Auto Tires and Wheels

From polished silver finishes to red, blue and orange accents—there is, quite literally, a colorful span of O.Z. rims to choose from. And that's only part of the reason O.Z. Racing wheels stand out.

O.Z. Racing wheels have always been prominent in the light alloy wheel industry due, in part, to their strength and their beauty. A number of prestigious auto equipment and body work companies use O.Z. wheels, and they can be seen as standard equipment on a number of exclusive automobiles. And their motorsports involvement is a true testament to the fact that O.Z. Wheels never compromises when it comes to quality.

And that quality can be a part of your vehicle, thanks to Tire Rack.

Alleggerita HLT Crono HLT
 Superturismo GT Botticelli

See all O.Z. wheels.

Why? As one of the top auto tire dealers, Tire Rack's team of experts want to make sure you can purchase performance car tires with confidence.

It can get confusing—there are a number of things to consider when selecting the right tire. Here are a few:
 
• If you only need to replace one tire, it's important to make sure that the replacement is identical to the other four tires on your vehicle. One oddball tire can throw everything off. Including your safety.

• When replacing two out of the four tires on your vehicle, select a pair that matches your existing tire. However, a pair similar in size and type can also work. You'll want to install these on the rear axle, though. (And be sure to find out why your previous tires needed to be replaced. You may have an alignment issue.)

• Determine your worst and everyday driving conditions. If you use more than one set of tires and wheels (for instance, you switch to winter / snow tires seasonally), then your decision gets easier. If you must stick with one set, then you'll want to pick a tire that suits your needs in almost any condition: city traffic, snowfall, rain, mountains...it all affects your tires so you'll want to balance performance accordingly.

If you think about these things, you'll find it easier to purchase car tires. And when you shop by vehicle, we'll show you the tires that will be a perfect fit on your vehicle.

But if you need a little help, our Tire Decision Guide or sales specialists can be handy resources for performance recommendations.

At Tire Rack, we take pride in our higher standards because it means we can continually offer you new automobile tires of excellent quality.

Our team of Performance Tire and Wheel Specialists is formed by individuals who are trained to provide fitment and performance advice. And by training, we mean approximately 80 hours a year in a classroom or in a test vehicle on our on-site test track. At Tire Rack, it's the experience that counts—and it helps us help you choose new auto tires. On the phone or online.

Contact us today, or use one of our online search tools. A detailed list of new auto tire options awaits you.

• Search by Vehicle
• Search by Tire Size
• Search by Tire Brand
• Tire Decision Guide

If you need to find A4 tires, the process is quite simple. Enter your vehicle specifications and let Tire Rack do the rest. We'll give you a detailed list of A4 tires suited to your Audi. Consumer reviews, survey results and our performance test results (where applicable) can add to the information found in specification charts. Trust us, we'll have you driving on new auto tires in no time at all.

For example, here are the best selling tires for the 2009 Audi A4 2.0 Quattro Premium with 225/50/17 Original Equipment tires:

• Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3
• Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3
• Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport
• Goodyear Assurance TripleTred

But our services don't stop there. We can also help you find Audi wheels, Audi brake pads and more. Enter the Upgrade Garage and you'll find all the parts and pieces suited to your vehicle.

We'll readily admit to having high standards when it comes to auto tires. As America's largest independent tire tester and consumer-direct source for tires, wheels and other performance accessories, Tire Rack is focused on providing quality products from manufacturers we—and you—can trust. We like to believe that gives our consumers added confidence when they buy auto tires from us. Through the years, we've developed great relationships with major auto tire brands. That means you'll always find an auto tire, exceptionally priced and in-stock, at Tire Rack.

Let's get you started—simply search by vehicle and we'll give you a list of auto tires to choose from that will be the right fit for your vehicle.

Yes, I meant  to spell it that way because, today I am blogging about brakes.

Everyday I get to field questions from people about all types of performance and aesthetic upgrades but, many times the unintended consequences are not even seen.

Brakes are often over looked when upgrading wheels and tires and it's easy to understand why. A wheel and tire package can dramatically improve the appearance of any car or truck. Brakes, on the other hand, do not have nearly as much visual impact so, they aren't considered as important from a "looks" perspective.



