Sometimes roads get bumpy. When they do, you want to ensure that your vehicle is equipped to handle them! There are many types of tires for a variety of weather conditions and terrain types, not to even mention the various brands! The process of deciding which tire is best suited to your needs may seem daunting, but we’re going to break down everything you need to know.
From how uneven the terrain you plan to drive on is to the type of tire you decide to get, there are many factors to consider when buying tires for bumpy roads. There are certain aspects of a tire’s design that impact its suitability to drive on bumpy and uneven terrains, such as the ruggedness and depth of the tire’s tread and the size of the sidewall.
No matter your reason for needing to drive on bumpy roads, we’re here to help you get over those bumps successfully, time and time again. How are we going to do that? By helping you choose the right tire for bumpy roads and uneven terrains. In this article, we break down everything you need to keep in mind when finding the right tire for your needs.
The Right Tire for the Road
Choosing the right tire for your vehicle is an important consideration! After all, tires are the only point of contact between your vehicle and the road. For this reason, picking the right tire is a crucial consideration for vehicle owners and drivers. However, this can be daunting due to the vast number of options that are available on the market!
When it comes down to buying new tires, there’s an option for everyone. From dedicated seasonal tires to all-season or touring tires, there are a wide variety of options for consumers to pick from. The type of tire you pick is an important factor in terms of your safety as a driver. Picking the wrong tire that’s not designed or suited to the type of environment you’re driving in could result in an accident on the road.
One of the most common types of tire that is used today is the all-season tire. The first all-season tire was released in 1977 by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Since then, this type of tire has been a go-to for many drivers across the world, especially those living in regions with moderate temperature ranges.
Due to the wide variety of driving conditions these tires are suited for, they’ve become a staple in the industry. However, these tires typically cannot be used in temperatures below forty-four degrees Fahrenheit. In temperatures colder than this, these tires would not adequately grip the road, which could lead to an accident while driving.
For those living in regions with extreme temperatures, drivers may prefer to use a seasonal tire. Winter tires are great for those who live in rather cold regions. These tires are designed to support driving in wet and snowy conditions. Summer tires, on the other hand, are great for those living in very hot regions!
Then you get touring tires! Due to the superior tread life and increased traction on both wet and dry surfaces, these tires are a popular choice for many. You may confuse these with all-season tires due to the versatility of them. While you do get all-season touring tires, not all all-season tires are touring tires!
While touring tires will set you back more than a standard tire, they do come with their own advantages! While the lifespan of these tires is virtually the same as standard tire counterparts, they provide more benefits for the duration of their use than standard tires do.
Touring tires are especially popular with those who drive long distances regularly. We cannot emphasize it enough: tires are the only point of contact between your car and the road. You want to get the best tires for your driving needs. Failing to do this could result in an accident. However, would touring tires be suited to rough terrains?
Although all-season tires – whether standard or touring – are suited to a variety of seasonal conditions, are they suited to drive on all terrains? Well, it depends! Would an all-season tire be able to handle your average bumpy road and some gravel? Absolutely. However, this also depends on other factors, such as how frequently you will be driving on these types of roads.
However, there’s another type of tire to consider… especially for those who need tires that are suited to repeated exposure to bumpy terrains. All-terrain tires are designed to provide traction on a variety of surfaces, both when you’re on and off the road. Is spending more money on all-terrain tires worth it for your needs? Again, it depends on your needs.
As you can see, there are many considerations to make when picking a tire. It can often feel like you’re getting an overload of information, so much so that it may seem hard to keep track of it all. That’s why we’ve broken down all the aspects you need to consider for driving on a bumpy road. This way, you can choose the right tire for your needs and drive without worrying about the terrain you’re driving on… you can just enjoy the drive!
9 Things to Consider When Choosing Tires for Bumpy Roads
When it comes to finding the right tire for driving on bumpy roads, we’ve broken down all the points you need to consider in order to make the right decision for your needs. Many of these considerations for getting tires for bumpy roads overlap, but it’s important to consider every one of them. That way, you can make the best and most informed decision when buying new tires. Let’s jump right in!
#1 The Terrain You Want to Drive On
The terrain you plan to drive on is one of the most important considerations when it comes to choosing the right tire for your car. You want to ensure that your tires – the only point of contact between you and your vehicle – are adequately suited to the terrain you need or want to drive on.
When you pick the right tires for your vehicle, they can last a long time and serve you well during that time. Choosing the incorrect ones, however, can result in premature failure of your tires, which can cost more money down the line. In order to choose the correct ones that will last in the coming years, you need to have an idea of how you’ll be using those tires during that time.
That’s why it is important to consider the terrain you want to drive on before shopping for tires. This will allow you to consider appropriate options for your needs – you just need to have an idea of what those are. The terrain you intend to drive on will inform your decision.
