Benefits of Upgrading Your Tires for the New Year

Maintaining quality tires is a cornerstone of car maintenance. Tires may not be as complicated as your car's engine, suspension or brakes, but replacing your tires can help both of these systems perform at their best. Upgrading your tires to 33 inch all terrain tires can give your vehicle more stability and safety in tricky driving conditions. Here are four benefits to upgrading your tires this new year. 

Better Traction

Tires are your car's only point of connection to the ground. Flat tires, underinflated tires or tires with lost tread are a safety hazard because they jeopardize this all-important link. Upgraded tires provide fresh tread and better traction between your car and the pavement. This helps your car drive, turn, stop and handle more easily. 

How does better traction from new tires translate to vehicle performance? Tire traction impacts performance on multiple crucial levels, including:

• Braking speed

• Torque

• Acceleration

• Stability in turns

• Grip on icy, snowy, uneven or wet surfaces

When looking to increase your vehicle's safety, handling or performance, look to your tires first. The right foundation is essential to any car's driving experience. 

No Wear and Tear

New tires have fresh tread that gives plenty of traction. When you upgrade your tires, though, you also get the benefit of less wear and tear on other key elements of your vehicle. 

Engines have to work harder to move a car on dead tires. Steering systems have to work overtime as well. If your old tires are prone to losing tire pressure in winter, that could put undue strain on your suspension. Upgrading your tires improves your entire car from the ground up. 

Safety in All Conditions

Old tires are a safety concern on any vehicle. Check the tire tread rating of tires and write this number down after your tire purchase. Most tires are rated to be safe for anywhere from 65,000 to 100,000 miles. If you're past that threshold, your tires may be too worn down to allow for safe stops and turns. 

Adventurous off-road driving is even more dangerous without the right tires. A set of all terrain tires is an important upgrade going into winter if you plan on driving off road. These tires have sturdier walls and deeper tread than standard or all-season tires. They grip on uneven surfaces and are more resistant to punctures. As these tires are heavier, you will lose a certain amount of fuel efficiency using all-terrain as opposed to road tires. 

Tires are one of the easiest ways to instantly upgrade your driving experience. Improving your points of contact with the road sets the foundation for healthy systems throughout your car. You wouldn't walk outside with destroyed shoes, so make sure you're not doing the same with your tires.