How many of us take an interest in the tires
we put on our car? After all, we don’t need to buy new tires all that
often – every 40,000 miles on average. Tires can seem awfully
technical (how many of us know our tire size or minimum speed
rating?). Who has the time to get educated on a new tire purchase when
there are so many more interesting decisions like which HD TV set to
buy or whether to get an iPhone from ATT or Verizon? Our local tire
store or auto dealer will always give us good advice, advice that we can
trust, right?
Well, we’d all agree with the old saying that “an informed consumer is a good consumer”. I hope to convince you that this is just as true when buying new tires for your car as it is for any other purchase. The good news is that if you know the questions to ask and are willing to do a little research, you can often get a much better tire for your needs, dramatically improve your performance and driving satisfaction, and even save you money.
Let me start with a statement that may seem surprising: After you own a vehicle, the single most important decision you make affecting your car’s performance and your driving satisfaction is the tires you buy. Tires are critical for traction, handling performance, and noise-dampening. It doesn’t matter how powerful your car is if your tires don’t grip the road under the driving conditions you experience. Tires are critical to how your vehicle handles through braking, acceleration, and cornering situations. Tires can transmit or dampen road noise, and sometimes contribute to annoying harmonic vibration. Tires can be expensive or cheap, and they can last a long time or a short time.
Think about all the other decisions and choices you make about your car after you own it. The type of gasoline you buy won’t affect performance much, as long as you meet minimum octane requirements for your car. The oil you put in it, or how frequently you service it, will certainly keep you out of trouble but won’t change the way your car drives, handles or performs. The bottom line: tires are unique in that, unlike all these other car maintenance choices, tires make a big difference in the way your car handles and performs. Hopefully you are beginning to see the importance of choosing the right tires.
Think about it. Why buy a vehicle – spending $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000 – and then choose a set of tires that give you bad performance, wear out too quickly, or don’t safely transport you to your destination through the weather conditions you need to get through?
Continuing to beat this drum, here are 5 common tire myths and the truthful reasons why tires make a great difference in how you use and enjoy your car, SUV, or light truck. All support the value of making an informed choice about the tires you buy.
Myth 1 – There are only a few tire choices for my car
Truth: Actually, most vehicles today have 40-80 suitable tire models made by respected name-brand manufacturers, and sometimes over 100. The reason there are so many choices is that tire manufacturers design different models for different characteristics, driving preferences, performance criteria, tread life, and price considerations. Most drivers think they have only a few tire choices because the typical tire store they visit doesn’t carry a full range of tires – no single store can. Then, the shop doesn’t want to lose the sale, so the staff persuade the uninformed car owner that among the few choices they have in stock is the perfect tire. What are the odds of that, really? So, the informed consumer should study tire options ahead of time. More and more people are using the resources of the Internet to pick a tire, or narrow down satisfactory options, before making a purchase. There are so many online resources compared to 5 years ago that research can be done in a few minutes in the convenience of your home or office. And many more car owners are doing this today – Michelin recently estimated that over 70% of tire purchases are researched first online and that number is growing every year.
Myth 2 – One tire is pretty much like any other
Truth: If tires were all the same, how could manufacturers make 40-100 different choices for a single common size? As I said earlier, tire makers seek to meet the unique needs of different drivers, which is why the range of models to choose from is so large. Different needs = different tires suited to those needs. So, if you understand how to think about your needs, the odds of finding the best tire for you go up exponentially, compared to walking into the typical tire store and asking what they have on hand in your vehicle’s size. So, as you research tire options think about how you would prioritize tire characteristics like noise, handling, wet traction, snow traction, driving style, and price.
Myth 3 – Expensive tires are just that: expensive
Truth: Price is just one dimension of value – the informed tire buyer thinks about price but looks for value. For example, the highest priced tire is not always the most expensive. If you were considering two tires of equivalent performance, except that one costs 20% more but lasts twice as long, which would you buy? The second tire is higher priced but gives you the lowest cost per mile over its life – so which tire is truly “more expensive”? Similarly, higher-priced tires often offer performance benefits like better wet or snow traction, stiffer sidewalls for better handling, a quieter ride, and so on. Again, you should determine whether any of these benefits are important to you, and whether they are worth the price difference. That’s what I mean by value. The least expensive tire is usually engineered to offer primarily a low price using economical materials & construction compared to other tires, which in turn creates some sacrifices on performance characteristics or tread life. The least expensive tire for a vehicle can often be ½ to 1/3rd the price of the most expensive. For some buyers, the least expensive tire comes with tradeoffs in performance or life that they find unappealing. For other buyers, where their need for performance or long tread life is not high, the lowest priced tire suits just fine. So, the informed consumer must determine what’s important to her, and find the tire that fits her needs best.
