Choosing The Right Tyres For Your Car Can Be Confusing — We Help You Figure It Out

With so many different types of tyres available, it can get confusing on which is the best suited for your vehicle depending on the usage. We help you select the right ones.

By Rahul

Updated: Sunday, July 15, 2018, 13:19 [IST]

When you want to get the best performance out of your vehicles, there are many changes and modifications which can help your vehicle achieve this, but one simple component which many people tend to easily forget is the tyres.

Yes, the tyres, the only point of contact between the vehicle and surface it rests on. Having a good grippy tyre can help give you that boost required to push your cars at high speeds and test out its limits. But not all surfaces are the same, similarly not every tyre is the same either. There are different tyre types available for different surfaces, like a specialist.

Different Types Of Tyres Available — Choose The Right Ones

When you buy a vehicle, they come fitted with factory approved standard tyres. These tyres are tested and approved for regular daily usage, but not necessarily for those high-speed runs or cornerings. They perform well in regular city traffic and the occasional highway route but put it to its paces and it will show its weakness.

There are various types of tyres available today, each with their own area of specialisation, hence, depending on the usage choosing the right tyre for the job is important.

Standard Tyres:

These type of tyres are usually the one which comes fitted when purchasing a vehicle. They are supplied by manufacturers and are tuned for general usage. Also known as stock tyres, these kind of tyres are perfect for those who don't demand much performance from their vehicles. It offers sufficient amount of grip for daily usage both in wet and dry conditions and doesn't cost much to replace once they are worn out.

Premium Tyres:

Premium tyres are specially constructed tyres, using different compounds depending on their usage. They are further categorised into High-Speed, Touring and Run-Flat tyres. There is also another classification usually for SUV/MPVs which are All-Terrain and Highway performance Terrain tyres.

High-Speed Tyres:

These kinds of tyres are constructed for durability, to be able to resist high temperatures caused due to high speed rolling resistance. Such tyres are usually seen fitted on sportscars or superbikes which are able to travel at high speeds. These are usually expensive to purchase and/or replace and hence are recommended only for those cars which can reach a speed of 210km/h or higher.

Touring:

The main purpose of these tyres is as suggested in the name, for touring. They are constructed for comfort driving and produce fewer vibrations and road noise. They have a different (usually asymmetric) thread pattern which is less aggressive compared to other tyres and are designed in a way to help cancel the road noise and run smoothly for long distances.

Run-Flat Tyres:

This type of tyre helps minimise the loss of handling after the vehicle has suffered a puncture. They allow the driver to continue driving even after a puncture for a maximum distance of 80km under a speed limit of 80km/h. These tyres have lateral strengthening and additional sidewalls which help carry the weight of the vehicle until a certain distance before being replaced.

The loss of air pressure inside the tyres cause the tyre to heat up, hence to avoid the build-up of heat, these tyres use a special type of heat resistant rubber. The run-flat tyres usually help improve the handling dynamics of the car thanks to their added stiffness, but they can resist only two punctures and replacing them will become an expensive situation.

All-Terrain Tyres:

These types of tyres are usually seen on Utility vehicles which frequently drive on different types of surfaces ranging from Tarmac, dirt, mud, rocks and rivers to name a few. They have deep threads allowing them to go over most surfaces, but these threads are slightly lighter than complete Off-Road tyres.

The threads on these are closer together than off-road tyres, which reduce road noise while on the tarmac, yet give the advantage of being able to go over different surfaces with comparative ease.

These tyres use a hard rubber with reinforced sidewalls to be able to withstand every type of terrain it encounters. They are in comparison more durable than the standard tyres.

Highway Performance Tyres:

These types of tyres are usually found on premium SUVs driven on the tarmac and rarely off-road. They do not offer the grip on loose surfaces like sand or dirt but provide exceptional grip at high speeds on-road. Their thread patterns are usually similar to any car tyre but offer a much more comfortable ride with excellent grip and braking power.

Thought On Different Types Of Tyres Available

If your the person, who uses their vehicles just to travel around the city with some occasional highway stints, then the stock tyres will be sufficient for the job. But, if you like to drive out to various locations, go on long drives, drive fast or even have some fun off-roading, then the choosing the right tyre will make a substantial difference in your driving experience.
So choose the right tyre and have fun driving to any destination and let the tyres do their job.

Drive Safe!