What are the best tires for East and Central Texas?

Locations in East and Central Texas: 245
First East & West Texas location opening date: TXD01 | May 16, 1983
Common vehicles: tons of pickup trucks and large SUVs, crossovers
Major regions/cities: Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, Arlington, Corpus Christi, Waco, Galveston
Road conditions: Heat, dry or wet roads, tons of traffic and construction, long distances between destinations, potholes

With nearly four million residents in the eastern and central regions of Texas (that’s a lot of traffic) centered in half a dozen major cities plus nearly 300 million tourists, there’s tons of cars on the Lone Star State’s roadways.

And Texas is big. Really big. It’s roughly 7% of the United State’s total land size at 268,597 square miles. This means that everything is far apart and driving is definitely not optional. East and Central Texans must also contend with a huge variety of climate and driving conditions, from drenching hurricanes near Galveston, semi-arid San Antonio and humid and sticky summers in Austin.

So, how do Texans, specifically in East and Central Texas, manage their tires?

We’re here to help you find the best tires for East and Central Texas with our boots-on-the-ground advice from our Discount Tire experts!

(Were you looking for the best tires for West Texas?)

BEST CAR TIRES FOR EAST AND CENTRAL TEXAS

East and Central Texas, despite being half of the state, enjoys different weather and climates. Near the coast by Galveston and Houston, you’ll find coastal humidity and plenty of rain. San Antonio and Austin are drier while Dallas, Fort Worth and Tyler are all somewhere in the middle.

Also, many Texans have long commutes into city centers for their jobs,so tire longevity and tire life is a top concern.

So it’s not for nothing that the preferred tire type in East and Central Texas is the all-season tire. All-season tires offer competent performance in a wide range of conditions and feature a lengthier service life than say a summer tire.

Will Young, manager of the Texas City Discount Tire store, says his customers first and foremost focus on stopping distance when shopping for their car tires. Since he’s near the coast, they get a good amount of rain, heat and extreme humidity. You pair this with stop-and-go traffic in that area and you really need to make sure your wet braking is on point.

His customer’s number one pick? The Michelin Defender 2. Dallas Discount Tire stores all agree on this. It’s a super high mileage tire which is a great benefit for those who commute. SipeLock™ technology and Michelin’s MaxTouch 2.0 and Piano™ Acoustic Tuning technology round out its repertoire of features to give it long lasting tread, quiet and smooth rolling ride and maxed out wet and dry traction. It is also built in a wide range of sizes, even larger rim sizes, so it fits most vehicles. Did we mention its huge 80,000-mile warranty?

Adam Perryman’s San Antonio Discount Tire customers like the Michelin tire we just mentioned, but also turn to the Continental ControlContact Tour M A/S. This premium tire offers control, treadlife and traction for a variety of sedans, sporty coupes and even your minivan. Boosted dry and wet handling is yours via its optimized tread pattern with the added bonus of improved tire wear and fuel efficiency thanks to Continental’s EcoPlus Tech with Tg-F polymers. It's a great option for any part of East or Central Texas and it comes with a 70-80k mile warranty to top it all off.

Will’s customers come in asking specifically for the Yokohama YK-GTX, an all-season tire with a performance-oriented tread. “Customers come in looking for a tire with as many features as possible but still remain on budget,” he says. The YK-GTX offers excellent wet stopping distances, very important during sudden spring deluges, summer storms or typical coastal weather. Extremely capable, the YK-GTX utilizes a high resin-based oil compound to extend treadlife and resist hydroplaning using wide spaced tread grooves and a high-silica tread compound. It boasts a 70k mileage warranty.

Adam in San Antonio agrees that the YK-GTX is an excellent tire (he sells tons of them and his customers really like them). He also suggests the Falken Pro G5 A/S for those looking to get the most bang for their buck. Engineered for all-season performance, the Pro G5 A/S is designed for wet, dry, warm and cool conditions with a specialized tread compound and interlocking sipes in the tread pattern. Wide outer shoulder blocks boost steering and deliver confident highway performance. This plus the 60,000-mile treadwear warranty make it an excellent commuter tire—perfect for commuters across Texas.

