HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TIRES: OFFSET, PROFILE AND OTHER NUANCESHello & Welcome!
Driving safety is directly correlated with the reliability of the tire's grip on the road. Many drivers strive to select wheels so as to improve parameters - to increase speed, maneuverability, and cross-country ability. As a result, they deviate from the manufacturer's recommendations and choose tires wider or narrower than written in the instructions. In case of small discrepancies, this improves dynamics and comfort, since the instruction gives an average version. In Russia, every six months he comes to change tires in accordance with the season. How to choose the type-size will be indicated by the marking on the side of the tire. To know more, check out: vredestein quatrac 5 review
What information does tire labeling contain?
When choosing tires, design features, rubber composition, tread characteristics are important. All data is reflected in the marking. The easiest way to determine the seasonality. Winter tires are marked with the letters M + S, W. The first is an abbreviation for Mud + Snow, the second is Winter. A snowflake pictogram can be depicted. All seasonal tires are designated AS (All Season) or AW (All Weather) and are also marked with images of snow, rain and sun. All-season tires in domestic conditions are the most unreliable option.
Important: Tires with aquaplaning protection will have the words Rain, Aqua or Water, as well as a picture of an umbrella.
The tire size is indicated by numbers and the letter R, which denotes that it is a radial ply construction. Diagonal ones are rare now. The three sets of numbers in front of a letter are:
- tread width in mm (distance from one sidewall to the other);
- after the line indicate the ratio of the height to the width of the profile;
- after the letter is the disc diameter in inches (bore diameter).
In addition, the speed index and load index can be found on the tires. These are two or three numbers and a letter (W, M, Y). The letter indicates the maximum speed. M - 130 km / h, W - 270 km / h, Y - 300 km / h. The load index will determine the maximum weight that a single tire can carry. For a car, the number must be multiplied by 4.
In addition to these parameters, information about the material, the number of layers in the carcass, the coefficient of wear resistance, and the tread wear indicator are indicated on the tire. The DOT code contains information about the time when the tire was manufactured, its size and two letters indicating the manufacturer. The level of fuel efficiency (from A - maximum to G - minimum) can be indicated in Latin letters.
Advantages and disadvantages of wide rubber
The width of the tire matches the size of the contact patch with the road surface. The comfort of control, directional stability, fuel consumption depends on this parameter. Contrary to popular belief, the tread width has little effect on friction, so the braking distance is almost independent of this parameter.
Pros of wide tires:
- improved directional stability when driving on dry and wet roads;
- acceleration and deceleration parameters are slightly improved;
- off-road passability increases;
- outwardly looks more impressive than narrow tires.
Wide tires also have disadvantages:
- reduced resistance to aquaplaning;
- increased braking distance on wet asphalt;
- slight increase in fuel consumption;
- higher weight than narrow tires.
Based on the advantages, wide tires are convenient to use in the warm season. They give a "sharper" steering wheel, remove slipping when accelerating from zero to hundreds. Such rubber heats up less when driving fast. In winter, narrow tires win in many respects, which become more reliable due to the fact that they push the path in the snow.