What Vehicle Owners Need to Know about Tires

Your car tires are the only thing that maintain contact with the road. So, yes, they are a big deal! There are a variety of tires available for different vehicles. Some tires are specifically made for sports cars, and others are made for regular cars that regularly travel on roads and highways. Within the range of regular automobiles, you also have a variety of tires for SUVS, sedans, and hatchbacks.

Here are a couple of tire-related need-to-know facts for every vehicle owner:

1. Every car has different tire requirements.

Your car, like every other car, has tires of a particular size. This means the car's brakes, smooth handling, steering response and the quality of the ride are all adjusted as per the size of the tires on your car. If you decide to change the tires, replace them with tires that match the original ones or are recommended by your owner's manual. Otherwise, it will affect the performance of your vehicle and even your safety while driving.

2. How you use your vehicle will affect your tires.

Say you drive a light truck. Carrying heavy loads will affect your tires. The heavy load will exert a greater force on the tires, potentially causing them to wear out much faster than they should. So, if you intend to transport heavy loads or tow heavy things like other vehicles, choose your vehicle properly. The terrain on which you drive will also affect your tires and the mechanism through which they function. All-terrain tires are great for everyday on-road travel and light off-road use. A regular city car definitely will not handle sandy terrain or rocky terrain well.

3. The anatomy of a tire.

A single tire comprises around 20 to 25 different elements. There is the inner liner with fabric belts wrapped around it, steel belts, some more fabric belts, and other materials that form more layers in between the inner liner and the treads on the tire surface. The quality of the ride, the tire's strength, and its ability to suppress noise depends on this layering. Tires are constructed from the inside out, starting from the inner liner of the tire.

4. Tires play a part in fuel economy.

Did you know that, depending on the type of tires you use and the rolling resistance of the tires, you can save fuel? A tire's rolling resistance will depend on the air pressure in the tires and how heavy the load of the vehicle is. Tires that have greater rolling resistance require more fuel. Tires with low rolling resistance, on the other hand, do not need the same amount of gas to move the vehicle forward. Tire companies are doing their best to develop a range of low rolling resistance tires to help vehicle owners save fuel.

Mavis Tires & Brakes are the tire experts.

Visit your local Mavis to have our experts assess your tires and to learn more about what tires may be best for your vehicle. Mavis offers some of the biggest tire brands at affordable prices-prices that simply can’t be beat.