A tire's most important job is to carry the load required of it, and the load range/ply rating branded on the tire's sidewall indicates how much load the tire is designed to carry (at a specific pressure). Whenever changing tire sizes or from one tire type to another, it's important to ensure...
Why do we change our tires and wheels? Aside from necessity, most of us do it for performance, comfort and style. But to be sure our tires are performing properly and that we're rolling comfortably and in style, we'll need to correctly install our new tires and wheels. Here's a few tips from us...
Proper wheel installation requires the wheel-attaching hardware (lug nuts or bolts) be tightened to the recommended torque specification for the vehicle make, model and year. Torque specifications are usually found in the vehicle's owner's manual.* Proper torque requires using the correct...
It's a very common question -- what is the speed rating on my tires? And of course, what does that mean? The practice of branding a speed rating on tires began in Germany, where some highways don't have speed limits, as a way to ensure the speed capability of the tires were matched with the top...
While coins can be used to estimate tread depth, using a calibrated tire tread depth gauge is a far more precise way of knowing how much tread you have left, and when to start budgeting for a new set! In the U.S., tread depth gauges measure in inches, specifically in 32nds of an inch, while...
Maybe you've heard of the Uniform Tire Quality Grade (UTQG) Standards and you want to learn more, or maybe you've noticed the words "Treadwear," "Traction," and "Temperature" on the sidewall of your tires, and you're curious what they mean. Well, these often-misunderstood "grades" do provide...
Several vehicle manufacturer's owner's manuals recommend operating winter tires winter tires several psi (typically 3-5) higher than their recommended pressures for summer and all-season tires. While none of them actually provide the reason why, there are several scenarios that would support...
To maximize braking performance, all brake pads and rotors must be "bedded-in." Bedding in, breaking in, or burnishing - are all terms for conditioning new disc brake pads and rotors disc brake pads and rotors. Although the procedure varies by manufacturer, bedding-in typically involves a...
While there are three basic types of tire valves: rubber snap-in, high-pressure snap-in and high-pressure metal clamp-in, it's the vehicle, required tire inflation pressures, driving conditions and wheel design that dictate which type of valve is appropriate for the application. The Tire and...
A load index is an assigned numerical value that signifies a tire's maximum load carrying capacity. They're useful to help compare load carrying capacity of different-sized tires, and as you might expect, the higher the tire's load index number, the greater its load carrying capacity. Using the...
When it comes to determining the age of a tire, it is easy to identify when a tire was manufactured by reading its Tire Identification Number (often referred to as the tire's serial number). Unlike vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and the serial numbers used on many other consumer goods...
Many drivers have experienced the benefit of using winter tires in the colder months where pavement temperatures are lower and the threat of snow and ice are always just around the corner. While you may have answered "yes" to the question of "should I get winter tires", now you are faced with...
Tire treadwear/mileage warranties have become a popular marketing tool used by most tire manufacturers (and some independent retailers) to help position some of their tires competitively in the marketplace and to help indicate their potential longevity to consumers. Today they range from 30,000...
Tire Return InstructionsThis is for those customers who need to return just tires. For returning Tire & Wheel Packages, see What Are The Instructions For Returning A Tire & Wheel Package? and Wheel Packaging Instructions. Note: You must have a Return Authorization Number to process your return....
Over the past several years, we have seen a large influx of all-season and all-terrain tires that are severe snow service-rated, and therefore branded with the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol. This is a trend we expect to continue, with the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol...
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