Sacrifice is a mark of the most valiant of champions. However there is a fine line between sacrificing as a martyr or a masochist. Many people will spend their last cent on performance modifications, but it can all be for naught if the wrong tires are paired to the car.

When it comes to selecting tires, making an informed decision is paramount. The right tire selection will depend on its intended use. In this Speed Shop we focus on ultra high-performance tires. The best way to understand these tires is to understand some tire basics. The Federal Government's Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG) standards, speed rating and tire size nomenclature should all be understood.

Club Fed

The UTQG is a system set up by the Federal Government designed to identify and guarantee a minimum performance standard in three categories. Treadwear, traction rating and temperature rating make up these categories.

Treadwear

Treadwear is a relative rating of how long a tire will last. A tire with a treadwear of 200 should last twice as long as a tire with a treadwear of 100. This assumes that the tires being compared are from the same manufacturer. Treadwear comparisons between different manufacturers are not accurate. Since this rating is based on the performance of a tire in a controlled environment, it does not necessarily demonstrate real world performance. Everyday driving behavior and conditions will vary. Just because a tire is designed to endure a given mileage, a bit of spirited driving can dramatically reduce the life span of the tire.

Traction

The UTQG traction rating addresses the wet traction capabilities of a tire. Testing for this consists of straight line deceleration. Results are denoted as letter grades from best performing to worst. AA, A, B and C are the potential scores. Since there may not be any direct correlation between wet traction performance and dry traction performance, this rating is somewhat useless to a performance enthusiast. Testing reveals nothing about the tire's ability to accelerate, turn or brake. Keep in mind a tire with a B or C rating may actually have superior traction performance under dry conditions when compared to an A or AA rated tire.

Temperature

Temperature rating will grade a tire with an A, B or a C. These letters represent the tire's resistance to heat generation and its ability to dissipate heat. Again testing is conducted in a controlled laboratory environment. These tests are subjected to a tire loaded and inflated to manufacturer's specifications. Tires are susceptible to heat and are engineered to sustain a certain amount of heat before showing loss of performance or even failure. A grade of C is the minimum standard that a tire must adhere as described by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 109. Grades A and B represent a tire that exceeds the minimum federal standards.

Go! Speed Go!

More relevant and not required by the U.S. "powers that be" is the speed rating. Speed ratings are required by countries that do not regulate automobile speed on some major roads. Again these ratings are graded by letters, where M is the slowest (81 mph) and a Y rating (186 mph) is the fastest. Even though these ratings are not required in the U.S. many manufacturers will advertise these ratings because this information is useful. In the case of the performance enthusiast, this rating will let them establish a safe top operating speed for the tire.

XXX/YY/?RZZ

Perhaps a bit confusing at first glance the format for displaying tire size follows a specific standard. XXX/YY/?RZZ is the standard format and it makes reading tire size easy once it is understood. The first three numbers, represented by XXX, describe the section width of the tire. This width is measured, in millimeters, from one side of the tire to the other from the inside walls. Following these numbers is the aspect ratio or the tire side wall height is denoted as YY. This number represents the sidewals ratio to the width. Looking at a 225/40/?R18 tire for example, the tire would be 225mm wide in section width with a sidewall height that is 40-percent of the width (40% x 225 = 90mm). Speed rating, construction type and wheel diameter show up in the section after the aspect ratio. Speed rating takes the place of the "?" while the letter that follows represents the construction style. The R in this case means radial construction. The last two digits represent the diameter in inches of the wheel.

Standard Deviation

Unfortunately there is no set standard that can specifically identify which tire is the absolute best for any particular car. In fact there is not one tire that works best for every car. Weight, weight distribution, operating temperature, humidity, alignment and aerodynamics of the car can all affect the tire's performance. Instead of a uniform set of standards, a rough understanding of the tire's design is more useful when selecting a high-performance tire.

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