At a glance, all tires look alike. They are black, round, and ringed with tread patterns. But there are significant differences in how they perform and how they wear. Since tires are the only part of the car that touches the road, it is crucial that you make a smart, informed decision about what tire is right for you. And we can help.
As demonstrated in this tire buying video, Consumer Reports runs a comprehensive, year-round tire testing program to ensure it can deliver the advice and ratings you need. To evaluate all aspects of a tire, we put it through a number of objective and subjective tests in the most comprehensive tire-test program of any American magazine or Web site.
We test braking and lateral grip on dry and wet surfaces, handling in our emergency-avoidance maneuver, and hydroplaning resistance, which measures how well a tire maintains contact with the road in standing water. We evaluate how easily a tire can accelerate on moderately packed snow and we rent a local skating rink to test braking on ice. Outside labs evaluate tread life and rolling resistance which is a function fuel efficiency . To ensure consistency, we buy each tire model in the same size and mount them on the same test cars.
Check out our video to see the details on how we conduct these tests. Then see our car, SUV and truck, and winter tire
ratings (available to subscribers) to find the models that score well in the areas that matter most to you. All site visitors can access our free
buying advice for tips on getting started, types of tires we test, features that are important in making a tire purchase, and general tire care. Also, be sure to check out our
TireTalk forum to interact with our tire engineers and other drivers.
—
Liza Barth