BEST TRUCK TIRES FOR EAST AND CENTRAL TEXAS

As you are probably aware, there are a lot of trucks (and big SUVs) in East and Central Texas.

Texans drive trucks for work, play, as a family vehicle or even just to look and feel good. Finding four wheel drive capable pickups is not a difficult task at all. Truck tires typically come in two categories: highway-terrain and all-terrain tires.

Highway-terrain truck tires offer good mileage, wet and dry traction control and are strong enough to withstand the weight and performance of a large vehicle. If you have no need for rolling on unpaved surfaces, this will be the tire you choose.

Will Young, manager of the Texas City Discount Tire store, says the two top highway-terrain truck tires for East and Central Texas are definitely the Michelin LTX M/S2 and the Bridgestone Dueler LX.

The Michelin LTX M/S2 doesn’t compromise on safety and performance. It’s the total package with wet and dry grip, amazingly short braking distances and even light snow proficiency. It’s also backed by a 70,000-mile warranty. Customers love its quiet ride, high degrees of control during acceleration, braking and cornering and reliable drive.

The Bridgestone Dueler LX mixes luxury comfort with high degrees of all-season performance. Dependable and long-wearing thanks to its silica-enhanced tread compound, it’s frequently cited by our Texas truck customers as a great tire choice whether you’re towing toys, hauling a trailer, moving your family around, hitting the highway miles or driving to the grocery store. “It’s a great one,” advises Adam, manager of one of our many San Antonio Discount Tire stores.

On a strict budget? Check out our exclusive tire, the Pathfinder HT. This all-season budget buy is great for pickup trucks, vans and vans. Circumferential grooves channel water away from the tire’s contact patch and work in tandem with zig zag siping, giving excellent wet condition traction.

Adam’s San Antonio truck customers also use highway-terrain tires (many have long commutes) but at least half need them for work or handling rural country roads close to home. Many prefer all-terrain tires for hauling and towing, too.

His recommendation? The BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 (the KO3 was also recently released). It includes an unusual (for an all-terrain) mileage warranty of 50,000-miles and also sports the three-peak mountain snowflake severe weather rating. It boasts stable handling, both on and off-road, and readily available traction in nearly any terrain including dry, wet, loose and rocky conditions. A Serrated Shoulder Design allows for superior grip in snow, mud and over rocks, especially when aired down.

The Nitto Ridge Grappler is another popular option for East and Central Texas. Its tread is aggressive, more like a mud terrain tire, with durability and off-road competence to match. The hybrid tread design gives you a comfortable on-road commute compared to most mud-tires without sacrificing extreme traction capability. Stone ejectors in the base of the grooves help remove debris and help protect the tire from stone drilling, too. Not for nothing it features on our Top Rated Rugged Terrain Tires list!

If you’re towing or hauling heavy loads, the Nitto Ridge Grappler and BFGKO2 are going to be your top considerations. Many truck owners simply like the aggressive tread, especially for their lifted trucks.

Want more options? Will over in Texas City recommends the Cooper Discoverer ATP II. It delivers impressive all-terrain traction but at a more moderate price point compared to other heavy hitting options. The ATP II uses alternating shoulder scallops for fierce traction in soft terrain like mud and sand and rugged shoulder lugs boost traction in aired down driving conditions (while resisting damage). Plus, it offers weather-related coverage with Snow Claw technology and Wet Grip Grooves for dry, wet and light winter level driving.

On a more restrictive budget? The Pathfinder AT is an excellent value-minded truck tire with competent off-road grip and on-road comfort. Zigzag circumferential grooves keep your pavement experience quiet and comfortable while interconnected rib tread blocks give responsive handling and precise steering control. Its aggressive all-terrain tread pattern is nothing to dismiss, either. You won’t be climbing boulders, but gravel work sites, country roads and bumpy paths will be no issue. It includes a 50-55k mile warranty and is a Discount Tire exclusive tire!

DO I NEED SNOW TIRES IN TEXAS?

You probably won’t need snow tires in Texas. However, if you are traveling to an area or region that experiences a true winter, you should consider using winter tires.

