5 Things to Keep in Mind When Buying New Summer Tires
Driving in summer is much easier and more comfortable than in winter because of favourable road/weather conditions, as well as driving on a high-performing set of summer tires. In fact, no end-of-winter season auto maintenance is complete without swapping back to summer tires. These tires are specially engineered by professionals to get through warmer road surfaces easily without compromising fuel efficiency or vehicle performance. Summer tires feature a unique rubber compound formula that helps improve handling on hot, dry asphalt roads — a typical condition in Ontario during the peak summer season. If you’re a new car owner and it’s your first time buying new summer tires, here’re a few expert-recommended tips to help you find a perfect set of summer tires.
[READ MORE: When Should You Take Off Your Winter Tires?]
5 Tips For Buying New Summer Tires
1. Design and Tread Pattern
Summer tires have different designs and tread patterns — including directional, symmetrical and asymmetrical — to ensure maximum grip on hot road surfaces, as well as smooth performance. Compared to winter tires, summer ones have shallower tread depth and lesser grooves, providing lower rolling resistance for better fuel efficiency and traction.
2. Speed Rating
Tires have speed ratings on them, which indicates how fast they can go for a pre-set time and distance with respect to their overall performance potential. A standard family-size SUV or sedan works efficiently on low-speed rating tires, whereas you would need higher speed ratings for fast-paced vehicles. Speed ratings on tires are denoted with letters from A to Z, and each letter corresponds to a lower to higher speed performance.
3. Wet Traction
Winter tires are well-engineered to deliver maximum traction on slippery and wet road surfaces, but they don’t excel in sudden downpours in summer due to their respective weather-influenced restrictions. This is why you must look for summer tires with an advanced tread design that conveniently avoids hydroplaning and improves braking and handling on wet road surfaces.
4. Tire Warranty
Most tires are available with one or both of the two types of tire warranties, tread and defect protection. While buying a new set of summer tires, carefully read the warranty information based on your requirements and driving dynamics. Moreover, the availability of these tire warranties may also vary depending on different factors, like tire rotation, mileage, distance and everyday wear and tear.
5. Get in Touch with Professionals
If you need help finding the perfect set of summer tires for your car, get in touch with the expert technicians at S&B Keswick, who have years of experience helping car owners make an informed decision while out on new car tire shopping for your sedan, SUV & crossover, pickup truck or minivan.
Visit our website or showroom at 475 The Queensway South, Keswick, ON, for more details on summer tire swaps, tire rotations or end-of-winter season auto maintenance.
