Tire quality and variety are at an all-time high. Consider the following factors when choosing.

Today, tire manufacturers offer more choices and better performance than ever before. New tires can greatly improve how your car or truck rides, handles, and stops, and how well it keeps its footing on wet roads. No tire does everything perfectly, however. Tire makers usually emphasize one quality or another for each product line. Some tires deliver superior traction on dry or wet roads. Others bite into snow. Still others are noted for crisp steering response, a smooth ride, or long tread life. Which to choose still depends largely on what you drive, where you live, and which characteristics are most important to you.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

Major brands include BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Cooper, Dunlop, Firestone, Goodyear, Kelly, Michelin, Pirelli, and Yokohama. Each of the leading tire manufacturers sells several lines with performance and price differences. The variants are proliferating, as tire manufacturers create new categories and blur the old distinctions. Knowing the various types and designations will help you buy the right tires for your vehicle and your typical driving conditions.

CAR TIRES

There are four major types: all-season, winter, performance all-season, and ultra-high performance tires. Paying more doesn’t necessarily buy a better tire or a longer warranty.

All-season tires. These are the most popular tires by far because they’re made to be acceptable for use in nearly all conditions.  Standard equipment on many sedans and minivans, they’re designed to handle most conditions, including wet and dry pavement and light snow, reasonably well. They also emphasize a comfortable and quiet ride, predictable handling, and long wear. That makes them a sound choice for most drivers, except where winters are severe.

Price range: about $30 to $100 per tire for most brands in popular sizes, mostly S and T speed-rated.

Winter tires. Winter tires are the new name for snow tires. They feature tread designs and special rubber compounds made to grip well in deep snow and on ice. But the trade-off is often quick wear and compromised ride and handling on dry roads. Use winter tires during winter months only.

Price range: $60 to $100.

Performance all-season tires. These fall somewhere between all-season and high-performance tires in grip, comfort, tread life, and price. They’re a step up in price from regular all-seasons, with added emphasis on handling. The best we’ve tested did nearly everything well, though the trade-off can be shorter tread life.

Price range: $60 to $100 in popular sizes, mostly speed-rated H and V.

Ultra high-performance tires. These deliver the ultimate grip and handling. But the penalty is often a stiff ride, poor winter traction, short tread life, and a hefty price.

Price range: $120 or more for most, which are typically speed-rated Z or above.

LIGHT-TRUCK TIRES

Tires for SUVs and pickups tend to be larger than car tires. You’ll find three types:

All-season truck and SUV tires. These tires are very popular. Their characteristics are similar to those for all-season car tires. They aren’t designed for serious off-road use, but that’s something few SUV drivers do. And because many SUVs come with 4WD or AWD, these tires should be adequate in snow.

Price range: about $70 to $140.

All-terrain tires. All-terrain tires are the second major category of tires for light trucks. They’re designed mostly for on-road driving, though their chunky tread is intended to provide some off-pavement capability. In our tests, this type did about as well overall as all-season light-truck tires.

Price range: $70 to $140.

LT and others. Other light-truck categories include off-road and performance models. You’ll also find heavy-duty work tires with an LT (light-truck) size designation. They’re intended mainly for large SUVs, pickups, and vans that haul heavy loads.

PLUS-SIZE TIRES

The trend toward installing larger wheels and matching low-profile tires, which is known as “plus-sizing,” is often more of a fashion statement than a performance enhancer. A wheel that’s 1 inch larger in diameter is called a plus-1 conversion. A 2-inch larger wheel is a plus-2, and so on. To retain the circumference and load-carrying capacity of the original tires, the plus sizes are typically wider and have a shorter sidewall than the originals. That improves handling and grip. But the trade-offs are decreased hydroplaning resistance and snow traction. Also, the tires’ lower sidewall height means that ride comfort is degraded and that the expensive alloy wheels are more vulnerable to damage from potholes and curbs--a major consideration since these plus-size add-ons cost anywhere from $800 to $5,000 for a set of 4.

Consumer Reports tests of plus-one, plus-two, and plus-three wheels and tires found that increasing the wheel diameter one inch (plus one) yielded the greatest benefit with the fewest drawbacks. Beyond that, the trade offs outweighed the performance gains.

CR is especially leery of putting plus-size tires on pickups and SUVs. Grippier tires make some vehicles tippier by sticking rather than sliding under hard cornering or emergency road maneuvers. The extra grip can lead to a greater rollover propensity, a major reason some automakers warn against using tires of a different type or dimension from the ones the vehicle came with.

WHERE TO BUY

You have your pick of places to buy tires. When comparing prices, be sure to include the cost of mounting and balancing.

Mail-order houses and online sources, such as Discount Tire (www.discounttire.com) and Tire Rack (www.tirerack.com), offer shop-at-home convenience and generally low prices, even factoring in the cost of shipping and handling. You can save some trouble if you have them shipped to the service shop that will mount and balance them for you. Both Discount Tire and Tire Rack have lists of local installers who will mount and balance your tires.

Independent tire dealers are another good venue. Prices are often competitive with those of the online stores when you factor in what you save on shipping and that mounting and balancing are often free at tire retailers.  Car dealers, department stores, and discount warehouse clubs are other options.

HOW TO CHOOSE

A tire’s price or the duration of its warranty doesn’t always reflect its braking, handling, and traction performance. Consumer Reports has found that several all-season tires with 40,000- to 50,000-mile warranties performed almost as well as high-scoring tires with 60,000- to 100,000-mile warranties. All-terrain tires and all-season truck tires had about the same level of performance.

Consumer Reports recommends that your new tires be the same size and have at least the same speed and load ratings as the ones your vehicle originally came with. Check the label on the doorjamb, fuel-filler door or owner’s manual.

For the latest information on this and many other products and services, visit www.ConsumerReports.org. Click here to try ConsumerReports.org FREE for 30 days.

Copyright © 2002-2006 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. All of the above text is provided by Consumers Union. GuideBuy disclaims any liability for the content provided above.