If you are about to buy tyres for your car, you may be feeling a bit worried. It could be that this is the first time you have to replace your tyres (they can last between five and seven years), but even if it is the second, third or fifth time you are buying a new set of tyres, it can be a stressful time, making sure you get the best option for your needs and budget. To take some of this concern away, here are five factors to consider when buying new tyres.
Check Your Specs!
First of all – and most importantly, even if you ignore all the other tips, this is the one that you should pay attention to – check the specs on your car. Choose new tyres in accordance with your manufacturer’s specifications and recommendations. These can be found in your car owner’s handbook, online or your local tyre supplier or garage will be able to help you out, no matter if you are in the heart of Birmingham, in London, or elsewhere in the UK.
Go Green
Tyres are becoming more and more ecologically friendly. The rubber they are made from is from sustainable sources, there are fewer contaminants mixed in with that rubber and this means that the tyres are more easily recycled or repurposed at the end of their life on the road. Ask your supplier about green options: the technology is advancing so fast that each month brings along new ecologically friendly offerings.
Two Tyres, Or All Four
One of the things that you will have to think about quite early on in the process is if you are going to replace all four tyres, or just two of them. Tyres should never be replaced as the subtle differences between different lot numbers can cause problems with the wear and tear of the vehicle. The pairs of tyres should be fitted to the same axle to mitigate these potential problems. Furthermore, if you are someone who is frequently driving in London and If you want to buy tyres online in London – you can book at DAT Tyres.
Budget vs Performance
There are loosely speaking three types of tyre on the market, each filling their own economical niche. You will need to consider which is more important to you before buying the tyres that best suit your needs and fall into your tyre-buying budget.
- Budget tyres: the cheapest on the market, these are a basic offering that provide you with a tyre that works well, but might be a little noisy, might not be as technologically advanced as you might like, and that won’t last quite as long as the best quality tyres on the market. Budget tyres are not bad tyres, by any means, and they must meet the stringent safety standards demanded by the authorities. They are a good choice if your commute is short and straightforward on ‘easy’ roads, if you are soon to sell the car and don’t want to invest too much into it, or if your budget is constrained.
- Regular Tyres: the norm, these tyres are fairly up-to-date, with a lot of modern advances employed in their manufacture, and with a correspondingly middling price tag. These tyres make up the vast majority of tyre sales.
- Premium Tyres: the absolute best that tyre manufacturers’ R&D departments can come up with is packed into premium tyres. They are made from the best quality raw materials, use the latest advances and innovations, are lighter, stronger and more durable than other tyres on the market – and they tend to be greener too, for those with environmental impacts.
Study the Ratings
Finally, study the ratings on the tyres. The system of ratings will let you know how sharply your tyres will be able to stop when wet, let you know if they are suitable for mud and ice, the tyre’s noise rating and its fuel efficiency – all of which can help you to choose the perfect tyres for your car.