Tag: Performance Tires

All American Tires

All American TiresAll American tires are designed in various grades and as a result the cost can vary widely. Some tires are designed to last only 40,000 miles. While more expensive tires will last you as long as 80,000 miles under normal wear and tear.  Buying better tires usually means they will last longer. They will perform better and will be safer for you and your family while you are on the road.

The best thing you can do for car safety and tire safety is to check the tire pressure. Check a minimum of once a month and before every trip. Also check for tire tread wear. If they are beginning to show significant wear or balding, replace them immediately.

While passenger-car tires are nearly all radials these days, ST tires are still available in bias-belted construction. We all know that our car tires are filled with air. Although recently they are also being filled with nitrogen and that at certain times the air pressure in them decreases.

High Performance Tires

Higher-performance tires have softer, grip pier rubber with shorter tread life. There are quite a few levels of performance tires available on the market, from full-on race tires to general use passenger car tires. Performance and luxury touring tires are quiet and handle incredibly well, sometimes it is hard to believe that these types of tires are having the ability to produce results like this.

When using performance tires they tend to wear out quicker than usual everyday car tires that you would put on family cars.

All passenger car tires are all made from the same radial base so there is no need to sell in “balanced” sets as you put it. Car tires are cheap; you can pick up a used one just about anywhere.

Select the Correct Tire for Your Car

One important fact is that many automobile passenger tires are not intended to maneuver the car out of problem with speeds in excess of 75-80 mph. Make sure your car tires are in good condition.Today’s car tires are built from steel and rubber which gives the tires the ability to last longer.

When choosing a car tire , speak to the dealership or auto mechanics to get their opinions on which tires are good for you type of car. The dealer has a reference list that specifies which tires can be used on each car. If you deviate from these recommendations there is a chance your car will nor perform properly. Especially when cornering at high speeds or sudden stops

All American Tires Size

Your speedometer won’t read the correct speed if your car tires are not the right size.  The cable or electronic device is attached to the transmission which turns at a speed based on the engine. If your tires are larger, you may actually be going faster than what the speedometer indicates. This makes  you an excellent candidate for a speeding ticket. This actually happened to the writer a few years ago when driving a company car with over sized tires on it. Always follow the guidelines and install the correct size of tire.

 


Wide Tires vs Narrow Tires

Wide Tires vs Narrow TiresDo you enjoy taking a corner or two a bit crazy once in a while? Or you have found that you needed to swerve to miss another car? You may find your car’s current handling performance a bit lacking. There are a number of things that affect the way a car handles corners including the width of the tires. Wide Tires vs Narrow Tires can make a difference. Improving some  of these elements may increase the handling capabilities of your car.

Sliding off the road:

One of key components to how well your car corners is the tires. Tire width and compound of the rubber play crucial roles in keeping your car from sliding off the road.  Wider tires have more surface area in contact with the road which will help to  improve traction in all sorts of conditions. Wider tires also have the unfortunate side effect of decreasing your gas mileage due to increased friction with the road. Many people find that after they install wider tires that they see their gas mileage go down by 50 miles per tank!

Car makers routinely put such skinny tires on their vehicles to improve gas mileage claims. Wider tires with low tread depth may also  turn into skis in winter driving conditions.

Stickier Tires

Installing stickier or softer tires will help your dry traction considerably. Wide Tires vs Narrow TiresSofter and stickier tires will wear out much faster. Snow tires which are considered a soft tire and are excellent in cold winter conditions and will wear out much faster during hot summer conditions. They are softer so that they can conform to the hard ice surface of the road and bite into snow conditions. They also have much more tread on them that is deeper and can allow your tire to find traction in snow conditions.

High performance summer tires may also perform very poorly in wet and icy conditions,  since they are too hard and do not bend or adapt to the road conditions, which means you’ll probably want another set of tires for winter driving.

Wide Tires vs Narrow Tires

Wide tires often have a shorter side wall which will improve handling slightly when you go  around a corner at high speed  your tires will actually flop over sideways. If you have the shorter the side walls are the less likely  to let this happen, but unfortunately this also leads to a slightly rougher ride as there is less tire height to absorb bumps in the road.

Low profile tires are not mass produced and as a result you will find that the prices are much higher for a set of four tires.

Wide Tires vs Narrow Tires – Tire Size

Your speedometer is attached to your transmission, so regardless of what size of tire you have on your car your speedometer will register a specific speed based on the RPM’s of the transmission. I once borrowed a car and got a speeding ticket because the owner had installed oversize tires on his car. Although the speedometer registered that I was doing 60 miles an hour on the highway, I was actually doing 70 miles an hour.

He was not willing to pay for the ticket! If you are changing your tires from narrow to wide and not changing the diameter you should be ok, Going to low profile tires will change the registered speed on your speedometer. Note the changes and drive accordingly.

Body Roll:

Does your car feel like it is leaning over sideways when you tear around a turn? This is what is known as body roll. There are a couple of ways to deal with  this problem.

The easiest of which that is also the thing that has the least effect on ride comfort is to install a set of sway bars or anti-roll bars. They are usually thicker than the stock sway bars, which flex less and keep your car  from leaning as much during cornering. The difference these bars make can be tremendous. They can be installed yourself in a few hours and shouldn’t cost more than a few hundred dollars at most.

Another thing that affects body roll is your car’s center of gravity. The closer your car is to the ground the less effect the forces of cornering will have on it. Installing a set of lowering springs which bring your car an inch or two closer to the ground. This should improve handling considerably.

