While many drivers hit the road without thinking about their tires, tire safety becomes a serious consideration when your family grows!
Many tire buyers consider price to be the main factor when shopping for tires, but this naturally gives way to concerns about safety and weather performance when little ones come into the picture.
At Discount Tire, we’re all about tire safety! And we don't believe you have to compromise good performance and price to stay safe on the road. Since we back our inventory of quality tires at cheap prices with our low price guarantee, you can trust us to help you find the best tires for you and your family.
We can help you find safe tires, whether for your family sedan, SUV, minivan or pickup truck!
WHAT ARE THE SAFEST TIRES?
We asked Josh Sortor, our Product & Quality Manager, for some input. Josh has 23 years of experience at Discount Tire and is one of the brilliant minds behind Treadwell, our smart tire buyer’s guide!
According to Josh: “Safe tires are ones that will stop quickly and be predictable in all environmental situations.”
All tires are designed to stop and control your vehicle but some can stop sooner and/or better than others.
Keeping your vehicle under your control at all times is paramount to keeping you and your family safe.
We go more in depth about tire tread and stopping distance elsewhere, but to summarize: over time, your tread becomes less effective as they wear. Your tire’s tread works to affect your vehicle’s handling and stopping capabilities. Healthy tires are safe tires.
For this reason: we recommend replacing any tire that has a tread depth of 4/32” or less!
Stopping distance differs from tire to tire as they wear. Our tire buying guide Treadwell shows you visual reports for stopping distance so you can compare while you shop.
Your driving environment will also play a huge role in which tire is best for you. The health of the roads and the weather conditions they’re subjected to vary greatly across the nation. What works best for a family in Minnesota or Colorado will be very different than what works best for a family in Arizona or East Central Texas!
(By the way, you can see if we have your state covered in our Best Tires by State section of our blog!)
However, if you want some recommendations to start your search, we’ve compiled a few options that work well across a wide range of driving environments. (We’ve even pulled together some top recommendations for winter! )
The following tires rank high on stopping distances and other safety features.
Coupes & Sedans:
These are ultra-high performance all-season tires that deliver high on steering response, acceleration and braking for sportier cars.
Looking for safety without the adrenaline-rush performance edge? No problem. Get boosted all-weather grip for your coupe, sedan, crossover or minivan with the Michelin CrossClimate2. This tire offers a wonderful balance of safety, dry, wet and light snowy traction and great handling. It also includes the three-peak mountain snowflake severe weather designation, meaning it’s USTMA-approved for use in winter weather!
Crossover/CUVs:
Michelin CrossClimate2 (see above)
Pickup trucks and SUVs:
HOW TO CHOOSE THE SAFEST TIRES?
The easiest way to choose the best tires for you, your vehicle and your family is with Treadwell, our smart tire recommendation tool.
Treadwell is the very same system that our in-store tire experts use to help find the best tires for you. It takes into account your vehicle, your driving style and where you drive to give you the best results for value, performance and local recommendations. You'll be able to use relevant filters to search for the features that matter to you, including price point, current deals, tire rating and tire category.
Treadwell results also include a data report giving you easy to understand stats on the tire’s performance, helping you make an informed purchase decision. Important factors include stopping distance on both wet and dry roads, weather data, noise level, handling, comfort, tire life and cost and so much more!
WHAT ARE THE SAFEST WINTER TIRES?
When things get snowy, safety becomes point number one when it comes to driving! And winter tires (AKA snow tires) are the safest option for your family vehicle when winter strikes.
At Discount Tire, we recommend changing to winter tires if your region experiences a true winter with rain, snow and ice and temps consistently below 45F.
Unfortunately, all-season tires don’t perform as well as winter tires (they also don’t brake as well, either). Pickup, 4x4 and SUV owners should also know that unfortunately, all-terrain and mud tires aren’t as dependable in the cold as winter tires.
Even if your usual set of tires offers great wet traction with excellent siping and an all-season tread pattern, your non-winter tire compound will not be able to perform as well in temps under 45F. Winter tires are an investment in safety, peace of mind and confidence. Many drivers who weather a snowy season with winter tires say they’ll never bother with all-seasons in the winter again.
At Discount Tire, we test winter tires for acceleration and stopping power, as well as lateral (side to side) grip and predictability in handling situations. Here are a few of our favorites to get your search started.
Coupe & Sedan:
CUV:
Michelin X-Ice Snow (see above)
Pickup & SUV:
Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2 (for SUV)
Cooper Discoverer Snow Claw (Josh says it’s the best!)
There aren’t as many winter tires on the market as other tire types, so you’ll have less to sift through. And because they are engineered specifically to keep your vehicle planted in the most challenging driving conditions, winter tires tend to be high performers in important performance stats!
We don’t just have the biggest selection of well-priced winter tires, we also offer winter tire changeover services!
Josh says: “A safe tire is one that will wear all the way out without any surprises. Everything we sell, including entry level tires, meets that criteria.” At Discount Tire, we only carry the most reputable and reliable tire brands out there.
If you’re ready to roll out on a safe set of new tires, buy and book online and you'll wait less time! If you need any further help, give us a ring and we’ll get you taken care of.
For more information on this and other tire and wheel services, check out our YouTube Channel or reach out to us on X, Facebook and Instagram.