How to choose winter tires for a car model?

When temperatures start to drop and the weather forecasts imminent snowfall, most drivers start considering changing tires to winter tires. Contrary to appearances, their choice is not so simple, because every year more and more technologically advanced sets are released on the market, adapted to difficult driving conditions in winter. What should you consider when choosing tires and what should you pay attention to in order to ensure the comfort and safety of your journey?

Winter tire class

As in the case of car models, tires are also divided into classes. In this respect, they are classified as economy, middle and premium class. Such a division is made on the basis of the quality of tires, their prices and technical parameters that may affect the comfort of use.

• Economy class tires - this is the cheapest variant available on the market, intended for undemanding drivers. Budget tires are of average quality, but nevertheless they will cope better on the road than their summer counterparts. Such a set is enough for occasional city driving and for small cars with low power.
• Mid-range tires - in this category you can find the most versatile tires that will work well for typical driving. They have better parameters than economy tires, but are cheaper than the premium class. Mid-range tires will prove themselves in urban and off-road driving, which is why they are used both in city cars and trucks.
• Premium class tires - this segment includes the most expensive and, at the same time, the most perfect tires. They are distinguished by the use of the highest quality rubber compound and a specially designed tread. They are recommended for higher-class cars and for the most demanding drivers. They are characterized by good traction, low noise and excellent performance.

It is worth noting that many mid-range tires can match those of the premium category. If the car is used to overcome long distances in difficult conditions, it is better to choose a better option, despite the higher price, than on budget tires.

Tire size

This is a factory-set value for each car model. Information about the size of the tires is on their sidewall. Although there is a common opinion among drivers that winter tires should be narrower than summer tires, this has nothing to do with the truth. Incorrectly selected size may result in worse grip, due to the mismatch of the tread to the car's properties. This has an impact on the safety and comfort of driving, so when shopping, be sure to use the appropriate size. This value is written with a series of digits, such as 205/55 R16, which means:

• 205 - tire width in millimeters,
• 55 - the percentage of width, i.e. the tire profile, denoting the height of the rubber,
• R16 - rim diameter.

In many cases, tires of the wrong size will be impossible to put on at all, so in each vehicle you should select parts with parameters recommended by the car manufacturer.

Speed and load index

An important parameter is the load index, which is located in the series of numbers on the sidewall of the tire, right after its size. This value indicates the maximum load on one tire. For example, if the load capacity index is 90, the maximum load per tire is 600 kg. It is enough to multiply this value by the number of tires to get the result and adjust it to the permissible weight of the car specified in the registration certificate. The speed rating is the maximum speed at which the car can run on the given tires. This value is determined by the final letter of the tire designation. For example, a winter tire with a speed rating of V means that the car can only go 240 km / h. T is 190 km / h and Q is 160 km / h. You can find an overview of the speed index and load index with the associated values can be found in the tables on the Internet.