Everyone eventually replaces their tires, whether it’s because they’re worn out or they’re just looking for something different. There are so many great tire choices, it can be difficult to sort them out. Let’s group the broad spectrum into several categories that will help in the selection process.

One category is often referred to as “summer tires”. Summer tires are designed to be driven on the road when temperatures are generally above 45 degrees. Their tread design is optimized for traction on dry roads and they’re also able to effectively displace water on rainy roads.

Now the rubber compound gets a little hard and stiff as temperatures drop below 45 degrees. And the tread which handles dry roads so well, can get packed with snow and mud – which provides very little traction in those conditions.

So if you live where its summer all year round, these tires will work well for you. If you like maximum performance in warm weather, but still live where it gets cold and snowy, you’ll want to change your summer tires for winter tires as the weather starts to change.

Summer tires can be purchased with an emphasis on handling performance, smooth ride or long life. Your tire professional can help you find the right tire for the way you drive.

As you can imagine, winter tires are designed to work very well in snow and ice. Their tread is designed with many channels and grooves that throw the snow out of the tread as the wheel turns. This means the tire is always be able to bite into the snow.

The rubber compound used in winter tires is specially formulated to be flexible at temperatures below 45 degrees. This maximizes cold weather traction. When it gets warmer, the softer rubber will wear faster on warm dry pavement than summer tires, so change them out once the weather has turned.

There’s a range of tires within the winter tire category. If you live where there’s a lot of snow and ice, look for the mountain and snowflake icon that signifies a severe snow rating. If you have milder winters and still want a performance component, they make a winter tire for you as well.

For many people, an all-season tire is the answer. You will give up some of the performance at the extreme ends of the summer tire/ winter tire spectrum, but you will find a long wearing tire that gives both good highway performance and winter traction.

Within the all-season category, there are many choices that you tire adviser can help you evaluate.

Outside of these three main categories, some people with trucks and SUVs like a tire that is designed for both on-highway and off-highway use. They can handle the rocks and bumps off-road, but still work well on the street. Again, many options depending on the relative emphasis on on-road verses off-road.

You may want new wheels to go with your new tires – well, there are hundreds and hundreds of styles to choose from. That’s a matter of personal taste. If you want to change the size of your wheels and tires, do get some professional help.

The computers on your vehicle are programmed to the size of wheel and tire combination that comes from the factory. Tire size affects various computer controlled functions like anti-lock brakes, traction and stability controls, speedometer and odometer. Of course, you want these systems to work properly. The computers can be re-programmed for different tire sizes.

And if you want to increase the size of your wheels and tires, you’ll want so help to make sure they’ll fit in the wheel wells of your vehicle without rubbing during turns or over bumps.

Don’t you just love new tires? All those little rubber hairs on new tires and the smell is wonderful. We live in a great time for tires.  No matter how you drive, where you want to go or the look you’re after; there is a tire for you.

The same is true about wheels. The hardest part is choosing from the thousands of wheels available.

We may not be able to help with that, but we can help you get some things in mind before you consult with your tire professional.  Let’s start with function and think about how you drive.

For example, maybe you have a large SUV but you don’t drive off-road, so an off-road tread isn’t important.  Also, because you are not out bouncing over rocks, you don’t need a high profile tire to protect your rims. So that means you can probably go with the low-wide look.

If you have a winter season with rain and snow or if you find you need better ice and snow performance, they make great, high-performance snow tires that won’t make it look like you are driving a tractor.

There really are a lot of options for any given vehicle.  You will find it very helpful to have a discussion like this with your tire pro when you need new tires.  You can find the best solutions for your driving needs and to make improvements in ride or handling.

Picking a wheel that is the same size as what you are now running is pretty simple. But, it gets trickier if you want to upsize.  Just get some help when you go bigger.  All that tire and wheel still needs to fit in the available space.  You do not want your tires to rub when you turn or hit a bump.  You also need to make sure your brakes and suspension bits will fit with your wheel of choice. It doesn’t matter how great your car looks if it’s not drivable.

Taller, wider wheels and tires probably weigh more than your stock shoes.  And it’s “unsprung” weight – that has a big impact on brake performance. The upsized shoes increase rotational inertia – if you go too big you may need to upgrade your brakes to compensate.

Another possible problem is an inaccurate speedometer. This happens because the number of rotations can change with the new wheels.  Fortunately, speedometers and odometers are all controlled by the engine computer; so it is simple to get it reprogrammed and compensate for the bigger tires.

No matter what you are after: low cost, long life, high performance, traction or stunning good looks, your wheel and tire professional can help you identify your needs and give you a custom fit.  With all the options available, you don’t have to compromise.  There is a tire out there with your name on it!