If your idea of a bumpy road is a city road with some potholes, you might consider an all-season tire. You might even consider a touring all-season tire for the improved traction it offers. However, if your idea of a bumpy road is one that could possibly take you off-road, you might want to consider an all-terrain tire. This leads us to our second consideration…
#2 The Type of Tires
As mentioned above, the type of tire you choose depends on the terrain you want to drive on. Once you have an idea of the type of terrain you plan to drive on in the foreseeable future, you’ll be able to narrow down the type of tire you’re looking for.
If you’re looking for tires for bumpy roads – depending on your definition of a bumpy road – you’ll likely get one of the following types of tires. We’ve ordered the types from those suited to your average bumpy roads to those that could handle bumps even off-road.
All-Season Tires
If you plan to drive on the occasional bumpy road or gravel road, all-season tires are a good type to consider. Luckily, these tires are already standard for most vehicles across the world. There are many great all-season tire options from the world’s biggest tire manufacturers to choose from. These tires typically have deeper treads than other tires.
This means that all-season tires are not only suited to a wide variety of weather conditions but also for different terrains. Many of these tires also come with additional benefits, such as a quieter and smoother drive due to unique technologies used by the manufacturer. For mild usage on bumpy terrains, all-season tires can serve you well!
Touring All-Season Tires
A step beyond standard all-season tires, all-season touring tires will support use in bumpy surfaces longer than their standard counterpart. These types of tires are known for providing the driver with more control over the handling of their vehicle. Touring all-season tires are especially popular with drivers who drive long distances.
If you plan on driving long distances, with some bumpy terrains in between, this could be the type of tire for you! While it will likely set you back more than a standard all-season tire, the additional money will pay off in the long run – literally!
Characteristics of touring tires include their wider tread patterns and their larger contact areas to the surfaces you use them on. These features make these a great tire that will not only give you more handling control overall but will be able to handle bumpy roads.
All-Terrain Tires
If the bumpy roads you plan to drive on could possibly take you off-road, you’ll want to consider this tire for your needs! All-terrain tires are a great choice for people who need to drive on damaged and bumpy roads or even roads that are not paved. As the name of this type of tire suggests, these tires are well suited for driving on a wide variety of different terrains.
While these tires will set likely set you back more than the previous types that have been discussed, these tires have many advantages. If you’re frequently driving on varying roads, for example, from country roads to city roads or vice versa, these tires will allow for smooth transitions from one terrain to another.
With all-terrain tires, you won’t have to worry about the types of terrains you might encounter when driving. You’ll be able to drive peacefully, knowing your tires are equipped to handle whatever terrains you encounter on your journeys.
#3 Tread
Once you’ve narrowed down the type of tire you’re looking for, you’ll want one with an appropriate tread to handle the conditions you plan to drive in. The tread of your tires plays a key role in your traction on different surfaces while driving. By getting a tire with a tread that is deeper than the standard tread will allow your vehicle to handle bumpy terrains better.
Furthermore, tires with deep treads are known to last longer than those with shallower treads. This is because it takes these treads longer to wear out due to their depth. Not only do they have an increased lifespan, but tires with deeper treads will provide you with enhanced traction on uneven surfaces.
When considering a tire, whether it’s all-season or all-terrain, you’ll want to pay special attention to the tread of the tire. The deeper and more rugged the tread is, the better equipped your vehicle will be at handling uneven and bumpy roads.
#4 Gas Mileage
Another important aspect of tires to keep in mind is their link to the gas mileage of your vehicle. The tread pattern of your vehicle’s tire not only plays a role in the suitability of your tire to drive on bumpy surfaces, but it plays a key role in the fuel consumption of your vehicle.
The lower the rolling resistance of a car’s tires, the less the fuel consumption of the car will be. Today, a majority of tires are designed with a low rolling resistance to increase gas mileage. However, in order to adequately support you on bumpy terrains, some tires are designed to utilize a higher rolling resistance. This allows these cars to better grip uneven and bumpy surfaces.
Unfortunately, if you absolutely need to drive on uneven surfaces, higher fuel consumption is a reality you are going to face. However, this is still an important consideration to take into account when deciding on the best tires for your vehicle.
#5 Sidewall
While the sidewall is just one of the many parts that make up a tire, it’s a crucial one. The sidewall of a tire is responsible for ensuring that the wheel’s rim and the tire remain attached. The sidewall is located between your wheel and your tread.
When considering tires for use on uneven and bumpy surfaces, the sidewall is an important aspect to take into account. A tire with a bigger sidewall will offer more protection to the rim of the car, especially when driving on bumpy roads or even off-road.
The bigger the sidewall of the tire you choose, the better it can absorb bumps on uneven surfaces as you drive. Therefore, a bigger sidewall is an advantage for tires that will be used for driving on these types of terrains.
