The tire industry is huge and there are many types of car tires on the market these days. So many industries depend on tires so that business will continue and at an optimal level. You need the right tires for the job at hand, from normal stock tires for driving to work and back everyday to Formula 1 racing tires.
Most cars on the road have summer/stock or budget tires fitted, they have a symmetrical tread pattern (both halves are identical) and perform well with straight line driving. They are very economical and perform well in dry and wet weather conditions. Performance tires often have an asymmetrical tread pattern which helps with high speed cornering and heat build up. These tires have a different tread pattern on each halve of the tire.
Then there are also tires that adapt to the weather conditions throughout the year with hot, wet, snowy and icy roads. Maybe you like going off-road where you might encounter dry loose gravel or wet and muddy roads.
For your safety it is important for you to be able to make a distinction between the different types of car tires and when to use what type of tire for maximum performance of your vehicle.
Summer tires
Summer tires are stock tires, when you buy a new car they are fitted with summer tires. They are optimized for hot, dry or wet roads. Summer tires have a more streamlined tread with less rolling resistance. They consist of a hard rubber compound that gets slightly softer with hot weather. They actually need hot weather so that the rubber compound can get softer for better traction on the road.
Unfortunately these tires do get too hard and brittle with temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius. They are not suited for all year round driving in areas which have a lot of sub zero winter days.
Winter tires
Winter tires are special seasonal tires and are a type of car tire made for extreme cold weather conditions. They are made of a soft rubber compound that does not get too hard and brittle during freezing temperatures. Where standard tires will become hard below 7 degrees Celsius, winter tires do not and stay flexible for better grip in cold weather. They are designed to perform well on icy, snowy and muddy roads and stay soft and flexible during these conditions.
Driving with winter tires in warm weather will cause the already soft rubber to become even softer and performance will suffer. Tread will also run down much faster than tires with harder rubber compound.
All Season tires
All season tires have the technology of both winter and summer tires. Tis is a type of car tire that are best suited in areas where seasonal changes aren’t too extreme; when sub zero winter days are a minimum and summer extreme temperatures are mild. They perform best between 7 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius. If these conditions are met you can use them all year round.
Unfortunately with extreme cold their rubber will harden the same as summer tires and traction will suffer. During extreme summer temperatures summer tires will outperform all season tires. They are also more expensive than seasonal tires.
Run Flat tires
When you do a lot of driving on hazardous and bad roads and have encountered a flat tire or two, you might consider buying run flat tires. Run flat tires are a type of car tire that has reinforced sidewalls and can handle the weight of the car when punctured. So when you are using these tires and get a puncture, firstly slow down to between 30 and 50mph to be safe and drive directly to the garage to get it changed. They are only good for about 50 miles.
Run flats also cover all seasons, normal run flats are summer tires. You can also buy winter run flats or all season run flat depending on where you live. Now unfortunately run flat tires can not be fixed and must be replaced and they are more expensive than a standard tire. But they are very convenient so that you don’t have to stand next to the road fixing it or calling for a tow truck if you don’t have a spare.
Eco friendly/Energy saving tires
Eco friendly tires are typically used with hybrid or electric cars, and leave less of a footprint than any of the other types of car tires. They are designed to have minimal rolling resistance thanks to a more streamlined tire tread. This means they need less force to move. Eco friendly tires make cars very economical and reduced fuel consumption makes them more environmentally friendly.
Rolling resistance and tread plays a role in how the tire handles on the tarmac. More streamlined tread means less rolling resistance, but this takes away some of the ability of the tires to grip to the road and braking distance is increased. That is why they are designed with different tire compounds than normal tires to ensure adequate grip to the road.
Conclusion
Now if you are driving your sedan on a family trip or just to the office and back, chances are good that you have one of these tires fitted in summer or winter. Depending on what type of car you have, eco-friendly or not, these tires are relatively cheap compared to performance tires. They are also very durable and will last a long time if you take care of them.
There are more types of car tires on the market then what we just discussed, these are the most common ones for day to day driving. Another article covers different types of performance tires.
Aggressive driving with these tires will cut their life short, because they are not designed for hard cornering, acceleration and braking. In fact it would be very dangerous to drive like this, because they may skid easily.
