Give your car the best grip and total traction with our 11 best tires.
Although budget tires may seem attractive compared to premium brands, there is a good reason to opt for the gold standard. If a brand claims to be the best tire manufacturer, like many on this list, they will have years of experience and research behind them that allow them to offer car owners the most technologically advanced tires. You may not immediately associate these four pieces of rubber with cutting-edge technology, but these experts have found countless ways to make tires safer, more robust, and more aerodynamic. This does not mean, however, that price is everything. There are a handful of cheaper tire brands that keep their promise and can even offer better value for money than premium manufacturers, without a huge lack of grip and handling.
Whether it’s improving traction in difficult weather, or making them more reliable and engineered to last longer, all the tires on this list will offer you something more than generic and budget tires. Read our guide to find out which tires are the best and what makes a great tire.
WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF THE BEST TIRES?
RUBBER COMPOUND AND STRUCTURE
First, the type of rubber compound used is essential for having a good tire. Tires must have a compound that allows them to perform well in wet conditions as well as dry and to have decent longevity. Major brands constantly tweak to see how the materials they use in these compounds, and in the tire in general, affect performance. To give you an idea of the complexity of the situation, an average Goodyear tire contains about 30 types of synthetic rubber, 8 types of natural rubber, 8 types of carbon black, polyester and nylon fiber, steel bead wire, and 40 different chemicals, waxes, oils, pigments, silicas, and clays. So when you hear someone talking about the smell of burning rubber on a race track, you know that actually it’s the smell of much more than that. Things you might find in all tires, but especially high-quality tires, will be zinc to make the tires more resistant, carbon black to make them last longer, and nylon threads to help seal the tire to the wheel. Good internal structure and materials used inside the tire will also help ensure that the contact patch remains even and on the road.
TREAD PATTERN
Besides the material used, the tread pattern is very important for the quality of a tire. It is the tread design that helps determine the tire’s traction on the road, and companies have developed many different styles for different conditions. Like the bow of a ship, a good design should cut through water, allowing the rubber to make contact with the road. The grooves must evacuate water from the contact patch, as failure to do so leads to hydroplaning.
There are four elements that make up a tire’s tread: the ribs are the raised section of the tread, made up of tread blocks; the grooves are deep channels that extend circumferentially and laterally around the tire; the tread blocks are the raised rubber segments that make contact with the road surface; the sipes are thin, small slits molded into the tread blocks. All these different elements work together to create the right balance between grip, stability in different conditions, and reduced resistance to allow for smooth and fast driving.
Since the best tire brands often design their own treads, they all have subtle differences and peculiarities. However, we can generalize tread types into a few rough categories.
Symmetric tread patterns are very common and feature ribs and tread blocks on the tread face where both halves of the tire display the same pattern. They provide smooth driving, have high directional control, and low rolling resistance.
A directional tread pattern is designed to rotate in one direction only and typically incorporates V-shaped tread blocks. These patterns are effective at ejecting water and have good grip on wet surfaces. They offer extremely high protection against hydroplaning, excellent handling on snow and mud, and very good high-speed handling.
Asymmetric tire treads offer almost a combination between directional and symmetric, with excellent handling, high stability in corners, and excellent grip in wet conditions.
THE 11 BEST TIRE BRANDS
HANKOOK
Moving towards the high-end of the tire market and gaining exposure in Europe through its partnership with Formula Renault and other major racing series, it offers a full range of winter, all-season, and low rolling resistance tires for excellent handling and improved fuel economy.
GOODRIDE
Goodride tires can be found all over the world, and this universal brand focuses on manufacturing products that do not harm the environment, while maintaining excellent performance, and their state-of-the-art installation has won awards from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
ROTALLA
Offering high-performance tires at affordable prices, Rotalla is a good option if you are looking for replacement tires but don’t want to pay for the brand. They have a full range of tires, including winter and low-noise tires.
NANKANG
Exceptional value for money is also something that Nankang, Taiwan’s largest tire manufacturer, tries to combine with high-quality products. Their motto is “Integrity, pragmatism, and innovation,” and they are proud of their research and development tires that make them up.
GOODYEAR
You can’t think of tires or racing without thinking of Goodyear. Named after the scientist who invented vulcanized rubber and with over 100 years of experience in the field, all Goodyear tires are technologically advanced and offer high quality. From UltraGrip 8 tires for winter to Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 tires for high performance, they have something for everyone.
MICHELIN
They may be known now for a man made of white tires or exquisite cuisine, but Michelin is a serious tire brand. For over 125 years, their technology has made them renowned for their reliability and quality. Their products are all designed with road safety in mind, and they stock everything from budget tires to high-performance tires.
PIRELLI
Since 1872, Pirelli has been designing and manufacturing innovative tires. With a set of these on your car, you can rely on their safety, reliability, and excellent driving performance. With tires suitable for off-road driving, sports performance as well as eco-friendly tires, Pirelli meets all needs.
CONTINENTAL
Recognized worldwide for their tires for a variety of vehicles (cyclists can also use Continental tires or inner tubes!), they are also known for their quality and performance. Their range includes the ContiEcoContact 5, an eco-friendly tire, the ContiPremiumContact 5 for comfort, and the ContiSportContact 3 for high-performance vehicles.
BRIDGESTONE
Whether it’s high-performance tires or just tires for daily use, Bridgestone has everything you need. Whether you drive a 4×4, a car, a van, or even a motorcycle, your needs can be met to the highest standards and according to your budget.
NEXEN
Nexen is a Korean tire brand founded in 1956. Their forward-thinking approach is illustrated by their very name, which is a combination of “next” and “century” in Korean.
Due to their commitment to quality products, friendly service, and exceptional value, Nexen’s domestic market share has grown from 8% to 20%, and they export to 120 countries. Their tires must be doing something right!
DUNLOP
Forget tennis balls and rackets, Dunlop is also a serious tire manufacturer. They clearly focus on sport and offer a “complete range of tires for all seasons and all sizes.” Their tires aim for maximum grip and are designed to be robust and durable; some are even developed in tandem with DuPont Kevlar.