When you need to change tires, do you have no idea where to start and how to choose tires? What is really related to tire performance are these three indices.
1. Tire load index
For example "HL 245/45 R 19101 Y XL". This HL tire has a load capacity of 1819 pounds (load index 101), a 10% increase over the similar (other) XL standard's 1653 pounds (load index 98). Tires built to the SL standard also fit many cars, even midsize models, and can handle a maximum load of 1,477 pounds (load index 94).
You may think that the load index is far enough, but in fact, because under sudden braking, the inertia will cause the two front wheels to bear 80% to 90% of the weight of the vehicle, or even more than the weight of the entire vehicle, so in theory the original factory The load-carrying design of the tires will leave double redundancy, that is, the upper load-carrying limit of the two tires is almost equivalent to the curb weight of the vehicle. Therefore, the higher the load index, the better the stability of the vehicle.
2. Tire maximum speed level
Tires with high speed levels run faster, and tires with low speed levels run slower. This is easy to understand. The speed level of passenger car tires starts from M, and the letters further back represent higher performance. However, the current speed limit on China's highways is 120 km/h. Nowadays, the speed rating of most passenger car tires is between S and Y, which means that the maximum withstand speed is between 180-300 km/h. In this way, almost all passenger car tire speed grades can meet the demand, but the speed grades of common tires on the market are tires with speeds above 200 per hour. What are the advantages of high-speed tires over low-speed tires?
Tires with high speed levels will have enhanced shoulder and tread designs in order to better buffer heat generation and tire deformation. Generally speaking, tires with a higher speed rating have better grip when the vehicle turns. Foreign professional drivers once conducted a comparative test on speed levels. Two identical cars used the same size tires. The tires with higher speed levels had better braking performance, and driver experiments showed that tires with higher speed levels turned at extremely fast speeds. The more stable it is.
3. Tire wear resistance index
The wear resistance index is usually printed numerically on the side of the tire. The larger the number, the more wear-resistant the tire is. The wear resistance index of general household car tires is in the range of Treadwear 240-400, and various manufacturers label these tires more for comfort, silence, wear resistance, etc.
However, the wear resistance index of performance tires with stronger road grip is usually 200 and below.
The brand, price, and model of tires are also factors we need to consider when choosing tires. But the above points are the most important things to consider when buying tires. Therefore, we need to choose tires from multiple dimensions according to our own needs.