Working with this magazine over the past five years, I've seen an expansion in the variety of tires available. At the same time, there's a lack of uniform category descriptions, especially when the manufacturer designates a tire as Ultra High Performance and then a retailer calls it Max Performance.
The true measure of the tire's performance also takes into account the type of vehicle on which it is installed. Because a tire with a Ultra Performance designation might be just that on one vehicle and might be Extreme Performance on another. For example, about a year ago I tested a 150-hp VW Rabbit and 290-hp GTI, each equipped with identical suspension modifications. Each used the same 19-inch wheels wrapped in 225/35 Continental ContiSportContact 2 rubber. On the GTI the tires performed well and I would have rated them a 7 on a scale of 10. Those same tires on the Rabbit, however, would earn a rating of 9/10, meaning on this car they performed exceptionally well.
When choosing the perfect tire for your vehicle, you should take into account the vehicle's performance needs, your usual driving conditions-and of course, your budget-and try not to be overwhelmed with the manufacturer or vendor's performance description-Ultra, Performance, Max, Extreme, Street, or some combination thereof.
Let's look at the sidewall of the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric
225 - Width of the tire in millimeters
35 - Height of the sidewall as apercentage ratio, the sidewall of this tire is 35% of 225 millimeter width
88 - Load Index, amount of weight the tire can handle at max air pressure, 88 = 1,235 LBS
Y - Speed Rating tire has been tested up to 186 MPH
Made in Germany - Country of manufacturing
E13 - European Union attestation marks, where the product was tested and certified, in this case Luxembourg
DOT - Department of Transportation mark certifies the tire is in compliance with all US Laws
Extra Load - Indicates the tire side wall has been reinforced to handle greater stresses, and it some instances will require different inflation pressure
Treadwear 240 - Wear rating given by the government based on the results of controlled tests
Traction AA - Stopping ability of the tire on wet asphalt and concrete with AA being the highest grade
Temperature A - Heat dissipation ability of the tire as it makes contact with the road, A being the highest grade
Inside/Outside - Indicates how the asymmetric tire is to be mounted on the rim (unidirectional tire will have terms Right/Left to indicate how they are to be mounted and their position on the vehicle)
Sidewall Plies 2 Rayon - The number of plies found in the sidewall
Tread Plies 2 rayon, 2 Steel, 3 Polyamide - The number of plies found in the tread portion of the tire
2 Steel, 3 Polyamide
Max Load 560kg
(1235lbs) 340 kpa
(50 psi) Max Pressure
- Recommended max load and psi |