You should be aware though that putting lowering springs on your stock shocks will cause them to wear out faster. So it is recommended that you replace both at the same time to save money on labor in the future. Lowering springs also have a different spring rate than the stock springs. This modification will most likely result in a much stiffer ride than you’re used to.

Remember: Drive safe, wear your seat belt at all times, and have fun!


The Right Tires For Your Car

The Right Tires For Your CarYou  have found the right kind of vehicle that suits your needs and that of your family. As well as features that are important to you such as power windows and steering, his and her temperature controls, an upgraded sound system, a sun roof and much more. Of course, making these selections, balancing them with your spouse and of course the price is one of the most difficult things you have to do. Buying the the Right Tires For Your Car is also important.

Buying The Right Tires For Your Car

Many people do not give a seconds thought to the tires, taking whatever the standard is for the vehicle you are buying. When it comes to choosing the right kinds of tires for your dream machine, there are just as many combination’s to choose from and they all will have an impact on your vehicles performance. If you live in a climate where snow is prevalent, you may also need to consider purchasing snow tires for your car and some people will go as far as buying an additional set of rims just for the snow tires.

When you purchase a vehicle, you need to know your car’s specifications  for tires. Specifications about the  right size, type, and thread of the tire are all very important. Most dealers can assist you with your selection and they can also tell you which tires will not work with your new vehicle and which ones will.

Tire Size is Very Important

The size of a tire for your car, SUV  or truck is actually specified on the car owner’s manual. If you have gone through the manual, you will have come across this information along with the correct amount of tire pressure that your tires should have. Any deviation from these specifications will change the intended performance of your new vehicle sometimes improved while with other tires they may actually make your vehicle unsafe.

You can also look for the label inside the glove box or on the driver’s side door post. These are locations where the proper tire size is usually located. Make sure that you purchase the right size.

Purchasing the Wrong Tire Size

If you buy an oversize tire, it can actually rub parts of your car and wear these parts down earlier than it should. On the other hand, an undersized tire could make your vehicle overheat. An over or under sized tire will also change the actual speed that your vehicle travels. The speedometer records the speed based on your transmission, however if you have a larger tire than specified, you will actually be going faster than indicated on the speedometer. If you are not careful this could also mean an expensive speeding ticket!

Performance & Specialized Tires

There are various types of tires available in the market. It should be important that you know just what type of tire would fit your vehicle best. If you have a performance vehicle, then you will want to get performance tire. Other tire types include winter tires, all season tires, run flat tires, all-terrain tires, and mud tires. Consult your car owner’s manual regarding this. Typically specialized tires, such as low profile tires are more expensive.

Sufficient Tire Tread

The tread of your tire is responsible for keeping your vehicle on the road despite various conditions. Mud and snow tires are seasonal tires. This means that it could be used in various types of roads even those that have snow, slush, rain, or mud. However, for most vehicles, the standard highway treads do the trick of keeping the vehicle on the road. You also want to make sure that there is always sufficient tread, regardless of the type of tire, to avoid skimming or sliding on wet roads. Tires with little tread cannot disperse the water and will float on the road which is very dangerous.


High Performance Tires

In the early 1980’s Goodyear Tire prepared a few high performance tires for high performance cars, mostly the Chevrolet Corvette. The tire’s roots were based in formula one racing which demanded a tire that could withstand high speeds for an extended period and deliver excellent traction at those speeds. The tire’s design was very different from most passenger car tires and was an overnight victory with devotees of the race car.

The tire featured a low profile side wall, large tread blocks for good dry traction grip, a very stiff sidewall and a nylon cap over the steel belts to hold the tire together at high speeds. The tire received a unique sidewall rating and it was designated with a “V” which meant the tire had been safely tested in the laboratory to stay together at speeds as high as 149 mph. This is the first time the high performance tire was made in America and they were here to stay in America.

Cost of High Performance Tires

This tire was an instant hit and were also very costly, even by today’s standards. It was not uncommon for them to cost over $200.00 each. This was an immense price for a tire considering the average tire cost around $45.00 at the time. Even today, high performance tires are much more expensive and consumers are still being hit with a surprise when it comes to replacing their tires.

Since then however, the high performance tire has made its way onto almost every modern car. This is because automobile manufacturers found that high performance tires helped cars handle better. They corner better, stop better, steer better, were safer and worked well with anti-lock brake technology. These tires also appealed to the public’s imagination and romance. Many people wanted to have high performance tires. Because it made them feel a little better than the average driver who just drove his car on regular tires.

Touring Tires

During this time tire manufacturers began to produce a multitude of intermediate high performance tire known as “touring” tires which were designed to accede to high performance demands and lessen ride and wear issues. Within a few years, there was an entire list of high performance tire categories. Which include Ultra-high performance, performance, touring, cosmetic performance, touring performance, etc.

As technology advanced, automobile manufacturers began to equip nearly everything with a performance tire. Even the mini van because of one simple reason. They help sell cars because they are attractive. Also because of the benefits they add to the cars steering and braking.

The problem of this was that a consumer would buy a family sedan. Then end up unexpectedly having to pay up to $700 dollars for replacement tires. Performance tires in Canada are even more expensive with the same tires costing up to $300 more for a set of 4 tires.  This creates problems because consumers don’t want to pay. Because they don’t believe they are “performance” drivers. So, instead of replacing them, they end up driving on bald tires.

But the fact is that we are all performance drivers. Everyone profits from performance tires. They are safer, stop better, react quicker, steer better and are less likely to blow out on the highway. They react and work better with modern car systems. It is a good idea to look into getting performance tires, if not for your flashy sports car, at least for your own safety.

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