by Biloxi Von Lutz

Created on: July 19, 2010

When it comes to purchasing new tires for your vehicle, you really do get what you pay for. Cheaper tires might suffice, but when you care for your car like a premium vehicle, it makes sense to outfit it with the best tires for your money. So which brands of tires are the best?

Michelin manufactures the best tires money can buy, and you'll pay for that luxury. There's nothing cheap about anything Michelin makes. Their primary focus is on high-end SUVs and luxury touring vehicles. The Michelin LTX M/S and Latitude Tour HP brands cover most of the SUV tire market. For the luxury touring market, Michelin manufactures the Primacy MXV4 and Energy MXV4 S8 lines. Both of the touring tires come with high-mileage warranties so with proper rotation and maintenance, you guaranteed to get many miles out of these tires.

Bridgestone also makes excellent tires. Their primary target is the ultra-high performance sports car market as well as the truck and SUV market. They classify the majority of their tires under three different brand names: touring tires fall under the Bridgestone Turanza name, performance tires under the Bridgestone Potenza name, and SUV and truck tires fall under the Bridgestone Dueler name. Bridgestone tires tend to be more affordable than Michelin tires, and are excellent tires for the money, especially in the ultra-high performance arena.

Continental, like Bridgestone, manufactures a lot of tires for the high performance and ultra-high performance market. Their Sport Contact and Extreme Contact DWS lines cover most sizes in this market. Continental also manufactures tires for original equipment manufacturers. The O.E. market is covered by their Pro Contact line of tires, which also make great replacement tires in the touring market.

Other tire manufacturers, like Toyo and Falken manufacture tires for all tire segments, but are best known for their low profile applications. Many major manufacturers don't make tires for some of the more exotic wheel diameters, so this is an excellent niche for these smaller tire manufacturers to fill. 

There are also niche manufacturers like Vogue that make tires with whitewalls and goldwalls in odd sizes, for custom applications. These tires can be pricey, but they're still quality tires for a custom vehicle.

When it comes to aggressive off-road vehicles, Super Swamper and Parnelli Jones are some of the top brands. Although street-legal, these tires will wear down really fast on the pavement. It's always best to buy the proper tires for the application you need. Spending a little extra for a better product and caring for it properly will help ensure that you get many thousands of miles out of your tires.

Learn more about this author, Biloxi Von Lutz.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.