Do You Know Your Tires Traction Rating?

Tire traction ratings, rate the ability of a vehicle to stop on wet pavement. AA is the top rating and C is the lowest rating.

I have driven pick up trucks for years and now own a SUV. The only thing I used to look at when buying tires was the tire price and mileage rating. No wonder my back tires were always spinning on wet roads. Check the traction rating! Tire Rack has all the information you need to make an educated decision when you purchase your tires. I purchased the Pirelli Scorpian AT, a mid priced tire with a wet traction rating of 8.3 Tires that cost 20.00 more had a lower wet traction rating. Living in Houston the wet traction rating was one of the most important things to me. You will be amazed at what a difference a good tire makes. Tire Rack makes it easy to know what you are buying.

When you find the list of tires for your particular car or truck, click on the link for survey results. You will find a chart that displays the tires wet traction, dry traction, hydro resistance, comfort, ride, noise and more information. I never saw this information at my local tire store. You will also find a link to tire reviews written by people who already own the tire

Check the UTQG rating (uniform tire quality grade) which you will find under the SPECS link. The first number refers to the treadwear, the second letter refers to the traction rating and the third letter is the temperature rating. The Firestone Wilderness AT tires that were recalled only had a temperature rating of C. C is the lowest rating.

So who installs your tires if you buy them on the Internet? Tire Rack has a list of local installers and prices. Just enter your zip code in the search box. Many of the tire installers will also accept shipment of your tires.

Even if you don't buy your tires online you owe it to yourself to do some research and find out what you are buying.