Choosing Vehicle Tires Without Getting Tired

To most people, tires for your vehicle can be quite, well, tiring. They always seem to need checking, or worse, replacing. They are expensive. They can leave ugly marks on the drive and dirty clothing. At your favorite South Florida auto mechanic, we look at tires differently. What is there to get excited about? Ever driven a car that just didn’t seem to handle right? We all have at some stage. 90% of the time this is caused by using incorrect tires.

Before we get all involved in the finer points of rubber (the automotive kind), here are two important tire maintenance tips:

Under Pressure

Your vehicle’s tires often are under pressurized if you don’t check them regularly. Make sure that you stick to the manufacturer’s guidelines. Unlike Grace from Ferris Bueller, automotive engineers didn’t pull pencils from their hair and invent figures to irritate owners. Two values are given, laden and unladen. If you’re single and it’s just your golf clubs riding shotgun use the unladen. If your pops with kids and bags and dogs and paint and grandma, we feel you. Just make sure you add the extra air.

Pump Your Spare

A flat spare tire is about as useful as noise-canceling earphones during a Gator’s game. Air trapped inside a tire gradually diffuses through the rubber and rejoins the atmosphere, causing the tire to go flat. Even though you may have checked that spare some months back, it may have lost pressure. Even worse, it could have developed a leak. An extra minute at the gas station can save you many by the roadside.

The Top Three Tire Brands in The United States

So, you know how to look after your rubber. Cool. Let’s move onto choosing tires for your vehicle:

• Michelin

  Michelin started out in France at the turn of the last century. Inventors of the radial tire leveraged this to gain market share globally during the 1960s. Their tires are known for silent running, durability, and good handling. We have found them to be ‘softer’ than other brands, meaning they tend to wear down faster.

• Goodyear

  With roots in Ohio, Goodyear is a proud U.S. based company. Also undergoing a revolution in the 60’s they diversified and ended up designing supercomputers for NASA. They embraced Michelin’s radial technology and gave it their own flavor. Goodyear tires are known for being tough but providing excellent traction. In that regard, they may have the edge on Michelin.

• Bridgestone

  Bridgestone started out as a Japanese company founded by Shojiro Ishibashi whose surname loosely means ‘stone bridge’. Known for durability, they quickly grew into a multinational company during the Japanese products invasion of the 70s and 80s. This enabled them to buy Firestone which they were able to return to profitability by the 1990s.

Need Tires for Your Vehicle?

These are the three biggest tire brands in the U.S. Since they are constantly in close competition with each other, it is often impossible to recommend one over another. Unless specifically recommended by a member of our team, we suggest that you choose the brand that gives you the best deal.

Wait, what about the Chinese imports that have been flooding the market recently? It is true that you can usually get these for a fraction of the price. However, can you put a price on your safety? We thought not. Everything comes at a price and in ‘cheaping out’ Chinese manufacturers cut corners that can ultimately lead to tire failure. When it comes to tires for your vehicle, you cannot afford to compromise.

There is a lot riding on your tires. If you need new tires for your luxury vehicle, contact Foreign Affairs Motorwerks today at (954) 746-0488.