Selecting tyre sizes might sound easy, but not when you decide to deviate from the original recommended size of your car's tyres. In this case, there are a few rules to consider to ensure that your tyres get you the utmost satisfaction and driving pleasure. What's more important is that your safety on the road is assured by fitting the correct sizes of tyres.
When you go for a tyre change, there are a few rules to remember. You might want an upgrade or cannot find the right sizes of tyres for your vehicles. Whatever the reason, bear in mind that tyre sizes matter for your safety and driving comfort.
First, your set of tyres must be able to carry the weight of the car or the vehicle plus cargo. If the tyres are not able to withstand the overall load, even the best quality tyres will buckle in this condition. At this point, the tyres are already overworked carrying the load alone. The biggest danger to this, is that the tyres might not have room to respond quickly to emergencies or tricky situations and manoeuvres on the road. Thus, it is important that tyre sizes should have the capability to bear the weight of the vehicle plus extra weight that it carries for optimum performance and road safety.
When choosing tyre sizes, the major thing to remember is not to undersize as this has an overall impact on the weight bearing capacity of your vehicle. As a rule, tyre sizes can be manipulated up to 3% in diameter for cars and vans while SUVs and pick-up trucks have a margin of 15% when choosing tyre sizes. In effect, you can deviate from the original tyre specifications and work around these figures but nothing beyond these numbers. Keeping the overall diameter of the tyres ensures the accuracy of data fed into the car's computers ensuring a safe and optimum driving performance.
Hence, tyre sizes are not only crucial in ensuring good driving performance but most of all, assure that the tyres can respond to emergencies on the road keeping a vehicle and its passengers safe. If in doubt, consult your tyre specialists or providers for professional advice on installing tyres on your vehicles or to look for approved alternatives.