At AutoNetTV we love doughnuts. So let’s pretend you have three doughnuts right in front of your for our discussion of upsizing wheels and tires.  Hey, don’t eat them now – your going to need them later.

Many people want to accessorize their car – you know, make it theirs. One of the easiest ways to get a custom look is to get some new wheels. There are thousands of wheel designs out there to get you the look you want.  And for many, that look includes bigger wheels. It used to be that cars came from the factory with 15 or 16 inch wheels.   Now 16, 17 and even 18 inchers are standard.  And the factories are offering optional wheel packages up to 20 inches or more.

So let’s talk about what to consider when you want to upsize your wheels.  It’s not exactly a do it yourself project, so you need to know a thing or two before you get started. The most important term to know is rolling diameter.  The rolling diameter is simply the overall height of your tire.  Unless you want to modify your suspension, you’ll want to keep your rolling diameter the same when you upsize your wheels.

Let’s think about those three golden doughnuts in front of you.  They’re all about the same size.  So if we pretend they’re tires, they would have the same rolling diameter.  The doughnut hole is the size of the wheel.  Now pretend we’ve made the hole bigger on some.  That’s like having a bigger wheel – but the rolling diameter is the same.

It’s important to keep the rolling diameter the same for several reasons.  First of all, if the tire is bigger, it might not fit in the wheel well.  Next the speedometer, odometer and anti-lock brake system are all calibrated for the factory rolling diameter. In order for your anti-lock brakes to work properly, the rolling diameter must stay within 3% of the factory recommendation.  If you ignore that, you run the risk that your anti-lock brakes won’t work properly.

Some cars today have electronically controlled suspension that will be negatively affected by changing the rolling diameter. Let’s think about the doughnuts again. You see, as the size of the wheel gets bigger, the sidewall gets shorter.  The tire holds less air, so the sidewalls are made stiffer to compensate.

Low profile tires from top manufacturers use special compounds that give the sidewall the strength it needs without compromising ride quality. As you increase your wheel size, you’ll typically get a slightly wider tire.  This means that you have a larger contact patch. The contact patch is part of the tire that contacts the road.  Because there’s more rubber on the road, the vehicle will handle better.  And braking distances will be shorter. A lot of people with trucks or SUV’s love the extra control.

You do have to watch out that the contact patch isn’t so big that the tires rub in turns or over bumps. What we’re talking about here is fitment.  Your tire professional can help you get this right.  He’ll install your new wheels, add spacers if needed to make sure your brakes fit inside your new wheels, and get you rolling.

Also, if you drive off-road a lot, you may need a higher profile tire to protect your new rims.  And make sure your new tires have the load rating you need if you tow a trailer or haul heavy loads.  Again, your tire professional knows how to help.

And don’t forget about tire pressure. If you have larger rims, your new tires will hold less air and they’ll need to run a slightly higher pressure.  Forget that and you’ll wear your tires out fast. Finally, get an alignment after you get your new shoes.  AutoNetTV wants you to safely have the look you want.

It seems like everywhere you go you see custom wheels.  Big trucks, little cars, mini-vans – it doesn’t matter, people are expressing themselves with custom wheels. Some people want smaller tires and wheels – some want larger – and some want them enormous.  So where do you start if you want new wheels?

We suggest you start with your budget.  We know, that sounds so practical.  But if the look you’re after goes beyond just new tires and wheels and enters into the world of suspension modifications, you need to be prepared for the additional cost.

Let’s start with something easy – you want to give your ride a unique look and the stock wheel size is just right for you.  One of the concerns you will have is that the new wheels have the same offset as your factory wheels.

First, what is offset?  The wheel bolts onto the hub on the car’s axle.  The distance from the inside edge of the wheel to the point at which it bolts on, is the offset.  If the new wheel has a different offset from the factory, the tires may rub on the inside or outside of the wheel well.  That could lead to catastrophic tire failure.

Your tire and wheel professional can help you find the right size wheel – or install adapters to make your new wheels fit.  All you have to do is pick from the hundreds of styles available.

So, what if you want to upsize?  Well, if it is just bigger wheels you want, but you want to keep the same overall tire diameter, that’s pretty easy.  The same offset concerns apply.  You need to know that the tires will likely be a little bit wider than the originals and could rub when you make sharp turns. Your tire profession will help you avoid this.

It is also important to keep the same overall tire diameter because changing the rolling diameter can mess with your anti-lock brakes and stability control systems.  Are you starting to see why you want to consult with a tire and wheel expert?

