Tires

Tires are the only part of a vehicle that touch the road, and every other system depends on them. Brakes, steering, stability control and all-wheel drive can only work with the grip the tire provides. That makes tire choice the highest-leverage decision on this entire site, and it is worth matching the tire to how you actually drive rather than to how the tread looks.Reading a tire size takes ten seconds once you know the format. In 275/65R18 116T, the 275 is the section width in millimeters, the 65 is the aspect ratio meaning the sidewall height is 65 percent of the width, R means radial construction, 18 is the wheel diameter in inches, 116 is the load index and T is the speed rating. Light truck tires add an LT prefix and a load range letter such as E or F, which indicates how much air pressure the tire is built to hold and therefore how much weight it can carry.Match the tire to the driving:All-season and touring: daily driving, long tread life, quiet on pavementHighway terrain: trucks and SUVs that mostly commute and tow on pavementAll-terrain: the compromise tire, roughly 80 percent street and 20 percent dirtRugged terrain: more aggressive than all-terrain, quieter than mud-terrainMud-terrain: deep voids for mud and rock, loud and short-lived on pavementWinter and snow: soft compound and siping that stays flexible below 45FPerformance and summer: maximum dry and wet grip, not for cold weatherWhatever you choose, replace tires in matched sets where possible, especially on all-wheel drive vehicles where differing rolling diameters between axles can damage the drivetrain.