#6 Using a Tire’s Rating to Find the Right Balance
While not all vehicle owners are aware of it, tires come with certain ratings that could help you make the best decision for your needs. However, we’re not talking about user reviews and ratings, though that could help you, too!
Tires are given special ratings that are based on how firm the tire is and how it will handle driving both on the road and off-road. This rating is an important classification when it comes to tires – and for a good reason! The firmer a tire, the better it will perform on the road. However, a very firm tire will perform poorly in muddy off-road conditions.
Conversely, the softer a tire is, the better it is equipped for handling off-road driving conditions, including in dirt and mud. However, a softer tire will result in higher fuel consumption when driving it on a regular road. Furthermore, a softer tire designed for off-road use could even have its lifespan reduced when it is used on regular asphalt or tar roads.
When looking at various tire options, whether you’re considering all-season or all-terrain options, you want to find the tire with the right rating for you. There are many online resources that can aid you in this, and you could even ask at your local tire shop!
#7 A Brand’s Reputation Can Help You
Once you’ve narrowed down the type of tire you’re looking for, you’ll need to find the right tire itself. In order to do that, you need to select a brand. With so many different tire manufacturers out there, this alone could feel daunting!
You want to find a tire make that is suited to your various needs. A brand’s reputation can help you in this quest for new tires for bumpy roads. Certain tire makes known to handle bumpy and off-road surfaces better than others.
All the prominent tire manufacturers – such as Goodyear, Michelin, and Continental – will have a variety of all-season tire and touring options available. As mentioned earlier, some of their offerings will come with additional features using their own proprietary technologies. If you’ve decided to get an all-season or touring tire for your driving needs, you’ll want to keep in mind the other aspects discussed above, such as the sidewall and tread.
If you’ve decided to go with an all-terrain tire, there are a few other brands you should consider with reputations for handling adverse terrains. Cooper is a tire manufacturer that features on many lists of the best tires for off-road use. Nitto is another tire manufacturer known for its aggressive tires that are capable of handling a variety of different terrains.
#8 It’s Always Wise to Compare Prices
Whenever you buy something, it’s always a good idea to compare prices before buying whatever it is you’re after. The same goes for tires! There are many good reasons to compare prices before buying, but all of those reasons boil down to this: it will let you make the best decision.
Before you can compare prices, there are a few things you need to do. Firstly, you need to decide on the type of tire you want to get. Then you want to narrow down the best brands for that type of tire. After this, you’ll want to compare different offerings from your chosen brands in terms of their suitability to handle uneven driving conditions.
Once you have your various contenders from the tire brands that you’re considering, you’re ready to start comparing the prices of the contenders. When it comes to comparing these prices, there are a few key criteria to consider before you make your final decision.
By comparing prices, you’ll be able to find the average price for the type of tire you’re looking at. We’re not saying you need to take out a calculator and actually calculate the average price, but it will give you a better understanding of the price range you’re looking at. While you don’t want to get a cheap tire, you also don’t want to get one that’s a lot more expensive than the rest! Knowing the average price for the type of tire you’re looking for can help in this regard.
You’ll also want to compare additional features the tire offers. Depending on the brand, type, and model of tire you go for, some tires may have additional features. This may include technologies to increase fuel efficiency or reduce noise while driving. This can play a role in the price of the tire, and you should weigh the pros and cons of these features and how important they each are to you.
You should also check the warranty and guarantee that is offered by the various brands. Tire manufacturers generally cover their tires up until a certain number of miles. If you’re investing in new tires, you want to make sure they take you as far as possible! The warranty is, therefore, an important aspect to consider when comparing prices.
While it may not be wise to get a tire that is far cheaper than similar offerings, nobody said you should ignore a good special! Some shops and online tire retailers may have occasional specials. It is important to look out for these. This is especially common during the holiday months! Finding the right deal could help save you some money on your investment!
#9 Make Sure Your Car Can Handle Your New Tires
The final consideration you need to make for getting tires that can handle bumpy terrains is whether your car can handle the tires! The tires you settle on need to be compatible with your car and need to be able to function smoothly with the rest of the parts they work with. Once you’ve decided on the type of tire you’d like to get, you should verify with a mechanic at the tire shop that the tires are compatible with your vehicle!
Conclusion
Tires are not just the most important point of contact between your vehicle and the road; it’s the only point of contact. If the road your tires are going to make contact with is a bumpy one, you want to ensure that you get tires that can support your vehicle when it matters most.
From the type of tire best suited to your needs to the brand you settle on, there are many considerations you need to take into account when making your decision. From the tire’s rating to the price, from the depth of the tread to the size of the sidewall, there are many different aspects to keep in mind.
If you keep the nine considerations discussed here in mind, you’ll have new tires in no time! Soon you’ll be free to roam the bumpy road without worrying about whether your vehicle can handle it.