Is “super-size me” your motto?  If it is, you are going to have to lift your vehicle to make room for those huge tires.  A mild lift doesn’t require extensive modifications.  An extreme lift means a lot of new hardware under the vehicle.  It also means a lot of stock electronic systems need to be recalibrated to the new tire size.  For example, your speedometer and odometer will give false readings if they aren’t recalibrated.

You should also be aware of possible performance issues.  Bigger tires and wheels weigh more.  Experts refer to this as unsprung weight because it isn’t held up by your suspension system.  Increased unsprung weight affects performance in different ways than an equivalent amount of groceries or little soccer players in the passenger compartment. Acceleration is negatively affected.  Stopping distances may also be increased – sometimes dramatically.  If you want really big tires and wheels, you might need to upgrade your brakes to compensate.

Heading the other direction, some folks like to run smaller than standard wheels and lower the suspension.  All of the same fitment issues still apply as well as calibration issues. Don’t think that suspension modifications are a bad thing.  Many systems actually improve ride, function and performance over the stock set-up.

Regardless of your budget, you want your vehicle to continue to do all the things you need it to do.  Some of those show cars and trucks you see on TV look fantastic, but have been modified in ways that may not suit your needs. For example, if you put large rims on your SUV with low profile tires, you may be in for busted rims if you go off-roading a lot.  There just isn’t enough sidewall to absorb the impact of thumping over rocks.

Some people stuff the largest tires and wheels possible in their vehicles but have to severely restrict suspension travel so that the tires aren’t rubbing all day.  That can lead to a very harsh ride. Again, talk with your wheel professional about all of these things: how you drive, what look you are going for, your budget and what compromises you are willing to make.

At the end of the day, you’re going to be rollin’ out of there with one sweet ride.

One of the most popular vehicle modifications is custom wheels and tires.  Custom wheels help you stand out from the crowd without spending a lot of money, and custom tires can help you fine tune your performance. Not that long ago, new cars came with just one or two tire and wheel options.  Now manufacturers are offering more choices and over a third of new vehicle buyers choose custom wheels. That seems to have fueled public demand for custom wheels in all vehicle categories.  The available styles, colors and finishes are endless.  You’re sure to get the look you want – from sleek and stylish to tough and aggressive.

While custom wheels are largely a matter of taste, custom tires are a matter of function.  That is not to say that there are not a lot of cool looking tires out there, it’s just that tires are vital to your safety, so there are some important practical considerations. Let’s look at it in terms of extremes.  Think about the environment on a dry race track.  High heat, high speed, high cornering forces, hard braking.  Then think about a snowy, icy winter that is very cold and slippery.  The rubber compound that could withstand the high temperatures and cornering forces on the race track would be very stiff and inflexible in winter conditions.  And the rubber compound that provides cold weather flexibility and good bite into ice and snow would rapidly wear out on the race track and wouldn’t be stable at high speeds. Of course the tread design would be greatly different for maintaining traction on a dry race track than it would be for cutting through deep snow.

No one expects any one tire to handle these extremes.  So, what we need to do is think about how we are going to drive, and talk to a tire professional about options.  There is a tire out there that will meet your driving needs. When you boil it down to the basics, a tire provides traction.  The traction is for accelerating, cornering, and for stopping.  Once you can identify the conditions you expect to drive in, you can find the tire that will deliver the traction you need.

Tire design and formulation has become very sophisticated.  There are fewer compromises in wear, comfort, and performance.  You can definitely find a tire that will deliver satisfaction over a range of driving conditions. Now if you live where a tire meeting the severe snow standard is advised, you’ll want to have a set of winter tires during those snowy, icy months.

Let’s go over tire and wheel size.  Installing wheels and tires that are the same size as standard is easy.  However, many people want to upsize these days and that can get a bit tricky. With the help of your tire professional, you will be able to pick the right tire and wheel combination for the way you drive.  For example, if you drive off-road a lot, a low profile tire might not work because there is just not enough cushion for the bumps and rocks.

You’ll want some help to make sure your new tires and wheels fit without rubbing.  Your tire pro can also help you know if your engine management computer needs to be reprogrammed so that your speedometer is properly calibrated. A lot of people are tempted to order tires and wheels on line but do not realize that some safety systems may be affected.  For example, your rolling diameter needs to be within 3% of factory specifications in order for your anti-lock brakes to work properly.  Traction and stability control systems can also be adversely affected.

It pays to get professional help when deciding on a wheel size. There has never been a better time to get custom wheels for the look you want.  And your tire options are phenomenal.  Whether you want a single purpose winter or summer performance tire – or something that can handle a wider range of conditions, you have a tire option for every price range.