Performance and Summer Tires
Summer tires exist to do one thing extremely well: put down grip in warm weather. They use a soft, high-silica compound and a tread with large continuous blocks and minimal siping, which maximizes the rubber contact patch touching the road. The result is dry braking, cornering and steering response that no all-season can match, along with genuinely excellent wet grip because the large voids that remain are dedicated to water evacuation rather than snow.
The categories step up roughly like this. High performance and ultra-high performance summer tires are street tires with strong grip and reasonable tread life. Max performance summer tires trade tread life for more grip. Extreme performance summer tires, sometimes called 200 treadwear tires, are essentially track tires with enough tread to be street legal, and they will wear out fast in normal driving.
The hard rule with summer tires: do not drive them in the cold. Below roughly 45F the compound stiffens badly, grip falls off a cliff, and in near-freezing conditions the rubber can crack permanently. Summer tires are a seasonal commitment, and they pair naturally with a winter set on a second set of wheels.
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Before you buy
Performance and Summer Tires: the questions people ask
How do I read a tire size?
Metric sizes give section width in millimetres, then aspect ratio as a percentage of that width, then rim diameter in inches. So 275/60R20 is 275mm wide with a sidewall 60 percent of 275mm tall on a 20 inch wheel. Flotation sizes are simpler: 35x12.50R20 is 35 inches tall and 12.5 inches wide on a 20 inch wheel. Every listing here also publishes the overall diameter worked out for you.
Will a bigger size fit without a lift?
Usually one size up over stock clears on a half ton truck with a leveling kit. Going from a 33 inch to a 35 inch tire almost always needs a leveling kit plus trimming at the front bumper corners. 37 inch tires need a real lift and normally a re-gear to get the drivability back.
What do load index and speed rating mean?
Load index is the weight one tire carries at its rated pressure. Speed rating is the sustained speed it is certified for. Never fit a tire with a lower load index than the placard in your driver door jamb calls for. On a truck that tows, going under the placard rating is the commonest cause of a tire failing under load.
Do tires arrive mounted?
Loose tires ship on their own and need a local shop to mount and balance them. Wheel and tire packages ship mounted, balanced and ready to bolt on.
How fast do orders ship?
Orders ship from a United States warehouse, normally within 1 to 3 business days of clearing. Orders over $199 ship free, and below that a flat rate is shown at checkout before you pay. Tracking is emailed as soon as the shipment is created.
What can I return?
Unmounted, uninstalled parts in original packaging can be returned within 30 days. A wheel that has had a tire mounted on it, and a tire that has been fitted, cannot be returned because neither is new any more. That is why we check the fitment data on every order against the vehicle you give us before it ships.
Can someone check fitment for me before I order?
Yes, and it costs nothing. Send us the year, make, model, trim and what is on the vehicle now, and we will tell you what fits, what will rub and what it takes to clear.
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