For the long trips that have to go through many different terrains and weathers, the tires are the part that needs to be equipped and selected carefully to ensure a safe trip and bring as many experiences as possible without any damages that lead to patch the car tires. The article will guide you on how to choose the tires for the road trips.
Tire specifications you need to know
1. Choosing the seasonal tires:
Summer Tires: The tires that are intended for the trips taking place in warm, humid weather, not in cold or snowy condition. A tire type with complex grooves or tread helps to handle well in hot, humid weather when driving.
Winter Tires: In case the vehicle has to move in cold weather or snowy and icy place, it should be equipped with specialized winter tires, more tread shapes, more zigzag grooves to help deepen the road or ice layer to increase traction.
All-season Tires: Using for trips lasting for months or having to move frequently in a location with weather changing constantly. All-season tires have materials mixed from many compounds of different tires types suitable for all weather conditions, but the flexibility is not as good as specialized tires.
In addition, the drivers should equip spare tires or self-patching tools if they have to go for a long time in bad weather, and the tires are quickly damaged or worn.
2. Choosing the tires according to terrains:
Easy to move: You should choose the tires with high traction on the road surface, large contact surface design, wide and deep treads, hard sidewalls, large and smooth bead. It is best to choose the tires with many longitudinal grooves to help the car hold the road well and less noise. Please note that this type of tire should avoid potholes or sharp, hard objects on the road because it is easy to puncture the tire and it takes time to replace or patch the car tires.
Muddy, slippery road: You will need the wider and lower tires, with larger tread blocks that help increasing the traction ability. Tire pressures should be kept low and brake efficiency must be high, the braking distance must be decreased. It is vital to increase tires’ tread depth by 50% to help evacuate water.
If the tires include a rubber block attached to the sidewall, it will help increase friction and traction on muddy roads, reduce the possibility of rolling on nails or sharp objects that cause punctures. The care tire patching and repair during the trip is very annoying.
Rough rocky slopes: The tires traveling on these roads need to prioritize the tire protection details such as rubber bars to help preventing or absorbing shock, and have a protective shield. Tire grooves are usually designed to open to the sidewall, the tread has a path to deflect small objects and avoid punctures or scratches prevent from patching the car tires. Especially, you should choose the tires made from special rubber to help increase the tire lifespan when running on rough roads.
3. Choosing the tires for your driving style:
Comfort and luxury: Choosing the tires with durable structure, firm tread blocks, and even pressure distribution on the surface help long-distance traveling, noises, and vibrate reduction. It is recommended to have soft tires, with shallow tread grooves and have longitudinal grooves suitable for relaxing trip on smooth roads, but easy to be flattened when rolling on nails, result in having to replace tires at garage or patch the car tires manually.
Environmental friendly: The car owners should find the tires with lower rolling resistance, the car will travel a longer distance with the same fuel consumption, reducing cost, emission and protecting the environment. Bridgestone’s Ecopia tires with Nano Protech™ technology obtain innovative tread blocks design, “Rib-linked” structure and Ecopia compound is worth to considerate for whom wants to conquer green, energy-saving travels.
Extreme and sporty: Prioritizing the hard tires, with deep grooves, large tread blocks, complex patterns with tire blocks, high traction, ability to withstand high impact, very high wear resistance to increase control when turning or crossing off-road on uneven, difficult terrains. The drawback of these types of tires is the loud noise, and not as comfortable compared to on-road tires. Punctures and high impact happen frequently so drivers need to have decent tire patching skills.
Manual patching the car tires is a helpful skill that the drivers need to learn
4. Choose the high-quality tires:
Choosing the car tires for people who often go on a road trip should be based on the reputation of the brand, and the advice of a tire expert if the car owner or driver does not have enough expertise to choose. Bridgestone is a premium brand that has a wide range of tires suitable for every terrain, weather, and style meeting the strict requirements and standards for vehicles used on the frequent road trips.