Tires are the only thing between your car and the pavement, but many people still pick the wrong ones for their car or driving style. Others don’t replace them until it’s too late. Buy the right ones the first time. Here’s how.

Sizing: Here’s what those markings mean. Take the size P205/75-R14, for example. The P signifies a passenger-rated tire, unlike LT (Light Truck) and and T (Trailer). The 205 indicates the tire is 205 millimeters wide at the rim’s lip. The 75 tells us the the tire’s height is 75% of its width. 205x.75=153.75. So, we know the sidewall is about 154 mm tall on each size. The 14 is the total diameter of the rim. It is okay to deviate by a size or two in the width and aspect ratio, but your rim diameter MUST be correct.

All-Season- These are the most common on newer cars. It is a jack-of-all-trades. They are designed to perform decent in any conditions but not great. In summer, they are a little heavy on road noise. In winter, their traction is lackluster.

All-Terrain- These can be found on trucks and large SUVs. They are similar to all-seasons, but they have a slight emphasis on off-road performance.

Touring- These come stock on many luxury cars and sports cars. They have vastly better summer traction and road noise, but sacrifice some winter traction. Summer-only performance tires take this concept a step further. Their performance during summer is near perfect, but they shouldn’t be used in the winter under any but the most dire of circumstances.