Myth 4 – The tire that came on my car from the factory is the best choice
Truth: The tires that came on your car from the factory are called “Original Equipment” or “OE” for short. It certainly is fair to believe that your car maker wouldn’t put a tire on your car at the factory that is wrong for your car. While that is usually true (but not always), this doesn’t mean there aren’t better tires out there when it comes time to replace the OE set. There are two primary reasons for this. First, carmakers have to make judgments about the average preferences of their drivers. But drivers don’t all have the same preferences. What if you want better all-year performance (including during the winter) but your car came equipped with summer tires? Or, what if you hate the noise of those OE runflat tires that your carmaker thought was a cool way to get rid of a spare tire? Or, what if you wanted all terrain SUV tires to tackle the muddy road to your weekend cabin? Or, what if you are on a limited budget and are willing to sacrifice some performance to save money? In summary, there are many valid reasons for changing to a different tire than the OE tire. Second, it’s a fact that carmakers have other considerations in their OE tire choice and one is the price they pay for OE tires. Did you know that tire makers often provide incentives to carmakers to have their tires selected for OE use, because so many drivers will replace them with the same tire when they wear out? For this reason, being selected as an OE tire leads to a guaranteed pipeline of future sales for a tire maker. As a result, tire makers are willing to pay the carmaker upfront for this pipeline, which can in turn influence the OE tire choice. There’s a reason that, for some cars, an OE tire is more expensive to replace than other comparable replacement tire choices. Again, it’s worth being an informed consumer.
Myth 5 – Tires really don’t change. I’m happy with the ones I have, so why consider anything else?
Truth: If you are happy with the tires you have, buying the same when it comes time to replace them is a safe choice. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is your best choice. Tire technology and engineering does evolve. Every year, tire makers introduce new models trying to get an advantage over their rivals. Over the past few years there have been many important advances in tire engineering. For example, rubber compounds used in tire treads have more complex mixtures at the molecular level, which have improved tread life. The use of silicates in some tread compounds results in improved traction. Tread designs have been optimized by computer to reduce road noise and improve hydroplaning resistance. All season tires for performance sedans and sports cars now have strongly improved driving performance – narrowing the performance gap between them and their summer tire cousins. Winter tire designs have improved stud-less tire traction on snow and ice. Finally, one of the latest advancements is “eco” tires, characterized by (1) lower rolling resistance translating into better fuel efficiency and longer life, and (2) the use of environmentally-friendly natural oils (like canola oil) to keep the rubber supple. So, though the pace of advance is slower in tires than electronics, just as PCs constantly evolve and the best PC choice 2 years ago isn’t the best today, the same can apply in tires.
Hopefully I’ve convinced you that the tires you pick can make a big difference in how your car handles and performs, and in your driving satisfaction. Given the amount of time we spend in our cars, and how important they are in our lives, I think it’s worth a little time to become an informed consumer when it’s time to replace your tires. To learn more about becoming an informed tire consumer, read the other articles in our “Tires 101” series.
source:http://blog.tirevan.com/2011/01/18/why-tires-are-the-most-important-choice-you-make-about-your-car-truck-or-suv/
Well, we’d all agree with the old saying that “an informed consumer is a good consumer”. I hope to convince you that this is just as true when buying new tires for your car as it is for any other purchase. The good news is that if you know the questions to ask and are willing to do a little research, you can often get a much better tire for your needs, dramatically improve your performance and driving satisfaction, and even save you money.
Let me start with a statement that may seem surprising: After you own a vehicle, the single most important decision you make affecting your car’s performance and your driving satisfaction is the tires you buy. Tires are critical for traction, handling performance, and noise-dampening. It doesn’t matter how powerful your car is if your tires don’t grip the road under the driving conditions you experience. Tires are critical to how your vehicle handles through braking, acceleration, and cornering situations. Tires can transmit or dampen road noise, and sometimes contribute to annoying harmonic vibration. Tires can be expensive or cheap, and they can last a long time or a short time.
Think about all the other decisions and choices you make about your car after you own it. The type of gasoline you buy won’t affect performance much, as long as you meet minimum octane requirements for your car. The oil you put in it, or how frequently you service it, will certainly keep you out of trouble but won’t change the way your car drives, handles or performs. The bottom line: tires are unique in that, unlike all these other car maintenance choices, tires make a big difference in the way your car handles and performs. Hopefully you are beginning to see the importance of choosing the right tires.
Think about it. Why buy a vehicle – spending $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000 – and then choose a set of tires that give you bad performance, wear out too quickly, or don’t safely transport you to your destination through the weather conditions you need to get through?
Continuing to beat this drum, here are 5 common tire myths and the truthful reasons why tires make a great difference in how you use and enjoy your car, SUV, or light truck. All support the value of making an informed choice about the tires you buy.
Myth 1 – There are only a few tire choices for my car
Truth: Actually, most vehicles today have 40-80 suitable tire models made by respected name-brand manufacturers, and sometimes over 100. The reason there are so many choices is that tire manufacturers design different models for different characteristics, driving preferences, performance criteria, tread life, and price considerations. Most drivers think they have only a few tire choices because the typical tire store they visit doesn’t carry a full range of tires – no single store can. Then, the shop doesn’t want to lose the sale, so the staff persuade the uninformed car owner that among the few choices they have in stock is the perfect tire. What are the odds of that, really? So, the informed consumer should study tire options ahead of time. More and more people are using the resources of the Internet to pick a tire, or narrow down satisfactory options, before making a purchase. There are so many online resources compared to 5 years ago that research can be done in a few minutes in the convenience of your home or office. And many more car owners are doing this today – Michelin recently estimated that over 70% of tire purchases are researched first online and that number is growing every year.
