Summer Tires and Performance Tires

Summer Tires & Performance Tires

What Are They?

Summer tires (also known as performance) are designed to perform well in dry conditions offering superior handling and traction. This makes them ideal to use during warm months with minimal rain. Summer tires feature fewer and shallower grooves compared to all season or winter tires. The reason for this is to keep as much rubber contact on the road as possible to improve performance. Between the specialized rubber compounds and tread depths these tires allow for more stability when pushed closer to their limits.

TIRECRAFT offers summer/performance tires from a wide range of manufacturers. Some include: BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper Tires, Firestone, Michelin, GT Radial, Goodyear and Yokohama.

Are Summer Tires for You?

Performance and summer tires are a great option for drivers who want to experience higher speeds, stop faster and want enhanced traction capabilities. They can add personality to any vehicle, especially when paired with custom alloy rims. Typically drivers of high-performance sport vehicles like to invest in summers, but they can also be a great option for people who just love driving their everyday car.

Summer VS. All Season Tires

Say you are shopping for new tires, lets compare our summer to all season options. The answer really depends on things like your driving conditions, climate you live in and of course you’re driving needs. One important thing is to make sure the tires you do put on your vehicle are all the same type – for example 4 winter or 4 all season, not 2 of each. This helps make sure your vehicle has consistent traction and performance on every axle.

All Season tires offer acceptable performance for multiple road conditions. They have moderate tread depths and rubber compound that may last longer than summer tires. They are engineered to provide traction in wet, dry and snowy conditions. All seasons are offered for a number vehicles such as cars, SUV’s, minivans and trucks.

Summer tires offer increased responsiveness, cornering, and quick braking when driving at higher speeds. With less tread grooves and more flexible rubber compounds they offer maximum grip on the road. These tires are ideal for sports oriented vehicles or drivers who want to experience higher speeds and handling.

The Comparison

All seasons do perform in warm weather, however they will offer less grip compared to summer tires. This forces all seasons to sacrifice on steering, braking and cornering in order to provide capabilities to drive in colder winter conditions.  Whereas summer tires will out-perform all seasons when it comes to steering, braking and corning. Keeping in mind, that summer tires are not meant to handle cold and snowy weather.

So, if you frequently drive at high speeds in consistent warm weather, summer tires may be right for you. If you travel frequently in fluctuating weather and sport performance isn’t a top priority, then all season tires may work. For any questions you may still have on summer or all season tires, contact your local TIRECRAFT today!

Run Flats

Over the last few years, many cars have become more compact while at the same time maximizing internal space for a range of features. At the same time, the performance of a vehicle is increasingly the most important consideration for many buyers.  Both of these factors have influenced a reduction in space left in the vehicle for storage. This brings on the question of “where do I keep my spare”? That along with added safety concerns, is what influenced the creation of “run flat” tires.

These tires are designed to allow a vehicle to still be driven in the event of a flat tire. A run flat tire features sidewalls that are designed for a vehicle to go short distances with little to no air. Many high performance vehicles have run flats on them, and they can offer increased handling compared to a standard summer tire.