Tips And Guides
Practical tire tips and guides that explain what the codes on your sidewall mean and how to make the right call when something goes wrong. Start with how to read a tire size, the tire speed rating chart, and the load range chart, then dig into repairs like patch vs. plug and the signs you need new tires.
Shopping soon? Our tire buying and maintenance guide walks through choosing the right tire, and tire warranties explained shows what that mileage promise is really worth. For brand-by-brand verdicts, browse our tire reviews.
How Oversized Tires Affect Your Transmission and How to Protect It
The new tires look exactly the way you hoped. The truck sits taller, the tread fills the wheel wells and the first trail...
What Should Tire Pressure Be in the Summer? Heat, Road Trips and Towing Explained
You check your tires at a gas station on a 95°F afternoon after an hour on the highway, and the gauge reads 39...
Why Are F1 Tires Shiny? The Real Science Behind the Gloss
Watch a Formula 1 car roll out of the garage and the tires look almost wet, a deep black gloss that catches the...
Why Don’t Cars Use Solid Rubber Tires? Air vs Solid Explained
Every flat tire raises the same question. If air is the thing that leaks out and leaves you stranded, why not just make...
Why Do I Keep Getting Nails in My Tires? Causes and Fixes
The first nail feels like bad luck. The second, a month later, feels like a coincidence. By the third trip to the tire...
Are Spare Tires Universal? How to Tell If a Spare Will Fit Your Car
It usually comes up at the worst moment. The spare in your trunk is flat or missing, a friend offers the one from...
Can You Fill Car Tires With Helium? Why It Is a Bad Idea
The thought is hard to shake once it occurs to you. Helium lifts balloons, so surely a set of helium-filled tires would make...
What Does M+S Mean on Tires? The Mud and Snow Marking Explained
Look at the sidewall of almost any all-season tire and you will find two letters near the size: M+S. Many drivers take it...
