Buying Tyres
Walking into a tyre shop often is to say the least confusing for those of us who don’t buy them that often. For most, as long as there are four tyres on the car, we’re satisfied.
When taking a stronger interest in the type of tyres you mount on a car, we find there’s more to tyre buying than just bringing the car in to the shop and having four new ones put up. A tyre is an important functional part of any vehicle, besides the engine.
Sometimes, we can’t always base our decision on the name of the tyre or because the price is in a higher bracket. A little homework will help us make a wiser decision when purchasing a tyre.
Look for treadware traction and heat resistance as some of the factors that should be seriously considered when making a purchase. The tyre shop owner can and should provide this information to you.
Treadware gives the expected mileage. This is shown by numbers, i.e 300, 400, 500 etc. The higher the number, the more the expected mileage. Traction grades provides a basis on how well tyres will stop on a wet surface. “A” Grade of course being the better tyre, thereby stopping in a shorter distance than Grade “B”. We can see here that by purchasing the better grade, if we live in a climate where rain is a factor, we are better off paying a bit more by buying the higher graded tyres.
Grading a tyre by heat resistance is also an important consideration, especially in Malaysia. Again, deciding on a better grade will in the long run prevent driving on a tyre that may not be suitable or does not wear well in the hotter climates.
Tyres are also rated by speed. Checking the owners manual will provide that information, ensuring that the manufacturer’s suggested requirements are kept in mind when making the purchase.
Also, when having tyres mounted keep in mind that some stores may charge extra for balancing and mounting, even though they say it’s free
