Tyres play a major part in your vehicle, not only in the performance of your car, but more importantly in your safety. A car fitted with the wrong or worn out tyres is quite likely to reduce your control and handling over the car, and might lead to seriously hazardous consequences. A little know-how of the basics can help you feel confident when picking tyres for your car.

Important tyre requirements

Here are a few quick and easy pointers to guide you in the right direction when choosing the right tyre for your car. The first thing to check on would be your car manufacturer’s recommended tyre type for your vehicle. If you stick to the specifications mentioned by your original manufacturer, you’re sure to pick the right size and type of tyre. Tyre brand isn’t an important factor when replacing your car tyres. Tyres fitted together either on the front or back axle should match in tread depth and pattern. If it is unequal, you could compromise on total car handling while steering, accelerating and breaking.

How to read your tyre

Every tyre carries an alphanumeric code along its side walls, which isn’t as complex or confusing as it seems. Once meaningfully decoded, tyre codes are pretty easy to grasp and finding the right tyre for your car becomes incredibly easy.

A regular tyre code looks like this: 205/55 R16 84V

• The number 205 refers to the section width or the distance between the tyre’s side-walls, when properly inflated.
• The numerals 55 denote the aspect ratio in percentage or relation between the height and width of the tyre.
• R or Radial stands for the construction type of tyre. Apart from radial, there are cross ply or bias ply tyres in circulation.
• 16, stands for the diameter of the tyre in inches.
• 84, represents the tyre’s load capacity or rating. It denotes a maximum load value the tyre can carry at maximum speed.
• Finally, the alphabet at the end, in this case V, denotes a speed rating, or the maximum speed at which the tyre can run at full load.

Essentials to choosing the ideal tyre

Here are a few fundamentals to consider while picking the right tyre for your car.

• Opt for advanced tubeless tyres over tubed tyres.
• Pick a tyre suited to your car’s rim size, with a side-wall profile that holds a similar diameter to the original tyre fitted on your car.
• Type of rubber compound used to produce the tyre.
• Choose the optimum tread pattern. Your choices include tyres with conventional tread, asymmetric tread and uni-directional tread.
• Check the date of manufacture printed on the side-wall. This four digit code tells the week and year of production. Avoid buying tyres older than six months.

It is always best to discuss with tyre experts when changing your car tyres. Be it a single or multiple tyre change, the knowledge and skill an experienced tyre fitter brings to your decision is invaluable.