Misguided sports car enthusiasts often think that horsepower is the most important factor when it comes to performance. However, no matter how much power you have, your car's acceleration and cornering speed is ultimately limited by how much grip your tires have on the road. That's why having two sets of wheels with specialized tires is one of the best modifications you can have for your sports car.
Summer Tires for Maximum Grip
Summer performance tires are constructed with a specialized rubber compound that softens up when the road is warm to offer maximum grip. They also use specially-tuned tread patterns to maximize the surface area of rubber against the road. That means you'll get better acceleration off the line and higher cornering speeds compared to an ordinary set of all-season rubber tires.
Winter Tires for Cold, Inclement Weather
Similarly, winter tires also feature specially tuned rubber compounds and tread patterns. The difference is they are tuned to offer maximum grip in cold temperatures and on snowy pavement.
If you drive a high-horsepower rear-wheel-drive car, you know how much of a hassle it can be to keep from sliding when the temperature falls below freezing, especially when there's snow or ice on the road. A set of performance winter tires will transform the way your car handles in the cold the same way that summer tires do when it's warm outside.
You Can't Swap Tires Back and Forth
Unfortunately, you can't simply buy two sets of tires and swap them out every time the weather changes. For one, installing tires requires specialized equipment and a professional tire shop — it's not a job you can do in your garage with ordinary tools. Taking your car back to the tire shop every time the temperature fluctuates drastically would become very time-consuming and expensive.
More importantly, you can only swap a set of tires on and off your car a limited number of times. Pulling the tires on and off the wheels puts a lot of stress on the tire sidewalls. If you were to try swapping the same set of tires several times, the structural integrity of the tire could degrade to the point that the tire is unsafe to drive on.
Get the Best of Both Worlds with a Set of Spare Wheels
To get maximum performance in the hot and the cold, get a set of spare wheels for your summer tires. Install winter tires on your stock wheels so you can simply bolt them back on yourself whenever the temperature drops.
Swapping wheels is an easy job that you can do in your own driveway. You can also opt for a set of lighter-weight performance wheels to compliment your summer tires. Lightweight wheels will further improve your sports car's acceleration and handling. It's a far easier and more effective modification than most drive train mods.
For more information, contact companies like Evans Tire & Service Centers.
Share2 June 2018
Last year, I had to replace the brakes and rotors on my car twice because the rotors had warped. I knew that this wasn't something that should be happening and started questioning what was causing it. I started doing some research into my car's breaking system to see if I could figure out what was causing the rotors to get so hot that they warped so quickly. I created my blog to help others find the problems with their brakes. It is my hope that my personal experience and research can help others avoid the costly repairs that I have endured over the years.