We prefer calling them “winter tires” because snow is not their primary function. Winter tires are designed to function in temps below 45F. Their snow, ice and slush traction is secondary to this because your tread must be flexible enough for those tread elements to work. Winter tires deliver reliable performance, braking and traction in slippery conditions even at these low temperatures, unlike other tire types.

Did you know all-season tires do not perform as well as dedicated winter tires in low temperatures? They can’t brake as well as winter tires, either.

Unfortunately, your all-terrain or mud terrain tire cannot deal with true winter conditions as well as a winter tire, too.

If you frequently travel north (say, to Colorado), it may be worth keeping a set of dedicated winter tires to keep you as safe as possible.

The Best Winter Tires for East and Central Texas

If you don’t need to keep a set of dedicated winter tires but need to occasionally travel north in winter, Adam suggests the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 for your truck or large SUV. It features a severe weather designation that allows it to have increased (compared to a regular all-terrain tire) performance in winter weather.

For your sedan, coupe or crossover, we suggest turning to all-weather tires, which offer extended performance in lower temperature ranges than traditional all-season tires. They deliver boosted wet and light winter condition handling and traction, too. This is an emerging tire category with a few solid options, including the Nokian Encompass AW01, Michelin CrossClimate 2, Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady and Bridgestone WeatherPeak. A quick way to tell if a tire’s an all-weather tire? If it’s an all-season with a severe weather designation, it’s a pretty safe bet that it is.

We compare all-season, winter and all-weather tires here.

If you do happen to need a set of winter tires, you can’t go wrong with any from the Bridgestone Blizzak family of winter tires. They are easily available in a huge range of sizes to fit everything from a Chevy Spark to your Ford F-350.

For your passenger vehicle, the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 delivers confident braking, powerful traction on snow and ice and treadwear resistance.

For larger vehicles like your SUV or pickup truck, the Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2 utilizes a hydrophilic coated tread that sheds water and snow. The tread also includes bite particles to help keep its footing on slippery roads.

ARE STUDDED TIRES AND TIRE CHAINS LEGAL IN TEXAS?

No, studded tires are not legal in Texas.

Tire chains are allowed when required for safety during a time of snow, ice, or other condition that might cause slippery highways.

Very few Texans bother with tire chains, however. They may if they are traveling north to a state that may require them for specific areas, such as Colorado.

Other East and Central Texas Wheel & Tire Services

“We want to thank our customers for coming to us for their tire needs. Your loyalty means a lot to us,” says Adam Perryman, manager of one of our many San Antonio Discount Tire locations.

What other tire services will you need in East and Central Texas? With construction being a constant reality, nails, screws and other building debris is always a danger to your tires.

That’s why we encourage you to add our Certificates to your tire purchase. These are our tire buying guarantee that replaces your tire for free in the event of tire damage (either due to a road hazard or manufacturer’s defect) that we can’t safely repair.

Our stores also offer wheel repair services. And we have the largest aftermarket wheel inventory at the lowest prices. If your ride is ready for a style upgrade or needs a wheel fix, we can help you out with new rims!

Don’t forget to check your windshield wiper blades before you hit the road. We recommend changing wiper blades every 12 months. Need new wiper blades? You’re in luck. We stock a full supply of high-quality, low-priced windshield wipers, and we’ll install your new wiper blades for free during your wheel or tire service!

Let us help you keep you and your vehicle as safe as possible with our suite of tire services, including flat repair, rotation and balancing, tire air pressure checks and more!

We advise drivers to check their air pressure frequently. Correct air pressure is an important factor in the safety of your vehicle and your passengers. Tire air pressure also affects fuel efficiency and treadwear. Air pressure is also affected by temperature.

Also, if a dented rim has you down, relax: we’ve got the largest stock of affordable aftermarket rims around!

Ready to roll with the best tires for East and Central Texas?

Still not sure what tire works best for you? Use Treadwell, our smart tire buying guide that matches you with the best tires for your vehicle in less than a minute. It takes into account what, where and how you drive so you’re sure that you’re choosing the best tire possible.

We are eager to answer your questions or address concerns. Just give us a ring, drop by or make an appointment online. Customers who buy their products online and book an appointment ahead of time wait less time in-store!

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