Best Tire Brands for Specific Types of Driving

Great Tires for Off-Roaders

Off-road enthusiasts know the importance of tires, often obsessing over tread patterns, dimensions, and inflation specifications. Driving in dirt, mud, and rocks demands durability and traction across varied terrain, and these buyers know where to start when shopping for specialized tires. Two brands stand out for these drivers: BF Goodrich and Goodyear.

BF Goodrich

BF Goodrich tires have long been a preferred tire for off-road enthusiasts. One particular model, the All Terrain A/T KO2, is often the most suggested tire when one driver asks another for advice. These rugged, hard-wearing tires can easily handle most off-road situations, and they are backed by a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty—something not many all-terrain tires offer.

Other favorites include the brawny BF Goodrich KM3 mud-terrain tire, with beefy tread blocks and wide grooves meant to expel mud from the contact patch for ultimate traction.

Goodyear

When the entire off-road tire product line shares a name with a brand of western jeans and perhaps the most iconic off-road vehicle, you know you have tires meant for all things off-road. The broad Goodyear Wrangler lineup of off-road tires is built to fit nearly every truck and SUV out there, with different models based on what you’re doing with your rig.

Read: An Overview of Goodyear Truck Tires

The Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac, for example, is a rugged all-terrain tire with aggressive sidewall protection meant to keep the tire from getting damaged even when the tires are aired down for extreme off-roading. On the other hand, the Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse AT can handle tough terrain but gives drivers a great ride on the road.

Grand Tires for Grand Touring

Luxury cars are engineered to give drivers and their passengers a smooth, quiet, stable ride, equipped with tires to match. Buyers gravitate to tires that will handle predictably for a long drive at highway speeds and perform in any weather that can be thrown at them. A pair of tire brands are known for making the ideal tires for these cars and their drivers: Continental and Michelin.

Continental

Continental Tires are often fitted at the factory for European luxury sedans and SUVs, showing automakers’ confidence in the storied German brand. Continental tires tend to have a price premium over other brands, but the long life and quiet, stable ride tend to have buyers returning to Continental. For example, the Continental PureContact LS is renowned for its quietness even compared to other luxury car tires.

Read: Continental Tires – A Smart Choice for Luxury Performance

Michelin

Michelin was the first company to develop the radial tire, a massive technical innovation leading to improved tire performance and longevity. Buyers across the spectrum of cars, trucks, and SUVs will buy Michelin tires repeatedly, confident that they’re buying the best riding, best handling tire possible for their vehicle. One preferred model for luxury sedans and SUVs is the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4, a year-round performance tire that handles nearly as well as a summer tire while dealing with most weather conditions quietly and securely.

Read: Why Michelin Tires Are So Popular

High-Performance Tires for Spirited Drivers

Driving a high-performance vehicle means ensuring every part of your car is optimized to accelerate, stop, and turn as well as possible. The only part of your car that touches the track is your tires, so getting the last tenth of a second per lap means getting the right rubber on your wheels. Enthusiasts turn to brands like Pirelli and Falken for their rides.

Pirelli

Pirelli makes the tire of choice for Formula One racers, and much of the technology for F1 tires trickles down to the street. Pirelli often works directly with the builders of the finest high-performance and exotic cars to make tires specifically for them, so putting a new set of Pirellis on them ensures your vehicle handles as the engineers intended. Tires like the Pirelli P Zero Corsa are built without compromise and can handle driving on the track and the streets.

Read: Pirelli Tires: Performance Tires with Motorsport Sophistication

Falken

Falken Tires was born as a racing division of a larger tire company, and that motorsports heritage continues to this day with their Falken Azenis lineup. The Falken Azenis RT660, for example, is an ultra-high-performance tire meant to give the highest possible track day performance with a durable, sticky rubber compound that offers tenacious grip.

Read: Falken Tire: Racing Tech Brought to Commuter Cars