I was just kicking back in the waiting room at my friendly neighborhood Valvoline (dinosaur rock on the radio, last week's People magazine) when the oil change guy breezed in with this bad news: I need a whole new set of tires! After a little online tire research, I get it: tire tread is really important. Need a quick tutorial? Read on for blogger alexsharp's informative article on how to choose the right tread for your car, driving style and weather conditions.
Do Your Car Tires Have The Right Tread Pattern For The Driving You Do?
When you get new tires for your car do you only look at the brand name and price? What about the tread pattern? The tread patterns are related to the car you have, the type of driving you do and road conditions.
Tire Tread Patterns
To a certain extent the tread pattern is governed by the wheel size and the performance parameters of the car. Although you can buy tires with different tread patterns for the same car depending on the price and manufacturer. In these circumstances you must look at the type of driving you do to be able to select the right tread pattern.
The reasons for tread
Tread patterns on tires help with steering by providing directional stability. They give grip to get the car moving and help to stop it under braking. Importantly, they hold the car on the road when cornering.
An important function of the tread is to help prevent aquaplaning in wet conditions. Aquaplaning is when the tire looses contact with the road surface and sits on top of a thin layer of water. In normal operation, the tread pattern expels water from contact area to the rear and sides of the tire.
Tire terms
Tread pattens are made up of grooves and sipes. Grooves run around the circumference of the tire and are used to provide directional stability and shift water to the rear of the tire. Sipes are smaller grooves that run laterally to the outside edge of the tire. They provide grip and help expel water from the grooves to the side of the tire.
Some tread patterns have up to four grooves and many sipes. Combinations of grooves and sipes divide the tread surface into blocks. The distance between blocks and number of sipes determine the grip level in dry, wet, snow and ice conditions. Off-road tires tend to have much wider grooves and sipes creating larger blocks for better grip, but they are noisier on roads. Some luxury cars use tread patterns that are tuned for low road noise.
The block pattern
This is a non-directional pattern that is the most popular tread type on cars. Tires with a simple block pattern and narrow sipes give good grip and stability in dry and wet conditions. These tires usually work better at temperatures above freezing. Tires with a smaller block size that have a higher number of wider sipes, give good grip in snow and ice conditions. The rubber on these tires is more supple at lower temperatures.
The asymmetric pattern
This pattern is a combination of larger tread blocks on the outside of the tire for grip and cornering, and smaller blocks for better wet weather performance on the inside of the tire. They must be fitted with the correct side facing outward. Some of these tires are also directional and must be fitted on the left or right hand side of the car.
The directional pattern
This pattern is excellent at removing water from the contact area. The pattern resembles an upside down 'Y'. The groove is the tail of the 'Y' and the sipes are the arms of the 'Y'. The tail of the 'Y' points in the direction of forward rotation. Although they have good wet weather performance because the grooves and sipes are wide, they do not work well in snowy conditions. In addition, there may be increased road noise. These tires tend to be fitted to high performance cars and must be fitted to the correct side of the car. Markings on the tire sidewall indicate the direction of rotation.
Summer, winter or all-season tires
Summer tires give good all round performance at temperatures above freezing. Winter tires tend to have a larger number of tread blocks with more sipes for extra grip and use a rubber that is more supple at lower temperatures. All-season tires give good performance in all seasons and have a more complex tread pattern.
And finally
The next time you buy tires, think about the type of driving you do, the type of car you have and the conditions in which you do your driving. Then, while you are selecting the tire brand and price, also consider the tread pattern and be sure it is right for you.
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