In addition to what we have learned in our own testing program, one of the magazines The Tire Rack advertises in recently published an article that stated "People who install a basic 20-inch wheel and tire package onto their truck may notice diminished braking performance. A typical truck may require 50-percent additional braking distance or more. So, if your 60-to-0-mph braking distance is 100 feet with stock tires and wheels, you may need upward of 150 feet to stop with heavier 20-inch wheels."

I am not saying don't upgrade your wheels. I am also not saying that in order to improve braking you need some $5,000.00 big brake kit. Many gains in braking effectiveness can be achieved with a simple brake pad change. Better brake pads with a higher friction coefficient can make a world of difference in your stopping distances.

I run Hawk Performance brake pads in most of the vehicles at our house. Hawk offers a wide range of friction materials designed to meet just about any requirement from full on racing to spirited street driving to your daily commute. Personally, I want stand it on it's nose grip and initial bite when I am at a track day or an AutoX. The HP Plus brake pads offer enough stopping power to put your nose into the windshield and I can still  drive home without changing the brake pads. My daily driver sports the HPS Street brake pads which are a fantastic all-around pad with more initial bite than the OE pads. Hawk also offers the Performance Ceramic brake pads which are a low dust, super quiet brake pad which are perfect for my wife's Odyssey. You name a need and odds are Hawk has a brake pad that can meet it.

    Most of the time a wider tire will offer better performing and cornering but, not always.  Without the correct supporting parts and hardware wider tires may not always produce the desired results.

   While at a driving school in Utah I was able to participate in an interesting exercise involving different tire and wheel sizes.

    Three identical Ford Mustang GT's were outfitting with different tire and wheel packages.

Car #1 was fitted with OE 17x8 wheels with 235/55-17 tires

Car #2 was on 18x9.5 Ford wheels with 245/45-18 tires

Car #3 sat on the same 18x9.5" wheels with 285/40-18 tires

    We then ran them through and AutoX course. The results surprised most of the participants.

Car #1 predictably under-steered but, was easy to control and push to the limits of traction.

Car #2 was razor sharp when responding to any driver input. It offered the best feedback allowing for the fastest lap times for all of the participants.

Car #3 while offering more grip in steady state cornering, felt very vague and disconnected from the driving experience. All driver inputs were met with delayed response and a sluggish feel. When you are missing your marks due to sidewall deflection inconsistencies it can be very unnerving especially at speed.

So, in the end the 245 width tire on car #2 was able to turn faster laps than car #3 even thought the tire was about 1.5" narrower. From an appearance stand point those 285's on car #3 did have an aggessive stance.

When I started selling tires in 1988 they were almost exclusively found in a store and it was difficult to find performance tires.
                                                                                                          (Tire Ad from the 90s)

The Tire Rack was different. We offered in-depth advice
on the best tires for a customers driving needs and a
large selection (for the time) of performance tires and
wheels. We could also tell customers not just what is
the largest size tire and wheel package, but what is
the best size for their car.

We offered information by phone or in one of our tire
or Autoweek.  As you can see on the right from an ad from the early 1990s space limits the amount of information we could offer up front.

With the rise of the Internet we were able to offer a huge advance in the information about our products.
We started with better photos and details in 1996.

Since then we've added:

-Larger tire photos
-Tire Testing results
-Customer generated tire survey results and reviews
-Full tire specifications                                                                    
-Side by side option to compare performance tires
-Original equipment car or truck tires by specific vehicle listing exact tire make and model
-Best selling tires for a car or truck

Our sales specialists are great resources also. After viewing all the tires for sale for your car you still may need more help making a choice. Our tire experts can help you finalize your tire choice quickly and easily. They have driven on a wide selection of the tires we offer on our tire test track and in real world drivingg situations.

Our reps have also spoken with other customers who have owned your car or truck. When you need Honda Accord tires  or Chevrolet Impala tires  or Ford GT or an E36 BMW M3 Lightweight  we can help you make the best tire choice for your driving needs.

The Tire Rack started different than other tire dealers and we continue to work to maintain our leadership in auto Tires and Wheels and in offering the information to help make the right choice in replacement tires.