Great Gas Mileage With The Right Tire Size

Photo Credit: Timo Newton-Syms

Nowadays, most drivers are aiming to have an efficient gas mileage without understanding that the size of their tires may have an influence on this. A lot of drivers are getting large tires for their cars to make it look cool, thus, many wonder if it can indeed affect their speedometer’s accuracy. 

The fact is that tire size has a lot of impact on the accuracy of your speedometer and odometer. Most tire dealers can help you get the right sizes of tires to not only boost the mileage of your car but also give it that attractive look you desire. It is important to note that you cannot simply choose any tires; it has to be compatible with your car as well.

If you choose to purchase tires that are bigger than the ones originally meant for your car, you need to ensure that your speedometers and odometers function well or else, you might be issued with a speeding ticket without you being aware that you’re already above the speed limit.

One way of establishing the accuracy of your speedometer and odometer is asking a colleague to drive right behind you for at least a mile and compare both of your results. You can also do this by driving along a highway and checking the seconds it takes you to cover a distance of one mile. Make use of a stopwatch in order to be as accurate as possible.

How To Get Good Gas Mileage

In order to achieve the greatest mileage for your car, make sure that you properly inflate your tires. Other factors may also affect the performance of your vehicle such as the weather and the state of the road. Keeping your tires properly pumped up and maintaining good alignment on your wheels, you can surely get a good mileage for your car. 

In choosing the right wheels and tires for your car, don’t hesitate to ask for professional help. Most tire dealers have expert mechanics who can assist you in choosing the right tires and keeping your vehicle in great condition and achieve a great gas mileage.

Choosing Summer Tires For Hot Weather Conditions

All-season tires are quite popular today because they serve us pretty well regardless of the prevailing weather conditions. Although they do not excel in specific weather conditions, we can depend on them no matter what season of the year. However, in places like Florida where the weather is mostly hot all year round, some people are thinking of using summer tires or those that are made for hot weather instead of an all-season tire. It usually depends on every person’s situation. Here is a simple guide that can help you choose which tire is the best for you.

Summer Tires’ Specifications

Photo Credit: Kevin Dooley

Profile refers to the height of a tire’s sidewall. Tires exclusively tailor-made for hot weather conditions have tread patterns that shed water and avoid uncontrollable sliding. Thus, the overall design of tires made for the summer season is aimed at maximizing the part that touches the ground.

Tires particularly designed for hot weather have tread channels that are shallower and narrower than all-season tires. Rubbers are also softer so as to ensure that it is elastic enough as it goes over ridges, bumps, corrugations, and other tricky spots usually found in hot-weathered areas.

Over time, manufacturers have striven to provide tires that are exclusively conducive to the summer heat. Today, there are fantastic tires for hot weather that even car racing fanatics fancy. It is important, however, to note that tires made for warm weather are soft when it is hot and rather hard when the weather is cold. So this may lead to accidents when driven in frozen roads.

Choosing Between Summer Tires and All-Season Tires

For those wondering on what kind of tires to buy, here’s the simple solution: If you drive around southern Florida most of the time, it is a good idea to invest in summer tires. For those who usually drive in both warm and cold areas, it is advisable that you invest in all-season tires instead. If you are unsure what tires to purchase, then better visit your most trusted tire dealer and talk to their expert mechanics for qualified counsel about the best tire to choose. They will be able to assess your specific driving routine and destinations and can suggest on which tire is best for your vehicle.

Understanding Tire Sizing

Many mechanics often get questions regarding wheel and tire sizing. This is one of the most common concerns of car owners when choosing for the right tires and wheels for their vehicle. Tread wear, traction, and temperature resistance are also some of the factors that you need to consider.

Let us discuss about tire sizing by using the metric tire, “P205 65 R16”, as an example.

The first letter tell you the class of a car tire. Thus, the letter “P” in our example stands for passenger tire. For tires labeled with “LT”, this means it’s a light truck. For tires with no letter found in the beginning, it’s a European metric tire.

The section width of a metric tire is measured from one sidewall to the other using millimeter. So, a “P205 65 R16” will have a 215mm section width.

The aspect ratio is a certain percentage (85%) of the section width of a metric tire. This denotes the height of the sidewall. Hence, our tire example above means that the height of the sidewall is 182.75 which is the 85% of our section width of 215 mm.

The letter “R” on our example means that the tire has radial construction.

The number “16” on our tire example refers to the wheel diameter measured in inches.

To cap it all, the tire “P205 65 R16” simply means that it is a passenger tire with radial construction and is 215mm wide.

Choosing the right wheels for your tires

Every car owner should understand that every tire should have the right wheels for it. One should not be larger or smaller than the other. Your tire and wheel should be right for each other to ensure safe driving. 

To make sure that you do not regret buying tires and wheels that do not work well for your vehicle, it is highly recommended that you seek advice from an expert such as mechanics. Most tire shops also have personnel who can help you choose the right tires and wheels for your vehicle.


Photo by Steve Garner