Best Tires For Hot Climates
- Fairly inexpensive
- Good-looking
- Very wide
- Deep centerline grooves
- Strong central rib
- Good width and thickness
- Offset grooves
- Cool appearance
It is important to make sure that your tires can hold up to the heat. Those who live in hot and arid places (Arizona, Florida, California, … ) need to consider these factors carefully when buying a new tire. Even those who live in moderate temperate zones will need to consider this problem at certain times of the year.
1. Hankook Ventus V12 evo 2 Summer Radial Tire – Most Affordable
Everything about this model screams “style.”This tire looks kind of thin when compared to some other competitors, but it makes up for this with a very wide contact area and a perfect example of summer tire tread.
The two deep grooves down the middle improve the handling on tight corners, and the whole thing is designed for stability and minimal rolling resistance.
- Made for minimal resistance
- Fairly inexpensive
- Good-looking
- Very wide
- Deep centerline grooves
- A little too thin
2. BFGoodrich G-Force Sport Comp 2 Radial Tire – Cool Appearance
This tire has a look that reminds me of alligator skin, which I find quite appealing.The sharp appearance is complemented by the effectiveness of the design.
This tire has a strong central rib that helps it to keep its shape.
The width is excellent, the thickness is acceptable, and the offset grooves on the tread provides excellent control and stability.
- Strong central rib
- Good width and thickness
- Offset grooves
- Cool appearance
- A little bit gimmicky
- No proof that their patented “V-Hook” tread is any better than normal tread
3. Kumho Solus KH16 Radial Tire – Good Budget Option
This is an inexpensive all-season tire.It is included in this list because it is a good budget option. It is also one of the better options for those who live in temperate climates where the temperatures vary too much to buy anything but all-season tires.
This tire has deep tread like a winter tire but lacks the knobby protrusions that winter tires usually have.
Instead, its overall profile is smooth with well-rounded walls, much like a summer tire. Special features include a tread wear indicator that lets you know when it’s time to change them out.
- All-season
- Deep tread
- Slick profile
- Inexpensive
- Not specifically a summer tire
- Not wide enough
4. Michelin Pilot Super Sport Tire – Premium Option
This is basically a racecar tire. While it is not a literal formula one tire, it is based on the same principles.It is probably the widest on our list, and has a deep tread pattern with four deep grooves running longwise. The tread on this one almost seems too smooth, but its material is A-class.
This tire is made from a blend of rubbers that is meant to maximize control throughout the car’s entire range of motion. It also uses a variable contact patch, which allows the tire to distribute its weight more effectively.
- Blend of two rubber compounds for increased versatility
- Extremely wide
- Variable contact patch
- Based on proven designs
- Quite expensive
5. Pirelli P ZERO High Performance – All-Terrain Tire
This is the only tire on our list that is advertised as an all-terrain tire.Thus, this is probably the best choice for summertime off-road activities for SUVs and trucks.
This tire has a strange tread for a summer tire, with four deep grooves and a smaller one along the outer shoulder.
This one doesn’t offer any special features. Still, the Pirelli name counts for something here, as the company is known to produce some of the world’s best high-performance tires.
- Made to resist slipping in wet conditions
- All-terrain
- Trusted name
- Tread is a little too deep for a summer tire
- Not necessary for drivers who stay on the road
- Pretty expensive
Tires and summer heat
To prevent hot weather from damaging a tire, it is important to understand the heat-related factors that can damage a car tire. Heat is responsible for both external and internal tire damage. External hot weather can cause a tire’s tread to wear down quickly and produce rapid wear on the surface of the tire which increases the risk of puncture. Internal hot temperatures may cause hot spots or high-temperature-induced cracks in tires.
A hot spot is an area on the surface of a tire where the rubber melts and builds up abnormally under high-temperature conditions. This could happen when there’s hot air circulating around the wheel because of insufficient cooling and lubrication. The hot air surrounding the wheel creates excessive heat inside and damages the inner layer of the tire.
