Tire 101 Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Hometown Tire Pros & Service Center

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There are so many tire designs on the road — all-season, high performance, touring, light truck — and even within a specific tire design, there may be several choices of tread patterns. What differentiates them, and what are the pros and cons of each tread design?

— Directional tread has a pattern of grooves and chevron shapes, all pointed in one direction. This design makes it easy to direct water away from the tire’s contact patch and prevent hydroplaning in wet weather, and also offers low noise and great road manners. The directional design means tires can only be rotated front-to-rear and not side-to-side or diagonally.

— Symmetrical tread patterns feature grooves or herringbone designs that are extremely uniform across the tire’s tread face. Symmetrical designs are popular for touring tires due to their quiet ride, long wear and ease of rotation, making them a very versatile tread pattern.

— Asymmetrical tread patterns are a bit of a compromise. They’re typically designed with a mix of tread patterns, often with a section at the middle and inside edge of a tire that’s designed for wintry or wet-weather traction. The outside edge, on the other hand, has aggressive tread blocks for optimum cornering ability. Asymmetrical tires are marked with “outside only” and “inside only” on the sidewalls to preserve proper handling qualities.

— Directional/asymmetrical tires are the best of both worlds. They’re usually designed with a V-shaped tread to direct water away from the footprint, and an asymmetrical section for dry-weather traction and handling. Directional/asymmetrical tires should be rotated in the same pattern as directional tires.

Which Type of Tire Tread Do You Need?

There are so many tire designs on the road — all-season, high performance, touring, light truck — and even within a specific tire design, there may be several choices of tread patterns. What differentiates them, and what are the pros and cons of each tread design? — Directional tread has a pattern of grooves and Read More

So You Get A Flat Tire…What Now?

Nobody ever looks forward to a flat tire, and nobody ever says “well, that was a really good time” after having one. You can at least minimize the damage to your tire and danger to yourself, though. Flats vs Blowouts If you get a blowout, you’ll know about it right away. Sometimes the tire can Read More

The Latest in Green Tech Innovations for Tires

When it comes to your car, oil isn’t the only thing there’s a finite supply of. Rubber has its limits too, and it’s estimated by 2020, the supply of natural rubber in the world may be outstripped by demand. And of course, tires require a great deal of oil to produce as well. Tire manufacturers Read More

4 Things About Tires You May Not Have Known

Tires all look sort of the same…round and black…and people tend to think tires don’t change much over the years. That’s really not true, though – engineers and designers are constantly working on advances in tire designs for more miles, better fuel economy and better performance. Here’s a rundown of current trends in tire technology Read More

Self-Inflating Tires…Soon To Be A Reality?

Driving around on underinflated tires is just a bad idea all the way around. Underinflated tires increase a car’s rolling resistance, meaning a drop in fuel efficiency since it takes more energy to move the vehicle down the road. A single tire that’s down by ten pounds of air means a 3.3 percent drop in Read More

Mixing Tires – Bad Idea

In a perfect world, all four tires would wear out at the same time. In the same perfect world, everyone would be able to afford a whole set of tires all at once. Unfortunately, things often just do not work out that way. Sometimes you may just have to replace tires as you can afford Read More

Get The Most Out Of That Set Of Tires

Your tires are a pretty big investment. Even with the cheapest set of tires, you’re going to be spending upwards of $400 on the tires, mounting, balancing, disposal fees and taxes. Since you laid down that kind of money, doesn’t it just make sense to make sure you get the most miles possible out of Read More

Winter Tires – Yea or Nay?

In a lot of parts of the country, the winters are tough enough that all-season tires just won’t get the job done. All-season tires are a compromise; they offer good year-round traction with a quiet ride, good handling and road manners. They tend to perform well in wet weather and light wintry conditions, but when Read More

What Tires Are Right For Your Truck?

So you’re in need of a set of tires for your truck? No problem! The question is, though, what kind of tires are going to be best? First, you’ll need to think about what you use that truck for. Will you regularly be hauling heavy loads or pulling a trailer? Do you expect to keep Read More

Reasons Why Tire Inflation Is So Important

Even just a pound or two of underinflation in your tires can be a problem. Why, though? There are several reasons. Fuel economy: If you ever rode a bicycle with a low tire, you know that it feels like you’re riding through wet cement due to the added rolling resistance. The same thing is happening Read More