I'm considering buying new tires for my car. I want the smoothest ride possible. My question is; do the quality, etc. of tires make a difference in how smooth the car rides? What kind of tire should I buy? Is there one that any of you can recommend?
I wouldn't make recommendations, as it varies depending on the vehicle. The ride and the road noise are influenced by the sidewalls and the tread pattern. If there is a tire dealer in your area that has a good reputation, take your vehicle in and ask them. Don't go just anywhere, as they can be rip-off joints, just as any mechanic-related place. Sometimes, especially in the South, taking a male relative or friend can make them less likely to rip you off. You could ask a car dealer, too. They may have recommendations.
@Shirley Martin what kind of vehicle do you have? I have had excellent luck with Bridgestone tires. My current car had Goodyear and I'm not happy with them. Bought car new and at 12,000 they look like junk.
I have had terrible luck with Firestone tires, and Uniroyals are known for having the belts break. I generally buy Cooper Tires if they are available or Hankook if I want to save money.
It has already been mentioned that you may want to ask a dealer you trust. They might, however, recommend those types which they get the highest kickbacks for. I usually read the latest test review(s) in tabular format that are based on field-testing. Those reports include all the features you are interested in, such as road noise and comfort and a price range and many more. I then shortlist three tires based on my criteria (comfort now being the most important one at my age) and end up buying the one that I might get an extra, such as free insurance for one year, for.
My car came with Continentals and they have been very smooth riding tires. We have had bad luck in the past with Michelin tires; they tended to develop side-wall cracking long before the tread wore down. I'd say avoid any Chinese tires and go with a name brand.
That was why I said a dealer that was trustworthy. They do exist. You can do your own research, but specific vehicles on specific roads in a particular climate is difficult to match without background knowledge. Most people don't even understand the tire ratings system.
When we bought our Dodge Durango SLT, it had All-Terrain Goodyear tires on it. They done great in Colorado with snow. Just last year, we had a new set up on, the same size, brand and All-Terrain again since we are moving back to Colorado. When we bought our 1997 Dodge RAM 1500, in Colorado in 2003, it had All-Terrain big tires on it, but again, that was for winter driving. Just replaced all four the middle of last year and, because the truck will stay here in Florida (being sold), we had regular Cooper tires put on it. The tire size can definitely be seen, but we didn't want to buy the expensive tires that was on it before.
Thanks for the replies, y'all. My car is a 2012 Honda Accord. I bought it in 2014. I think the tires are the ones that came on the car originally. It has about 37,000 miles on it. The tires look good but I am worried that the may have dry rotted, if that's the word you use for tires. When I'm driving down the highway at 70 - 75 miles per hour, I want to know that I can depend on my tires. I read in Consumer Reports years ago that tires can make a difference in how smoothly a car rides. I wasn't looking to buy tires then so I didn't pay much attention to what they recommended. I have never bought tires so I thought I'd ask y'all for advice. I want to know as much as I can before I buy them. Since the tires will last me for a long time, I don't mind paying a little more for the best ride. But I don't want to pay more and still not get what I pay for. As for dealers, they all will sell you a bill of goods. I need to be knowledgeable about what I need before I go in there.
All brands make different kinds of tires. Some for long wear, some for good traction, some for smoother ride, etc. Most tires are a mixture of those features. I would talk with a dealer who sells several brands.
@Shirley Martin No one has mentioned anything about the most important, to me anyway, aspects about tire-buying. Making them is a terribly competitive thing, which consequently causes the tire-makers to cut as many corners, technically, as possible, commensurate with............ Regulations imposed by the Government, what else? Time was, even an excise tax was imposed on the amount of rubber in a tire, thus making big tires of equal quality to smaller ones cost more! Improvements I've seen from my teen years on are easily identified: Less use of nylon as a cord material, use of advanced materials like polyester, use of steel belts greatly strengthening the tire structure, better compounding of the rubber and chemicals, less and less use of natural rubber, and the general swing over to radially-corded tires instead of diagonally-belted, which are almost extinct by now. The sizing system changed, too! My Dad was quick to call out, when he bought our new, 1949 Lincoln, "It has Ten-hundred fifteen Balloon Tires!" I was then 8. Next came Fed-mandated Letter-sizing: C, D, E, F, G, H, with E through H being commonest on passenger car tires, the letters referred to the width of the tread. I had F-70 X 15s on my first year Mustang. Still not sure wth the 70 signified, surely not "aspect ratio" like today's system! Perhaps 40 or so years ago, new standards for nomenclature were introduced by Uncle Sam. By then, they applied mainly to radial-cord tires, usually called "radials". Tread width is called out in millimeters (mm), followed by an "aspect ratio" number, then a letter denoting maximum speed rating, then "R" meaning radial, then the rim size, or nominal tire diameter size. Thus, my Mustang now has 245-45-ZR-17s. The 45 aspect ratio simply means the sidewall is 45% as wide as the tread, which is 245mm (about 9.6 inches). My friend and co-worker Paul Gallo, now dead, would have called them "fat sausages"! Z speed rating carries a maximum speed of 199 mph. About highest in passenger car tires. Additionally, tires are marked with three other ratings: Tread Wear (a life-rating), Temperature (how well the tire resists heat build-up), and Traction, how good it's "adhesion" qualities are. Mine are Tread Wear 80 (poor, I've seen 500 on some), Temperature A (the best), and Traction A (also the best). All these qualities are rather arbitrary, IMO, but still numbers may be derived from testing giving info better than none at all. Last thing to be said: Plies. Number of them contained, plies meaning strands of plastic fiber, steel, nylon, etc., in the tread area and sidewalls. Cheap tires are typically 2-ply tread, 2-ply sidewall. My Mustang's are 4-ply tread, 2 ply sidewall. My Explorer, even better, 5 ply tread, 2 ply sidewall. More tread plies generally means greater resistance to puncturing. Whew! Frank