Punctures are the most common hot weather tire damage that can happen to tires in hot climates. Punctures occur because of debris on the road which is often thrown up by other passing vehicles. If the debris punctures through your car’s tires, this will cause air to escape from your tires and will reduce its ability to perform optimally.
Things to Consider Before Buying Tires For Hot Weather
Here are a few things you, as a driver, should know about the subject of hot-weather tires.
Different Tires For Different Climates
Tires are available in a range of sizes, types and shapes. The majority of tires for passenger cars on the market are “all-season” tires. This means that they are meant to be used on cars all year round. While these are obviously the most versatile tires, they are not the only option.
Most tire manufacturers produce both winter and summer tires. There are several key differences between them. These mainly include:
- Differences in the rubber compounds of which the tires are made
- Differences in tread
- Differences in thickness
- Differences in the area of contact with the road
The Importance Of Rubber
Rubber is a substance that can be blended and mixed in a variety of ways. Depending on how it is made and the substances with which it is mixed, the properties of rubber can vary quite a bit.
This matters in terms of your tire-buying choices because of the fact that every type of rubber has a different level of resistance against both heat and cold. A tire that is used below its limit will often crack from the cold, while a winter tire will be much more prone to fail in the heat due to the softer type of rubber that is used.
The Importance Of Tread
Different road surfaces require different tread types. Winter tread tends to be very knobby and course, with lots of ridges and deep grooves. Summer tread, by contrast, tends to be a little smoother. A good summer tire should still have centerline grooves and stiffer edges. This allows for better control when cornering.
The Importance Of Contact Area
Summer tires tend to be a little bit wider. The main reason for this is that the road surface can get ridiculously hot in the middle of the summer. A wider surface area allows the heat to be more widely distributed, reducing the wear on your tire. This is also why racecar tires tend to be wider. At high temperatures, the increased friction requires a very large contact area.
The Importance Of Inflation
All tires tend to perform better in hot weather when they are inflated to the proper level. Don’t make the mistake of reading the side of your tire and inflating all the way to that point. Those numbers listed on the side of your tire are maximum figures, so stay well below them. That being said, an under-inflated tire will be more vulnerable to heat degradation.
Tire safety in hot climates
It is important to invest money in good tires for hot climates because tire safety plays a vital role. To make sure tires are safe for hot climates, they should have good traction and provide good braking performance.
Good Traction: One of the significant aspects of good tires for hot climates is good traction. In order to have a good grip on the road, it is important that tires provide a good grip on the surface as well as maintain good contact with the surface. You should pay attention to any sign of a reduction in grip strength or slippage during braking.
Good Braking Performance: A good tire for a hot climate has a coefficient of friction that enables it to resist breaking. If tires do not have good braking performance, it may result in skidding which can lead to situations like losing control of the vehicle or collision with obstacles.
FAQs
1. Do tires wear out faster in hot weather?
Yes, because rubber can’t sustain the same high levels of elasticity when it is warm.
In hot climates, tires have a lower likelihood of successfully making it to their life expectancy due to higher rates of abrasion from asphalt and other hard surfaces that they might come into contact with on a regular basis. But it depends on your driving habits and tire construction grades.
2. What happens if I use winter tires in summer?
Using winter tires in the summer is very dangerous. Winter tires are designed to provide better traction on ice and snow, which would be out of place when the roads are dry and hot. Using winter tires in summer can lead to loss of vehicle control or tire damage due to overloading, especially in high-speed driving conditions.
3. How long do car tires last in Arizona?
Car tires in Arizona usually last 80,000 to 100,000 miles. However, this depends on the type of road conditions and speed along with your driving habits. A regular checkup can help you determine whether your tires are ready for replacement or not.
Conclusion
As you can see, your options are many and varied. In many ways, it is not possible to choose just one of these summer tires that is better for everyone.
Our fifth choice, the Michelin Super Sport, seems to be the only model that has no significant downsides in terms of performance. That being said, most people cannot afford to spend that much on a single tire.
In the end, you will need to strike a balance between the performance you want and the performance that you can afford.