Suggestions for evaluating tires, for a newbie

[somarilnos]

Hi All -

So, tires have always been an area of confusion for me. There's so much variety of what's out there, and a minimal number of metrics, which makes it significantly more difficult for somebody who is somewhat of a stat nerd.

So how does one go about figuring what tires will work best for what you're looking for, other than trying an assortment of them out? I don't drive enough mileage to cycle through them frequently, and I don't have the money to buy five or six different sets just to play around.

Example: Stock Firestone FT140s, in P215/50R17 size, are rated 560 A A, 11/32" tread depth, 44 psi max inflation pressure. Those are numbers I can latch on to.

A number of tires indicate low rolling resistance, but I'd presume that this is not just an on/off type of thing - that some will provide better MPG benefits than others.

Let's say, for example, when I wear out the tread on these, I were to go with Ecopia EP422 tires.

These are 640 A A rated. Which, in the absence of knowing anything else, would suggest that they handle identically to the stock tires, and last a little bit longer. They're also rated as 50 psi max inflation pressure, which means that if I was feeling saucy, I'd have a little more headroom to inflate them more and improve fuel economy.

But I understand that a lot of people have complaints about the cornering grip and wet weather performance on the stock Firestones. Is there any source where numbers can be put to these things? Anywhere where this kind of information is tested and tires are ranked based on it, with actual, meaningful numbers? Or is it pretty much a "read the reviews and evaluate based on that, and hope your experience is comparable" sort of approach?

Sponsored

 

[Ultrafrozen]

I'm no expert but expect a tire with a higher life expectancy/ lower rolling resistance to be a harder rubber compound and therefore less sticky on pavement.

 

[tacthecat]

Hi All -

So, tires have always been an area of confusion for me. There's so much variety of what's out there, and a minimal number of metrics, which makes it significantly more difficult for somebody who is somewhat of a stat nerd.

So how does one go about figuring what tires will work best for what you're looking for, other than trying an assortment of them out? I don't drive enough mileage to cycle through them frequently, and I don't have the money to buy five or six different sets just to play around.

Example: Stock Firestone FT140s, in P215/50R17 size, are rated 560 A A, 11/32" tread depth, 44 psi max inflation pressure. Those are numbers I can latch on to.

A number of tires indicate low rolling resistance, but I'd presume that this is not just an on/off type of thing - that some will provide better MPG benefits than others.

Let's say, for example, when I wear out the tread on these, I were to go with Ecopia EP422 tires.

These are 640 A A rated. Which, in the absence of knowing anything else, would suggest that they handle identically to the stock tires, and last a little bit longer. They're also rated as 50 psi max inflation pressure, which means that if I was feeling saucy, I'd have a little more headroom to inflate them more and improve fuel economy.

But I understand that a lot of people have complaints about the cornering grip and wet weather performance on the stock Firestones. Is there any source where numbers can be put to these things? Anywhere where this kind of information is tested and tires are ranked based on it, with actual, meaningful numbers? Or is it pretty much a "read the reviews and evaluate based on that, and hope your experience is comparable" sort of approach?

Get yourself to TireRack.com and be sure to evaluate comments for your particular vehicle and performance desires (different sizes of the same tire perform differently - same is true of car make and model.) Most of us want wet weather and braking performance (safety) to be very good. Most everything else is a plus. All Weather is a great compromise if you live in sno-country.
PS - Maximum inflation pressure has little to do with anything other than how high you can safely inflate the tire cold.

Sponsored