Myth 2 – One tire is pretty much like any other
Truth: If tires were all the same, how could manufacturers make 40-100 different choices for a single common size? As I said earlier, tire makers seek to meet the unique needs of different drivers, which is why the range of models to choose from is so large. Different needs = different tires suited to those needs. So, if you understand how to think about your needs, the odds of finding the best tire for you go up exponentially, compared to walking into the typical tire store and asking what they have on hand in your vehicle’s size. So, as you research tire options think about how you would prioritize tire characteristics like noise, handling, wet traction, snow traction, driving style, and price.
Myth 3 – Expensive tires are just that: expensive
Truth: Price is just one dimension of value – the informed tire buyer thinks about price but looks for value. For example, the highest priced tire is not always the most expensive. If you were considering two tires of equivalent performance, except that one costs 20% more but lasts twice as long, which would you buy? The second tire is higher priced but gives you the lowest cost per mile over its life – so which tire is truly “more expensive”? Similarly, higher-priced tires often offer performance benefits like better wet or snow traction, stiffer sidewalls for better handling, a quieter ride, and so on. Again, you should determine whether any of these benefits are important to you, and whether they are worth the price difference. That’s what I mean by value. The least expensive tire is usually engineered to offer primarily a low price using economical materials & construction compared to other tires, which in turn creates some sacrifices on performance characteristics or tread life. The least expensive tire for a vehicle can often be ½ to 1/3rd the price of the most expensive. For some buyers, the least expensive tire comes with tradeoffs in performance or life that they find unappealing. For other buyers, where their need for performance or long tread life is not high, the lowest priced tire suits just fine. So, the informed consumer must determine what’s important to her, and find the tire that fits her needs best.
Myth 4 – The tire that came on my car from the factory is the best choice
Truth: The tires that came on your car from the factory are called “Original Equipment” or “OE” for short. It certainly is fair to believe that your car maker wouldn’t put a tire on your car at the factory that is wrong for your car. While that is usually true (but not always), this doesn’t mean there aren’t better tires out there when it comes time to replace the OE set. There are two primary reasons for this. First, carmakers have to make judgments about the average preferences of their drivers. But drivers don’t all have the same preferences. What if you want better all-year performance (including during the winter) but your car came equipped with summer tires? Or, what if you hate the noise of those OE runflat tires that your carmaker thought was a cool way to get rid of a spare tire? Or, what if you wanted all terrain SUV tires to tackle the muddy road to your weekend cabin? Or, what if you are on a limited budget and are willing to sacrifice some performance to save money? In summary, there are many valid reasons for changing to a different tire than the OE tire. Second, it’s a fact that carmakers have other considerations in their OE tire choice and one is the price they pay for OE tires. Did you know that tire makers often provide incentives to carmakers to have their tires selected for OE use, because so many drivers will replace them with the same tire when they wear out? For this reason, being selected as an OE tire leads to a guaranteed pipeline of future sales for a tire maker. As a result, tire makers are willing to pay the carmaker upfront for this pipeline, which can in turn influence the OE tire choice. There’s a reason that, for some cars, an OE tire is more expensive to replace than other comparable replacement tire choices. Again, it’s worth being an informed consumer.
Myth 5 – Tires really don’t change. I’m happy with the ones I have, so why consider anything else?
Truth: If you are happy with the tires you have, buying the same when it comes time to replace them is a safe choice. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is your best choice. Tire technology and engineering does evolve. Every year, tire makers introduce new models trying to get an advantage over their rivals. Over the past few years there have been many important advances in tire engineering. For example, rubber compounds used in tire treads have more complex mixtures at the molecular level, which have improved tread life. The use of silicates in some tread compounds results in improved traction. Tread designs have been optimized by computer to reduce road noise and improve hydroplaning resistance. All season tires for performance sedans and sports cars now have strongly improved driving performance – narrowing the performance gap between them and their summer tire cousins. Winter tire designs have improved stud-less tire traction on snow and ice. Finally, one of the latest advancements is “eco” tires, characterized by (1) lower rolling resistance translating into better fuel efficiency and longer life, and (2) the use of environmentally-friendly natural oils (like canola oil) to keep the rubber supple. So, though the pace of advance is slower in tires than electronics, just as PCs constantly evolve and the best PC choice 2 years ago isn’t the best today, the same can apply in tires.
Hopefully I’ve convinced you that the tires you pick can make a big difference in how your car handles and performs, and in your driving satisfaction. Given the amount of time we spend in our cars, and how important they are in our lives, I think it’s worth a little time to become an informed consumer when it’s time to replace your tires. To learn more about becoming an informed tire consumer, read the other articles in our “Tires 101” series.
source:http://blog.tirevan.com/2011/01/18/why-tires-are-the-most-important-choice-you-make-about-your-car-truck-or-suv/
