Winter came late last year and summer has done the same thing this year. Without any further ado, it is time to talk about summer tires. We will begin by looking into what types of tires are suitable for the warmer spring, summer and fall seasons.
These circular-shaped rubber-maid items are commonly referred to as 4-season and summer tires. A 4-season tire is expected to perform well in all road conditions. If we break it down, there are 2 kinds of 4-seasons. The first is dubbed Touring all-season. It is a softer tire that is principally designed to last a long time and that can be used on wet, dry and snow covered road surfaces. The other type of all-season tires is commonly called Performance all-season or a 3-season tire. By comparison to the first, they have a harder rubber compound that is less flexible and that will become utterly useless near or at the freezing point. The fact remains that no 4-season tire will ever be able to provide as much grip as a pure winter tire as required in very cold conditions. A summer or performance tires can perform well in both wet and dry conditions. Most of these tires are characterised by very stiff sidewalls which endows them with better cornering abilities and crisper handling. A performance tire will not work in cold weather because their compound is designed to work at higher temperatures. Compared to the 4-season tires, they will also wear out much faster because they are intended to be stickier. What defines a good 4-season tire is its ability for good water evacuation. A unidirectional tire is capable of displacing up to 30% more water than regular non-directional tires. Obviously, dry traction cannot be overlooked. A solid ban of rubber down the middle of the tire will help improve highway stability. Some tires have aggressive shoulders; they will be noisier but stability will be further enhanced. A softer sidewall will not transmit as many road imperfections however they will tend to flex more when turning hard or taking a curve. In the end, the remainder of the tire characteristics are up to the buyer based on what they expect from those that they plan on purchasing.
4-season tire recommendations In the 4-season category, Pirelli P4, Yokohama TRZ and the Goodyear Assurance Triple Tred are all excellent picks. Each of them will last a long time and be both smooth and comfortable. The Triple Tred is the most expensive than the Pirelli but it provides excellent traction in the rain and is firm as well as stable. The Pirelli remains a good economical choice especially for those that may be looking for something a little more aggressive. The Yokohama TRZ is less aggressive and geared more towards less forceful drivers. Another choice resides in the Toyo TouRevo LS. This one is more of a 3-season tire that combines all the desirable characteristics: quiet, good on wet surfaces, smooth and fairly durable.