SUV tires need to be of the correct dimension

265/70R17 all-season tires

When you purchase tires for your SUV, it is important that you get SUV tires of the correct dimension. If you don’t know what dimension you will need, you can look at the alphanumeric code on the sidewall of the tires. You will see something like 265/70R17 on the sidewall of the tires, then you can search online for 265/70R17 winter tires or 265/70R17 all-season tires. The first digits are the width in millimeters, the second is the height to width ratio and the R indicates that they are radial tires, and the last number will be the rim size in inches.

You also need to make sure that you have the correct tires for the season you will drive in. If you won’t drive in any winter conditions, then you can manage with all-season tires. If you will also drive during winter conditions, then you can’t manage with all-season tires, despite the name sounding like you can. For winter conditions you need tires that are approved for winter use.  When you drive a larger and heavier vehicle, you will be even more dependent on that the tires can provide you with good grip. Without good grip, you can easily skid into a dangerous accident, this is why it is important to change from SUV all-season tires to tires that are approved for winter use.

If you would end up with the wrong dimension of tires, you can alter the driving behavior of the vehicle and also some of the key instruments such as speedometer and odometer might give incorrect reading, but more worrying might be that the vehicle can be difficult to maneuver as it might over or understeer.  This is why it is important to follow the recommendations that are given in the owner’s manual. If you end up wanting a different dimension for some reason, you should consult a tire shop to discuss the options with them. If you want a slimmer profile tire, you can in some cases increase the rim size to still have the same circumference, so that the instruments are not giving incorrect reading.

Finding the correct dimension of tires shouldn’t be difficult, unless you have a very rare combination on your vehicle. Most tire manufacturer follow the standard dimensions that are recommended by the vehicle manufacturers. You should have a wide range of tires to choose from at every dimension. It shouldn’t be a limiting factor, it is just to be observant that you select the dimension that is suitable for your vehicle so that you don’t alter the performance of your vehicle without knowing it, merely by selecting the wrong dimension by mistake. It is just that most people don’t really know enough about tires to even think that they might be selecting the wrong size or even if they are using the correct tires for the current driving conditions. That is why it is important to continuously learn a bit more about tires.

For more information regarding finding SUV tires of the correct dimension, visit: www.nokiantires.com

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