What is the difference between types of tires?

Question

I have a 2003 Alero and when I bought it, it had racing tires on it but the car fax says that the car came from Florida so they are really cracked and bad, even though there is pretty good tread left I'm still going to buy new ones... I live in North Dakota, and I really like the tires, but we have more winter than summer... So is there a huge difference between regular tires and the racing type? I have driven the car in the snow and it didn't seem different from any other car I've driven with regular tires...

Answer 1

You don't say what kind of car you have or just what tires it has.

Racing tires use a soft rubber formulation so they'll stick to the pavement, especially when they're hot (they get hot with use).

This helps in keeping the tire from spinning out under hard acceleration (when you're racing you do not want to 'burn rubber', but want the tires to stick and push the car forward). It also helps the car stay track through turns and not spin out.

This all sounds like good stuff, but if you're not racing, good tires will give you sufficient performance. Racing tires cost maybe double what others do, and only last 8,000 to 12,000 miles, making them good for maybe one year of driving. Normal tires last anywhere from 45,000 to 80,000.

I can't cay much about snow tires, where I live it doesn't snow.

Good luck

Answer 2

>>> So is there a huge difference between regular tires and the racing type? I have driven the car in the snow and

That would be the biggest difference (and the profile / height).  Most "regular tires" are these days 4 season tires - as most "racing tires" are summer tires.

If you feel you can handle snow driving, then you are better driver than me.

Good Luck...