Michael Sachs (“The Jag Doctor”) is the owner of Sachs Automotive, Inc. and has been working on Jaguar cars since 1989. He is a former member of the Jaguar Master Technician Guild as well as an ASE Master Auto Technician and the official late model technical expert for the JCCNF. 

Let’s state the obvious. We want the best handling tire on dry and wet roads, good stability when cornering, quiet & smooth riding, and last so long they dry rot before they wear out. Well unfortunately there is no such tire, so we have to make some tradeoffs. What are my priorities? Do I drive it like I stole it or like I own it? Do I do a lot of hard braking. Do I take my car to auto crosses or slalom courses? Or is it just my daily driver for the family. A good tire store will ask you these questions in order to try and recommend the best tire for your needs, but even a good tire store may try and recommend a specific tire if it’s in stock. Some may even steer you to a less expensive tire where they have a greater profit margin. Protect yourself.

YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT TIRE YOU WANT BEFORE YOU GO!

So how do we do this? First of all, you need to get the information off the sidewall of the tires you have now and use the information for comparison. Here is an example of the important information located on the sidewall of a tire.

The tire size is determined by your vehicles specs. It is what it is. Here’s the rest.

1. Tread Wear for every 100 points you should expect about 7,200 miles of use.
2. 200 tread wear tire is good for about 14,400
3. 400 tread wear tire is good for about 28,800
4. 600 tread wear tire is good for about 43,200 

1. Traction Ratings are from AA, A, B, C with AA having the most grip.
2. Temperature Ratings indicates the extent to which heat is generated and/or dissipated by a tire. If the tire is unable to dissipate the heat effectively or if the tire is unable to resist the destructive effects of heat buildup, its ability to run at high speeds is reduced.
   

Here’s how I compare a tire attributes in order to choose the correct tire for my needs.


Tire Rack dot com  has the best tire information I have ever found. They allow me to compare tires with all the info needed. I do however buy my tires locally for several reasons, service, warranty, flat repairs are free at most places that sell you the tires, and I just like to help the local economy.

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The photo below shows 3 different tread designs. The order I use is Tread Design for a quiet ride, tread wear for longevity, traction for handling, and last is temperature. #1 is a high performance street design that is usually combined with high grip, excellent handling, usually wears out quickly, and can emit a lot of road noise. #3 Yes, I skipped #2 for now. #3 is an All Season Tire. They usually have less performance than design #1 but have much greater wear and have very little road noise. #2 is a combination of #1 and #3. So you need to look at the attributes and decide the order of importance for you, in order to make the best decision. The order I use is Tread Design for a quiet ride, tread wear for longevity, traction for handling, and last is temperature.