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I need two new tires on my 1994 Toyota Camry, and I live in Minnesota. I have heard that choosing the right all-season tires can make a big difference for safety in rainy/snowy conditions. Suppose I go to Discount Tire, Midas, or Tires Plus--how can I know which tire is right to choose?

I did a bit of searching, and everything I see tells me how to interpret sidewall codes. That's easy and not the question. How do I know which tire to choose--which has the best safety for the buck--out of the four or five models they have to choose from? If I look up reviews, the shop never has the exact tire model reviewed. Last time, I just took the salesperson's recommendation and felt like a chump. How do I do better this time?

Patrick Szalapski
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I have heard that choosing the right all-season tires can make a big difference for safety in rainy/snowy conditions.

If you can at all afford it, I would strongly recommend a separate set of winter tires here in Minnesota.

Until you have driven a car with winter tires in a good snow, you cannot possibly imagine the difference it makes.

the shop never has the exact tire model reviewed

Buy them online. Tirerack.com has never been more expensive than buying locally, although it is a bit more work involved transporting the tires.

You can also take notes on which models are available at the shop, and then go home and research reviews for those tires to choose between them.

quentin-starin
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I go for the simplest, oldest method - personal recommendation. Something that is so much easier now we have the internet. Simply find other people with similar cars to yours, who live in similar climates, and find out what they have used and either liked or didn't like.

However, I find that tyre choice can vary significantly according to vehicle type and driving style, so you'll rarely find two people who agree! For example I know a couple of people who swaer by Pirelli P6000, and others who hate them - in that case it seems to be a tyre that works best with heavier cars.

Never buy "budget" tyres, it's not worth the risk. I always go for either an upper-mid-range or premium tyre, quite often the latter is cheaper!

I'd agree with the answer above suggesting seperate winter tyres - in many parts of Europe this is a legal requirement and seems remarkably sensible if you're in a snowy area. Most cars here run on "summer" tyres all year, and people wonder why they struggle when it snows... (rarely enough that for most people it's not worth the extra cost of winter tyres - I simply left my car at home for the few days it was bad last winter)

Nick C
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If the sales person is good then their recommendation should be fine. Ideally you should find someone you trust.

Most of the time a store can order certain models if they carry that brand, so if you find a tire online call ahead to the store and see when they could get the tires in. (Normally it is fairly fast).

Sidewall codes are a great way to compare brands, but some shops have their own rating system that is more detailed and can be helpful.

jzd
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