Tires are something every car owner dreads replacing. They are expensive and vary greatly in brand and type. This is just a brief overview of tires and what to consider when buying.

Each car manufacturer will recommend a certain tire for their design. Usually they have a contract with a compliant tire manufacturer to promote their product. There are many fine quality tires in lesser known brands for your vehicle. Differences in tires to be considered buy the everyday consumer should include, tread type and hardness. A softer compund tire will have a quiet ride and a good grip, but wont last quite as long. If you have a low profile wheel like a sports car with a shorter sidewall, a specialty tire and wheel shop may be your most economical visit. Depending on your driving style and lifestlye a harder tire may be better. If you live in a city with a great deal of stop and go traffic, a soft tire wont last very long. But a hard tire will give a rough ride which may mean an adjustment to your suspension is in order to balance that.

Check the sidewall of the current tire you have to get the appropriate size. It will be stamped on every tire. For example, LT285-7017 is a light truck tire for a 17 inch wheel and 285 refers to the overhall "height" of the tire. The optimum pressure setting will also be stamped on teh sidewall. You can also check that against the manufacturer recommendations printed on the sticker on the drivers side door jam or owners manual.

Note that truck tires for a four wheel drive vehicle should always be rotated regularly and always be replaced at the same time. If not, the size discrepancy may effect the differential and relegate the 4 wheel drive inoperative. Most other vehicles can allow for 2 tires at a time, but always have the better tires on the drive wheels.

Be aware when pricing tires if mounting, balancing and new stems are included. Stems are the valve stems (air nozzles), balancing is done with lead weights, and mounting should be part of any tire service package when pricing.

Tire information can be had from the tire sales shop. You may want to disuss tires with your auto mechanic to see what they recommend and where. They will likely get good deals on your behalf and mount them for you.

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