Performance winter tires
We can even take this topic one step further. There are a number of people out there that bought a car equipped with 17 or 18" performance tires. For the winter, in the case of a lease for example, it may be an expensive proposition to buy an extra set of steel wheels so getting
original sized winter tires is the best way to go. Here is the best choice one can make. It is a Toyo Observe Garit KX. It has an aggressive tread pattern and has between 12 and 13/32 of depth, more so than any other performance winter tire.
Another issue closely related to performance winter tires are runflat winter tires. A runflat tire is one that will allow you to travel a short distance without any air in the tire. Those that have a new car equipped with runflat summer tires will most likely need to get a runflat winter tire. This may be crucial for those that could require road side assistance at one point. As far as I understand, you may not get the service free of charge if you are rolling on regular winter tires. And yes, these tires do cost more money to purchase.
The best thing to do is always to have a set of good winter and summer tires. Some manufacturers claim that they have developed the ideal 4-season tires but the fact is that it is next to impossible to get both performance extremes in 1 tire. As is always the case with tires, maintaining tire pressure is crucial especially as the outside temperature drops. This will help to avoid uneven wear and damage to this expensive yet sound investment.
We can even take this topic one step further. There are a number of people out there that bought a car equipped with 17 or 18" performance tires. For the winter, in the case of a lease for example, it may be an expensive proposition to buy an extra set of steel wheels so getting
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| Toyo Observe Garit KX (Photo: Toyo) |
Another issue closely related to performance winter tires are runflat winter tires. A runflat tire is one that will allow you to travel a short distance without any air in the tire. Those that have a new car equipped with runflat summer tires will most likely need to get a runflat winter tire. This may be crucial for those that could require road side assistance at one point. As far as I understand, you may not get the service free of charge if you are rolling on regular winter tires. And yes, these tires do cost more money to purchase.
The best thing to do is always to have a set of good winter and summer tires. Some manufacturers claim that they have developed the ideal 4-season tires but the fact is that it is next to impossible to get both performance extremes in 1 tire. As is always the case with tires, maintaining tire pressure is crucial especially as the outside temperature drops. This will help to avoid uneven wear and damage to this expensive yet sound investment.