One of the greatest things about owning a vehicle is the freedom that associated with it. As long as you have gas you can go wherever you want, whenever you want in a relatively short amount of time. It makes getting to work faster and more comfortable and it allows family and friends, that may live far apart, to feel closer and visit more often. But with all of the advantages of vehicle ownership comes a lot of responsibility, the biggest of which is maintenance.
Staying on top of routine maintenance can go a long way toward preventing large, costly repairs. Checking and changing the oil every 3-4 months and maintaining proper tires pressure are just a couple ways to avoid major problems but, like all things used frequently, eventually things like tires will wear out and need to be replaced.
A common assumption that is made about shopping for tires is that it is a long and expensive process; however, utilizing your resources, like the Internet, and knowing what you are looking for can help find the perfect cheap truck tires without all the hassle.
Knowing what size tires your vehicle takes is key to finding the right set of tires. There are two primary places to look when determining what size tires you need. The first is your current tires. If you along the sidewall of your tires you will see a series of numbers and letters. 
The first letter you will see indicates the type of vehicle the tires where designed for; P for passenger vehicles, T for temporary or spare, LT for light truck, C for commercial, and ST for special trailer. The first set of numbers indicates the width in millimeters, for example P225.
Next will be a two-digit number that indicates the sidewall aspect ratio. If the number is 50 that means that the sidewall height from rim to tread to is 50% of the tire’s width–higher number means a taller sidewall and a lower number means a shorter sidewall.
The final letter set indicates the type of internal construction; R is for radial, D for diagonal, and B for belted. The numbers following are the tire and wheel diameter. The last three digits are the service description. While this is a lot of information, it is very useful when looking at tires and comparing different brands that may not look the same; such as Firestone tires and Kelly tires.
The other extremely useful place that you can go to for information on your tires, including what will work and what won’t, is your vehicles owner’s manual. There should be a whole section detailing the maximum, minimum, and recommend tire size. If you no longer have the owner’s manual you can make a quick call to the dealership for the same information or look on the Internet.
photo by Arpit Gupta on Flickr, licensed by Creative CommonsRelated posts:
Tires are an important part of your vehicle. Having the right size and probably maintaining them helps keep your vehicle running smoothly and safely.
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