Tread Rightly: What To Know Before Buying a Set of Replacement Tires

If you love the way your car drove when it was factory fresh, or if you want to experience how your used car drove when it was new, you may want to replace your tires with the ones that came on the car. But replacing your tires with the original rubber may not be as straightforward as you think. Many tires marked with the same brand, model, and sizes look identical to the untrained eye but in fact vary widely, with characteristics optimized for specific cars. To make sure you're getting your car's exact tire, you may have to learn a cryptic code. The code is necessary because the tires that come on most new cars are carefully designed to meet manufacturer-created performance targets. Carmakers go to tire companies with laundry lists of demands, such as low-rolling resistance for fuel economy, a special tread pattern for water evacuation and noise, long tread life, specific ride characteristics, high load or speed ratings, and wet- and dry-grip requirements. With those lists in hand, tire engineers often create special versions of existing tires to satisfy the requirements. In turn, vehicle engineers tune suspensions to match their new tire's characteristics. Comparo: Nine Summer-Performance Tires Tested Gearbox: Track-Tire Test: BFGoodrich, Toyo, Michelin, and Yokohama Tires Rated Feature: The Rosetta of Rubber: How to Read a Tire Sidewall Knowledge of the code below allows you to select the tire engineered specifically for your car. Without the code, it would be next to impossible, for example, to differentiate between the six subtly ­different versions of the Continental ­ContiProContact in size 205/55R-16, created for six separate vehicles. It's even worse if you have a Honda or a Hyundai: Their manufacturer-approved tires aren't even clearly marked. In that case, try asking your tire dealer, and if they don't know, try asking Tire Rack's experts for help. Rubber Soul Here are the designations and markings that distinguish vehicle-specific tires: Aston Martin AM Audi AO Bentley B in a circle BMW five-pointed star Chrysler C1 Ferrari K GM TPC spec Jaguar J in a circle Lotus LTS Mercedes-Benz M0 Porsche N0, N1, N2, etc. Tire Talk: Our hub for all things rubber-related—tire comparos, news, advice, and more! What We Said: "Summer tires are one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase a car's performance." — C/D, August 2009 Driver's Choice Maybe you don't like the tires that came on your car. Or maybe you have different performance priorities than your car's creator. Possibly you want more tread life, a quieter ride, or more dry grip. Changing tires is probably the easiest way to change the way your car feels and performs. If you want to change it up and don't know where to begin, we recommend starting with Tire Rack. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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