Every car needs its tyres to move. That’s the most basic design we can relate to cars. However, not many people know that the design of a tyre can have different characteristics and hence, lead to different handling. Quite often, this results in an unhappy buyer with a set of tyres that they do not enjoy using.

So before you fork out your hard earned cash to purchase a new set of tyres, here are some important points to note.

Firstly. it is important to first know your driving style to find the preferred characteristics of your tyres. Understanding the design in the tyres will help you in deciding which tyre you finally opt for.

Tyre designs can be broadly categorised under 3 different designs; directional design, symmetrical (wave) design and asymmetrical design.

Directional design

What is it: These tyres are designed with grooves in a one direction to disperse water in the fastest way. This will give you better road holding during wet weather. The wider the grooves, the better it is to disperse water. However, wider grooves also means that there is more “road noise”, since the wider grooves allows for air to be trapped, compressed and released continuously.

Who is it for: Directional tyre designs will cater to people who don’t mind having a bit of noise in their tyres, and those who prefer to not have slippery tyres on the wet Malaysian roads.

Symmetrical (wave) design
 

What is it: The symmetrical designed tyres have grooves arranged in waves, and have smaller, lateral grooves cutting through the tyre design. These tyres are designed to reduce the noise made on the road.

Who is it for: Symmetrical tyre designs are for those who prefer a more quiet and peaceful journey, since the priority of this tyres doesn’t focus on water dispersion.

Asymmetric design

What is it: Asymmetric designed tyres are a combination of comfort and wet weather performance. These tyre designs combine both the principles of wet-weather performance while providing the optimal comfort. Half the surface of the tyre tread is designed for water dispersion, while the other half reduces the sound coming from the tyres.

Who is it for: Asymmetric designed tyres have been getting more and more popular over the past few years, but usually command a premium price as compared to other tyres.

So the next time you’re looking to change your tyres, remember to check out the tyre design to decide what’s best for you! Did you enjoy this tyre article? Leave a comment below if you did!