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Touring Tires

Stephen Rampur
If you mostly drive on highways for a long time, installing touring tires is the best bet. Here is an insight on touring, performance, and all-season tires.
Be it a bicycle or a car, tires play a very important part in traction and mileage.
Most car owners get confused about which ones are best suited for their automobiles. The fact is that choosing the most appropriate type totally depends on what type of automobile you own, where you live, and the driving style. Touring tires are also used for bicycles and motorcycles in case of long riding sessions.

What Are Touring Tires?

As the name suggests, these are specifically meant for long journeys and regular highway runs.
  • These types of tires were not available till the early 1980s, until Goodyear came up with the concept. You can say that these are an upgraded version of the conventional variety.
  • The primary fact about them is that they provide a smoother ride, without compromising on traction and handling of the vehicle. The reason why these tires contribute to good stability is their wider tread.
  • They come in a wide range of tread designs such as all-season and summer treads which are chosen in accordance with the driving conditions. They are generally available at a higher price than ordinary ones.
  • Normally, luxury vehicles and high-end SUVs have these tires as a factory setup. They have a good tread life, and manufacturers usually offer warranties of up to 60,000 to 80,000 miles.
  • Remember that they are good on wet surfaces, but might be unsuitable on snowy roads.

Touring Tires Vs. High-performance and All-season Tires

Touring Tires

  • Mainly used for a smoother and comfortable ride on highways
  • Less expensive when compared to the other two types

High-performance Tires

  • Mainly used on sports and muscle cars
  • Meant for high speed, traction, and handling
  • Uses softer rubber when compared to the touring ones, causing the tires to wear out rapidly
  • Do not provide maximum comfort to the automobile
  • More expensive than touring ones

All-season Tires

  • Intended to be used in normal driving conditions in all seasons
  • Possess additional sipes to have a better control on slippery roads or dry surfaces
  • Not intended for high-performance driving

Best Recommendations
  • Michelin Latitude Touring Tires 235/55 R18 99T
  • Cooper Discoverer SRX
  • Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring 215/55-16 tire
  • Mastercraft Avenger Touring LSR 215/60R16 95T
  • Dean Wildcat Touring SLT
  • Yokohama AVID Touring S 175/65-14

Some Quick Tips
In order to find out the most suitable tire for your car and the driving conditions, you can refer to reviews or talk to a car sales and service professional. To get the best performance from the tires, periodical tire rotation is also necessary.