Automotive Minute: Tire Types
By Bob Brown Dual RSE, HEV, Professor, Motive Power Technician
Other than during winter and summer tire changeover, most people seldom give their tires a second thought; it’s only when you stop and realize that all that keeps your vehicle on the road and in your control is your tires.
Imagine having a 2026 Corvette ZR1X with 1,250 HP and putting dollar store tires on it. The vehicle would simply not be able to perform to expectations and would be dangerous to drive.
While your tires are quite large, the part that is actually touching the asphalt is called the ‘contact patch’, which is quite small. In an average tire, the contact patch is about the size of a credit card!
Understanding the difference between tire types:
- Are you looking for All-season tires or separate winter/summer tires?
This largely depends on your budget, how often you drive and under what driving conditions. For example, some people simply don’t drive unless the roads are in great shape (no rain or snow). For those people they could likely get along fine with just All Season tires.
- What’s the difference between All-season and Winter tires?
It really comes down to temperature: 7°C is the cut-off point. Tire companies have different ‘recipes’ for their tires, which are closely guarded secrets. But essentially, when the outdoor temperature gets to 7°C or lower, the summer or All-season tire will become more rigid and start to lose traction. A winter tire has specially designed rubber compounds that stay soft in colder temperatures, providing up to 25% better traction!
Having Winter tires would be safer, as they provide more traction, better acceleration, cornering, steering and stopping performance. As a side benefit to having Winter tires, most insurance companies will give you a discount if you use them between mid-November and mid-April.
If you drive a performance-type vehicle, you would need both, but would benefit from 3-season, or summer tires, as the rubber compound is stiffer and has better traction at higher temperatures.
NOTE: Do not drive with your Winter tires installed in the summer, the tires will wear down rapidly and the tire performance will be worse as the tire is too soft and will have poor traction.
- Do you drive an EV (Electric Vehicle), or PHEV (Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicle)?
You need EV-compatible tires. Regular and EV tires are quite different.
“EV Ready” tires can handle extra weight without compromising performance by offering a higher load index. They quietly grip the road for secure braking and traction without increasing tire rolling resistance or compromising the battery’s range.
These tires are also known as LRR (Low Rolling Resistance) tires because they roll more easily than conventional tires, increasing EV range. However, they do cost more than a regular tire.
NOTE: Your EV/PHEV will come from the factory with LRR tires. If you put regular tires on, you will lose some range, up to 25% loss in some cases, so this needs to be considered. The tires will cost more, but it’s usually made up for in the long run.
As a side note, for those that drive EV’s, your tire life is generally a lot less than a regular car due to the high torque and weight of an EV. Some higher-powered EVs, if driven hard, can expect about 20K from a set of tires, compared to about 60K for the gasoline counterpart. So, to extend your tire life, drive your EV nicely.
If you want to learn more read EV Tires vs Regular Tires in Recharged,
Have an automotive topic or question you'd like to see covered in another episode of Automotive Minute? Reach out to bob.brown@mohawkcollege.ca
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