The Tire Guy's
Tire Buying Guide

· How many tires do I need?
· What size tire should I purchase?
· Do I need special tires designed for winter or harsh terrain?

How many tires do I need?

All four tires on your vehicle should be as similar as possible to avoid handling problems that can result from having different types or even simply different-aged tires on the same automobile.

If your tires are relatively new AND have a lot of remaining tread depth, you may choose to only replace one tire that has been prematurely damaged. In this situation, it is important that you replace the tire with the same brand, line, size and speed rating.

If your tire has been damaged due to normal wear and tear, and one or more of your other tires are worn, you should replace all of your tires.

In some cases, you may have two tires that still have a lot of remaining tread depth. In that scenario, it is acceptable to purchase only two new tires. Your new tires should match the brand, line, size and speed rating of your existing tires. New tires should be installed on the rear axles.

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What size tire should I purchase?

The size of a tire is comprised of three key metrics:

· Width of Tire           · Aspect Ratio           · Wheel Diameter

You can consult your current tires or the operator's manual that came with your automobile to determine the proper tires for your car.

Or you can use this tool to determine which tires are rated specifically for your car:

Select Make Acura Alfa Audi BMW Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Chrysler Daewoo Daihatsu Datsun Delorean Dodge Eagle Ferrari Fiat Ford GMC Geo Honda Hummer Hyundai Infiniti Isuzu Jaguar Jeep Kia Lancia Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lotus Maserati Mazda Mercedes Mercury Merkur Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Oldsmobile Opel Peugeot Pininfarina Plymouth Pontiac Porsche Renault Saab Saleen Saturn Scion Sterling Subaru Suzuki Toyota Volkswagen Volvo Select Year 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961

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Select the type of tire you need based on the type of climate you live in or regularly drive in. For example, do you live in sunny Florida or do you regularly drive through snow and mountains? These driving conditions require different types of tires.

Here's a few questions that you may consider before making your decision:

· What is the worst driving condition in which I will drive?
· What driving condition will I encounter most of the time?

If the answers to these questions are the same, then your decision may be particularly easily. If the answers are significantly different, you may decide to purchase several sets of tires - one for harsher conditions.

You can consult The Tire Guy's Shop by Type page for a listing of the different tire categories as well as some of our recommendations.

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