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Having the right set of tires on your vehicle will directly affect its handling, performance, and even fuel consumption. When it comes to American muscle cars, all-season and performance tires are the most common choice, but which one will be better for your car depends on your specific needs and driving habits.
Learn about the pros and cons of all-season and performance tires, the differences between them, and what are the main features of each tire type.
All-season tires are made to be used in a wide range of weather conditions with a great combination of traction, handling, and fuel efficiency. Threads are specifically designed to push water and slush away from the tires, improving grip and handling in wet and mildly cold conditions. The compound they’re made of is also soft enough to provide great handling capabilities in dry and warm weather.
One of the biggest advantages of all-season tires is their versatility. Most road cars come with all-season tires from the factory because they provide good ride quality no matter the weather conditions or type of surface. Aside from their versatility, all-season tires are more durable compared to performance tires. They’re a great choice for everyday driving, however, they’re limited when it comes to more extreme weather conditions.
If you’re looking for a more affordable option, all-terrain tires are your best bet. These tires are designed to be fuel-efficient and can save you a lot of money in the long run. These tires are less sticky compared to performance tires, making the engine work less to make your car move. This means you’ll get far more wheel spin when you put your foot to the floor, and the 0-60 time will be much slower.
Considering that the compound used for manufacturing all-season tires is softer than in performance tires, the ride comfort is also much better.
There are also a few disadvantages worth mentioning. The first one is their limited performance in extreme weather conditions. Although they’re made for all seasons, as their name suggests, their performance isn’t the best in extreme heat or cold. The compound they’re made of provides the best performance in mild weather conditions, but when it gets too hot or cold, they lose some traction and can increase braking distance and grip.
As their name suggests, performance tires are made for maximum features instead of fuel efficiency or ride comfort. Their main function is to provide the highest grip levels on dry roads, which means they’re not a very good choice for daily driving. These are the types of tires used by drivers who prefer performance over anything else, and who use their cars on the track.
The biggest advantage of performance tires is their excellent grip and handling capabilities. Muscle cars come with a lot of power, and for drivers who like using all that raw power, all-season tires just don’t cut it. With performance tires, vehicles have significantly better 0-60 times and can corner going much faster. For drivers who enjoy track days with their vehicles, replacing all-season tires for performance tires can shave a few seconds off of every lap.
Although performance tires aren’t the best choice for day-to-day driving, they do improve driving safety by shortening the braking distance. Taking into consideration the speed that muscle cars are capable of reaching, stopping distance plays a huge role in driving safety. On the other hand, lap times can also be reduced by being able to brake later and reach a safe cornering speed.
Lastly, steering is also improved with performance tires, because it becomes more precise due to less oversteer and understeer.
The biggest disadvantage to performance tires is the fact that they don’t perform very well on wet surfaces, and aren’t as versatile as all-season tires. They have amazing features on dry surfaces during mild weather, but as soon as the surface becomes wet, the handling takes a plummet and it becomes easy to slide off the road.
A less important disadvantage, but a disadvantage nonetheless is significantly reduced fuel economy, but as soon as you have performance tires fitted to your muscle car, it’s likely that fuel economy isn’t at the top of your priorities.
Muscle cars include plenty of power, and they’re versatile enough to be used both on the road and on the track. All-season tires are the best choice for your car if you live in areas with all four seasons where you experience sun, rain, and snow on the roads. Performance tires are the option to go with if you take your car to the track often, and want to push the limits as much as you can.
We offer both all-season and performance tires for any muscle car, but which ones will be a better choice for your car depends on your driving style and needs.
