Tire treads, everything you need to know about your first set of wheels.

Tired of your treads? Wheel help you out.

When you’re getting maintenance done on your vehicle and you hear the term tire rotation, do you know what that really means? For those of you who don’t know, the technicians move your tire from front to back/back to front or vertically depending on the type of tire tread you have. 

Why do they do this? To increase the lifespan of your tires, to balance out the wear and tear of your tires. How often do tires wear down? That answer is dependent on your tire treads. How well your vehicle handles the rain/wet ground, as well as muddy/snowy conditions, is also dictated by your tire treads. 

Tire treads most commonly fall under three categories, Symmetrical, Directional, and Asymmetrical. There are various traits that each tread has, just like in a video game some are better in some areas whereas some will excel in others. Things to consider when talking tire treads are handling, traction, braking and accelerating, fuel efficiency and ease of rotating/lifespan.

We will briefly discuss some pros and cons of each type of tread to help you make an educated decision about the type of tire treads you have and what would be most beneficial for the climate you live in or the kind of vehicle you have. Let’s get rolling!

Common Types of Treads (Symmetrical, Directional, Asymmetrical)

Symmetrical

Like the name suggests, symmetrical tire treads have the same pattern throughout the tire’s surface. Due to the nature of symmetrical treads it makes rotating tires the easier (of the three types of treads), because you can rotate it front to back or back to front. Symmetrical treads are also the most fuel-efficient and last the longest compared to directional and asymmetrical treads. With all of these benefits they must be too good to be true right? Why would anyone use anything else? Unfortunately due to us living in a state like Wisconsin where the roads aren’t always dry (which symmetrical treads excel in) means that during the spring showers or the snowy winters symmetrical treads are the least effective type of tread in these conditions. So if you’re planning on moving somewhere where it’s dry year round, symmetrical treads are your best bet. These tires are meant for passenger vehicles, daily driving and not super high-performance vehicles. Keep reading to see which tires offer you the most in Wisconsin’s unpredictable weather conditions.

Directional

Directional tire treads are your best bet to limit hydroplaning versus other treads because of the V-shaped/arrowhead-like patterns. These treads have outward-facing groves that catch water and disperse it off the road. For this reason they are the best for wet conditions, but do they handle mud and snow? Absolutely. Unidirectional traction boasts increased traction and is optimal for handling mud and snow so for a Wisconsinite this would be your go to for a year round (pun intended) tire. Too good to be true again… these tires compared to symmetrical tires are more difficult to rotate because the pattern goes one way, which means vertical rotations only or else it would compromise the tread. This causes directional treads to have a shorter life span than symmetrical tires. The tires usually have the wheel orientation match the way the tread points so you can use that as a guide when rotating, otherwise, there is an indicator in the tire wall. Most optimal handling in wet, muddy, snowy conditions with the trade-off being shorter life span and difficulty rotating.

Asymmetrical 

Asymmetrical tires combine features from both symmetrical and directional tires. The tires themselves have two different tread patterns on one tire, the inside being similar to the directional tread to help displace water and limit hydroplaning. The outer tread is rigid which offers more grip when turning corners and driving on dry surfaces. The design of these treads also decrease the volume of freeway driving and offer quieter interior noise. Asymmetrical tires are used most often on ultra high-performance vehicles. They have the same difficulties as the directional treads when it comes to rotating the tires, use the tire wall arrow as an indicator of how to rotate, vertical is the default due to the tread pattern.

Now the next time you get your tires rotated, you’ll know the reasons for doing this often. You will also know what tires to get in order to help reduce the slipping and sliding in wet/snowy conditions. Now you know what kind of tires can go on which vehicle depending on if you’re doing daily commute, all-terrain, or high-performance driving. Hopefully you learned something new today.

As someone who lives in Wisconsin and has to deal with different conditions throughout the year, I can’t recommend enough the importance of either having a set of winter tires OR having tires that offer you safety in all road conditions. If you have any more questions or want to schedule a service appointment feel free to give us a call.