Touring Tires

Be it a bicycle or a car, tires play a very important part in traction and mileage. Today, you will find a wide range of tires intended to be used for specific driving conditions such as in snow, terrains, or on highways. Most car owners get confused as to which tires are the best for their automobiles. The fact is that choosing the best tires totally depends on what type of automobile you own, where you live and the driving style.

What are Touring Tires?

As the name suggests, these are tires specifically meant for long journeys and regular highway runs. These types of tires were not available until the early 1980s when Goodyear came up with the concept. You can say that these tires are upgraded versions of conventional tires. The primary factor about these tires is that they provide a smoother ride, without compromising with traction and handling of the vehicle. The reason why touring tires contribute to good stability is their wider tread.

These tires come with a wide range of tread designs according to driving conditions, such as all-season and summer treads. They are generally available at a higher price than ordinary ones. Normally, luxury vehicles and high-end SUVs have these tires as a factory setup. They have a good tread life and manufacturers usually offer warranties up to 60,000 to 80,000 miles. Remember that these tires are good on wet surfaces, but might be unsuitable on snowy roads.

Touring Tires vs Performance Tires and All-season Tires

There is a huge difference between touring and high-performance tires. As mentioned before, touring tires are mainly used for a smoother and comfortable ride on highways. On the other hand, high-performance tires are used on sports and muscle cars. Performance tires are meant for high speed, traction, and handling. Since these tires use softer rubber than touring ones, the tire wear is rapid. Also, these tires do not provide maximum comfort to the automobile.

Coming to the cost factor of touring and high-performance tires, the latter are more expensive than their touring counterparts. If you are wondering about touring tires vs all-season tires, the latter ones are intended to be used in normal driving conditions in all seasons. All-season tires have additional sipes to have a better control on slippery roads or dry surfaces. However, you need to note that they are not intended for high-performance driving.

Best Touring Tires for Cars

• Michelin Latitude Touring Tires - $480
• Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring 215/55-16 Tire - $117
• Kelly Tires Navigator Touring Gold Tire - $165
• Mastercraft Avenger Touring LSR 215/60 R16 95T - $83
• Dean Wildcat Touring SLT - $80
• Yokohama AVID Touring S 175-65-14 - $58

There are many other brands such as Cooper, Futura, Hankook Tires, and so on. In order to find out which type of tire is best for your car and driving conditions, you can refer to reviews. Touring tires are also used on bicycles and motorcycles for long riding sessions. You can even go to a car sales and service professional and discuss with him regarding which tire is most suitable for your driving conditions. In order to get the best performance from the tires, periodical tire rotation is also necessary.