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How To Shop For Tires

How do I know what tires to buy?

Locate a placard on the driver’s side door that indicates what size tires fit your car. For example, your tire size might read P215/65 R15. This string of numbers and letters denotes the tire width, the height compared to the width, and the diameter. In most cases, your new tires should match this size.

How Much Should 4 new tires cost?

According to recent reviews, Angie’s List members report paying an average cost of $637 to replace four tires, with a range of $525 to $725. According to CostHelper, a standard, all-season tire costs between $50 and $200 each with an average price of $80 to $150.

Is it better to buy 2 or 4 tires?

If you are looking to replace all-wheel drive tires, we recommend replacing all four at once. While it may be tempting to replace only two at a time, mixing new and worn tires can create a size difference from front to back, which can lead to damage to your vehicle.

What are the 3 types of tires?

Most car tires fall into three main types: all-season, summer, and winter.

What does M’s mean on a tire?

M+S stands for Mud+Snow, indicating that the tires are suitable for use in the winter (studded or non-studded winter tires). The official winter tire marking is the snowflake symbol, also known as the 3PMSF marking.

How long do tires usually last?

On average, people drive between 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year, which means the average good quality all-season tire will last somewhere between three and five years, depending on maintenance, driving style and conditions, etc.

Is it OK to change 2 tires only?

Mixing tire brands or even different models may cause handling instability. And when replacing only two, we recommend installing the new tires in the rear and placing the (older but still decent) rear tires in the front. This may help prevent a spinout or oversteer condition on slick roads.

Which tire brand is best?

#1 Michelin: Best Overall. Dubbed Best Overall in our 2022 industry-wide review of tire brands, Michelin has been one of the industry’s most notable names since the company’s inception in 1889. #2 Goodyear: Most Durable. #3 Cooper: Best Value. #4 Bridgestone: Best for Run-Flat Tires. #5 Pirelli: Best for High Performance.

Should new tires go on the front?

According to Tire Review, new tires should always go in the back. Rear tires provide the vehicle stability, and if they have little tread, then stability is lost.

Should I change all 4 tires at once?

It’s always best to replace all 4 tires at the same time. This is because all 4 tires spin independently of one another, and different tread depths and/or styles can cause them to spin at different speeds. That could potentially damage the drive train, and possibly affect an indirect TPMS system if the vehicle has one.

Do tires need to match?

Primarily, you should avoid mixing different tire brands and different tread patterns. There are rare exceptions for approved mixed-tire fittings, but in general, manufacturers do not recommend tire mixing at all.

What does P mean on tire?

P identifies your tire as a Passenger Tire. The P stands for PMetric. If your tire size starts with LT rather than a P than it identifies the tire as a Light Truck tire. For example, this aspect ratio of 50 means that the tire’s section height is 50% of the tire’s section width.

What is better all-season or all weather tires?

Generally speaking, all-seasons are intended for use only in warm, dry, and mild wet conditions. All-weather tires, on the other hand, are suitable for mild winter conditions with heavy rain, snowfall, and slush.

How much is a set of tires?

According to sources around the internet, the average cost of a full set of tires is around $600. However, tire prices vary widely by size and intended use. A typical all-season, 15-inch tire size (fits most sedan-size cars) tends to cost about half as much as its 20-inch pickup truck or SUV-sized counterpart.

What does the snowflake on tires mean?

Indicated by a pictograph showing a peaked mountain with a snowflake in the middle, the severe service symbol indicates a winter tire can handle snowy and slippery roads, as well as low temperatures, and meets the minimum requirements for providing snow traction.

What does XL mean on tires?

Some vehicles are equipped with “XL” tires. It doesn’t mean that they’re extra large, but it does mean that they are extra-load tires. The load index on these tires is much higher than a standard-load tire, which is why it is important to replace an XL tire with another XL tire.

What does LT mean on a tire?

If a tire size reads, LT235/75R15 104/101S, the LT indicates that this tire is meant for Light Truck use. These tires are made for light-duty and heavy-duty pickup trucks (typically ½ ton, ¾ ton, or 1-ton load capacity), SUVs and vans.