Summer Tires

14.04.26: Article in the Toronto Star today on "Higher Speed Equals Better Performance".

I absolutely agree.

Good way to get the message across. 
The higher the speed/performance characteristics, the better the safety features.

It has to do with speed rating of the tire (which should be called performance rating instead).

Bottom line: Get safe summer and winter tires for your vehicle. By safe, I mean the best wet weather traction.

There are three types of tires: summer, winter, all-season.

Up until a few years ago, I was willing to live with all-season tires, to save money.
I have since become a full-supporter of summer and winter tires, and will never again use all-season ... purely for safety reasons. 

I was in a Midas shop a few days ago (replacing my MX-5 brake pads) and had a tire conversation with a knowledgeable (23 Midas years) employee.
He quickly suggested an excellent tire for my car and included the fact that my existing summer tires were manufactured more than 6 years ago. A valid point, if sidewall cracks are beginning to appear and mileage is high.

His price to replace my tires included tire storage (1st year), alignment every year, and wheel rotation every 10k miles.
I will checked with Costco, Green and Ross and Canadian Tire, before deciding.

Information you need to know before making a decision on replacement tires includes tire specifications and UTQG. 

I will use the tires I may buy, as a reference: Hankook Ventus V12 evo. 
The tire specification is 205/45ZR17 88Y which stands for width (205), depth (45), speed capability (Z - above 149mph), radial (R), and load range (88), Y (max speed - 186mph). 

I find TireRack to be a good site to determine tires for my car. Then I use CTC for tires available in Canada. Then I check with Green and Ross for competitive pricing.

There is also a general comparison rating (UTQG - Uniform Tire Quality Grade) all summer tires must adhere to which is very helpful in making your decision. Other tire types are not required to use this helpful standard ... another reason to switch to summer and winter tires.

The UTQG rating denotes treadwear, traction and temperature, which very important characteristics.

These tires are UTQG 280 AA A, which means very good mileage (30,000km), the best traction in wet, and very good high temperature performance. 30,000km is not good but should last 5 years.

So, in my situation, I don't need 186mph speed but I want a summer tire that will handle a lot of heat and maintain grip in wet .... at a good price. 

Another thing to consider is Road Hazard insurance. Well worth the expenditure.

The one aspect I have not mentioned is noise level. When you are ready to buy (and have some options), refer to online user reviews to determine what buyers think and how much noise is produced at highway speeds.