Choosing the Tires For Highway Driving

Highway driving differs from typical driving in several significant ways. You generally travel at higher speeds over long distances and don’t make many sharp turns. Furthermore, you must maintain these driving patterns or you might cause trouble for other drivers and potentially end up in an accident.

If you often drive on highways, you probably need to get tires that are suited for the kind of driving expected on the Interstate. So how can you determine the best tires for highway driving?

Highway Driving Factors

There are several external factors in highway driving. You will also consider them when choosing highway tires.

Here are the most influential factors in highway driving:

Precipitation

Fog, hail, rain, and snow are all examples of precipitation.

The amount of precipitation varies among different places. In terms of amount, Hawaii gets an annual average of almost 64 inches while Nevada receives less than 10 inches.

Different states also experience different types of precipitation. Colder states get snow and hail during winter. Meanwhile, states like Florida and Hawaii usually have rain.

Precipitation affects highway driving since it changes road conditions, sometimes without warning and occasionally drastically. Think of how rainwater or snow can make the road surface slippery, reducing tire traction and increasing the risk of slipping or skidding.

Over time, heavy rainfall can erode the highway’s material, while ice can eventually fracture the road. Until the damage gets repaired, you might find yourself driving on rough patches.

If you live in a state with high annual average precipitation and plan to get highway tires, choose tires that can maintain traction on slippery roads.

Extreme Temperatures

Another factor that can influence highway driving is temperature. The temperature range varies from state to state, but it’s the extremes of that range that merit concern.

Extremely high temperatures can weaken the highway’s structure. The road can develop fractures, holes, and other forms of damage.

The opposite end of the temperature range also poses a threat to highways. Cold temperatures can make the material contract in size and freeze liquid water, turning the latter into ice that expands in volume and puts pressure on the road.

State Road Conditions

The U.S. Highway System holds its many component roadways to federally-determined quality standards. However, not every highway manages to clear the bar.

Some highways are all but pristine. Smooth and well-paved, they make driving a breeze. You can engage cruise control and take it easy.

Other highways aren’t so lucky. They experience heavy traffic, harsh weather, or even seismic activity. Without sufficient maintenance and repair, they can degrade and even fall apart.

If you stick to good highways, you don’t need the most rugged tires. However, driving on roads in poor condition will require sturdier tires, preferably off-road-capable ones.

What Are Highway Tires?

Highway tires are perfect for extended use on paved road surfaces. They possess features that improve your vehicle’s road performance in most driving conditions.

Compared to ordinary tires, highway tires last much longer. They also smoothen your car’s ride, making your trips much more comfortable.

What Should You Look For In the Best Highway Tires?

Getting highway tires is a considerable investment. You pay for their improved performance and expect to use them for extended periods. Thus, you want to get the most out of your new performance tires by choosing a product that fits your requirements.

When choosing between different highway tire products, look for the following critical features:

Independent Tread Blocks

Each tire has a tread pattern made up of elevated and lowered parts. The raised sections are called ribs. Their segments are tread blocks.

Tread blocks are the tire sections that directly touch the road. They produce traction that keeps the tire in contact with the road surface while accelerating, braking, or turning around corners.

Channels are grooves that run between tread blocks. They provide space for a tread block to flex sideways when the tire turns, which helps maintain tire traction.

The deeper the channels, the more flexible the tread blocks. Independent tread blocks feature channels that go as deep as possible without weakening the tire’s structure.

For the best traction, pick highway tires with independent tread blocks. They will help minimize skidding, improving both handling and road safety.

Sipes

Aside from channels, tread patterns also have another groove type called sipes. Sipes are thin, deep lines molded into the tire. You can tell a sipe apart from a channel because the former is thinner.

There are circumferential and horizontal sipes. Circumferential sipes follow the circumference of the tire. Their counterparts move toward the sidewalls.

Both sipes help drain precipitation from the tire’s surface. By minimizing precipitation on the tire tread, sipes ensure that the tread blocks maintain the best contact with the road surface, no matter how slippery the latter gets.

Tread Block Patterns

Like many car parts, tires make some noise as part of their operation. The faster they spin, the louder they sound. You will immediately recognize the screech of spinning tires trying to get a grip on a slippery road.

The noise comes from tread blocks interacting with the road surface. For a quieter drive, choose highway tires with an irregular tread pattern.

Irregular tread block patterns can match the traction of their regular counterparts. Their advantage lies in their reduced harmonics, leading to quieter operation while driving your car.

Rolling Resistance

Rolling resistance refers to the energy required to overcome a tire’s inertia and keep it steadily spinning. The lower the resistance, the less power the engine needs to transmit to the wheel for it to rotate.

When selecting highway tires, get low rolling resistance (LRR) ones. Their tread patterns reduce the energy required to rotate the wheels and tires. By accomplishing more work with less effort, LRR wheels improve the engine’s efficiency so you can get more mileage out of each gallon of gasoline.