long.

Common tire speed ratings:
Q= 99 mph
S= 112 mph
T= 118 mph
U= 124 mph
H= 130 mph
V= up to 149 mph
Z= 149 mph and above
W= 168 mph
Y= 186 mph