Updated Articles and Resources

By Sean Phillips, About.com Guide

How To Not Buy An Unsafe Used Tire Created: Thursday, May 23, 2013 Updated: Thursday, May 23, 2013
There are a whole lot of unsafe used tires out there on the market. Here's how to avoid ending up with one.
Review: Nokian WRG3 Asymmetric Created: Sunday, March 31, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Nokian's WRG2 is probably the best true All-Season tire in existence. Nokian's WRG3 is not, but it's trying pretty hard.
Review: Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport AS Created: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
When Bridgestone looks at the state of the SUV/Light Truck market, they see that it is transitioning away from big heavy SUV's and towards much lighter, sportier “crossover” vehicles. A...
Review: Bridgestone Potenza RE97AS Created: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The Bridgestone RE97AS is designed to have a smoother and quieter ride than the RE970AS, but has somewhat less track-style performance. At the same time it has more performance and a less smooth ri...
Tire Performance Categories Explained Created: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Tire performance categories can be enormously confusing. This can be very important information, because you're going to want a tire that fits your car and driving style. If you don't know the diff...
How Cambered Tires Work Created: Friday, April 12, 2013 Updated: Sunday, April 14, 2013
Cambered tires may well be the biggest breakthrough in tire technology since the vulcanization of rubber.
Review: Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 Studded Created: Sunday, March 31, 2013 Updated: Sunday, March 31, 2013
Studded tires are the very, very best in terms of winter grip. Nokian's Hakka 7 studded tires are certainly among the very best of that group, at least until the Hakka 8 becomes available.
Review: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 SUV Created: Sunday, March 31, 2013 Updated: Sunday, March 31, 2013
Nokian's Hakkapeliitta R2 passenger snow tires are "crazy good." The SUV version is just as crazy and just as good.
Tips for Buying Wheels Video Created: Friday, March 29, 2013 Updated: Friday, March 29, 2013
When buying wheels for your auto, you have many options to choose from: fuel efficient and light weight aluminum alloy wheels to durable steel wheels, for optimal performance in snowy conditions. L...
Common Types of Wheels Video Created: Friday, March 29, 2013 Updated: Friday, March 29, 2013
Shopping for wheels for your car? Consider a steel tire, if you live in a snowy region. Concerned about fuel costs? Think aluminum alloy. Learn more with this About.com video.
Quick Tip: Tire Sizes Video Created: Friday, March 29, 2013 Updated: Friday, March 29, 2013
When shopping for car tires, there are many sizes to choose from so you need to know what you're looking for. Learn about the common tire sizes available for your vehicle in this About.com video.
How to Read a Tire Video Created: Friday, March 29, 2013 Updated: Friday, March 29, 2013
Have you ever wondered what all the numbers and letters represent on the side of your car tire? Watch this About.com video to find out!
Quick Tip: Tire Types Video Created: Friday, March 29, 2013 Updated: Friday, March 29, 2013
So you need brand new tires for your car, but you're unsure what to buy--we can help! Take a minute to watch this video from About.com to learn about the different types of tires.
Review: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 Created: Monday, March 25, 2013 Updated: Monday, March 25, 2013
I travel to Ivalo in Finnish Lapland to try out Nokian's newest snow tire, the Hakkapeliitta R2, which is better than it's predecessor in every way I can see.
Tire Size Calculators Created: Thursday, February 28, 2013 Updated: Saturday, March 02, 2013
Tire Size Calculators are one of those things you don't need until you really need one, because nobody wants to do tire sizing math in their head. Here is a list of some of the best ones.
Plus and Minus Sizing Your Tires Created: Thursday, September 15, 2011 Updated: Saturday, March 02, 2013
Need to change your tire size, but don't understand what the tire guy is telling you? Here's how to figure out what tire size you need like the pros do.
Where To Buy Wheels and Tires Online Created: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Updated: Saturday, March 02, 2013
There are lots of websites out there promising discounted tires and wheels, but which one to choose? Here's my list.
Review: Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus Created: Saturday, March 31, 2012 Updated: Saturday, March 02, 2013
"When we're working with our engineers, they say, 'You're asking for everything!' and we say, 'Well, yeah. That's what the customer seems to want.'"
Alloy Profiles: Borbet Created: Thursday, February 28, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 28, 2013
Borbet is a German company with one of the longest and proudest histories of any aftermarket wheel maker.
The Unbeatable Lightness of Being Carbon Fiber Wheels Created: Thursday, February 28, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 28, 2013
We have the technology. We can make your wheels better, stronger, faster, lighter, and just plain cooler. For $15,000.
Second Look: TireBuyer.Com Created: Thursday, February 28, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 28, 2013
I take another look at an online tire retailer called TireBuyer.com, which I had previously described as "clunky." It's not clunky anymore.
Tips for Buying Sport Tires Video Created: Thursday, February 07, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 07, 2013
Shopping for some new sports tires for your car? Consider an all-season or an asymmetrical option, and make sure you choose the correct speed-rated tire. Watch this About.com video to find out more.
What Is Tire Siping? Video Created: Thursday, February 07, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 07, 2013
Tire siping can greatly improve traction and reduce noise while driving. Learn what siping is and how it is beneficial for your tires in this About.com video.
Quick Tip: Tire Treads Video Created: Thursday, February 07, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 07, 2013
Different types of tire treads are made to handle certain road types, driving styles, and elements. Learn about different tire treads and which one is right for your vehicle in this video from Abou...
What to Do If Your Tires Are Recalled Video Created: Thursday, February 07, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 07, 2013
Hearing that your tires are recalled is not the most pleasant news, but what do you to get them replaced? This how-to video from About.com gives you information on what to do if your tires are reca...
The Best Performance All-Season Tires For 2013 Created: Thursday, January 31, 2013 Updated: Friday, February 01, 2013
If what you want is superior grip for a high-performance car in both dry and wet conditions, and you plan to either switch out to pure winter tires or not drive the car in the snow, one of these &#...
Review: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 Created: Monday, December 31, 2012 Updated: Friday, February 01, 2013
Michelin will launch their new Pilot Sport A/S 3 Ultra High Performance All-Season tire this summer. "L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace!"
Winter Wheel and Tire Packages Created: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Updated: Thursday, January 31, 2013
Looking for winter wheel and tire packages for this year or next? Here's some suggestions, targeted to the needs of different types of drivers.
Review: BFGoodrich G-Force Rival Created: Thursday, January 31, 2013 Updated: Thursday, January 31, 2013
Let me put it this way: BFGoodrich's pure competition tire, the R1 and their street tire, the G-Force Comp-2, loved each other very much. When the stork finally arrived, they named it Rival, and fo...
Review: Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season Created: Thursday, January 31, 2013 Updated: Thursday, January 31, 2013
As a reviewer, I try to make clear when I have a bias, whether positive or negative. I do have something of a negative bias regarding Pirelli. Mostly this comes from years of doing tire repairs and...
The Best Winter-Biased All-Season Tires For 2013 Created: Thursday, January 31, 2013 Updated: Thursday, January 31, 2013
The idea of all-season tires is always a compelling one. Having tires that can be kept on your car year-round, that work well in both the winter and summer is generally a whole lot easier and cheap...
The Best Daily Driver Tires For 2013 Created: Thursday, January 31, 2013 Updated: Thursday, January 31, 2013
Here's my list of some of the best Daily Driver tires, the ones that get you where you're going safely with a minimum of fuss and price. The ones that have a nice smooth ride, resist hydroplaning i...