Winter Wheel & Tire Packages
Get the Right Tire
Where Can I Find My Tire Size?
What Does My Tire Size Mean?
DOT Code
Maximum Air Pressure
Traction Rating
Temperature Rating
Treadwear Rating
Winter Wheel & Tire Packages
Why ruin your nice summer wheels? We have Winter Wheel & Tire Packages available! We have options available for most vehicles. Choose your wheel and choose your tire, let us build the package. Call us today and get your winter wheels and tires on before the first big storm!
Get the Right Tire
Do you have the right tires for the season ahead? We all know that winter tires are different than all-season or summer tires because of the tread patterns to move the snow and slush. What you may not know is the rubber compound is totally different and allows for more flexibility when the temperature is cold, or as in Maine winters, REALLY COLD! This isn’t a snow job. Take a look at what Consumer Reports Says:
If you need winter tires, we have the brands you want at the area’s most competitive prices like the Yokohama iceGUARD (215 60 R 16). Yokohama tires are designed to perform better, keep you safer, and take you further. The iceGuard iG52c has exceptional performance and stability for all winter roads. Extra-wide center rib and large control blocks maximize road contact. And our triple-action compound adapts to wet, dry and ice conditions for a sense of complete confidence on all winter roads.
Between you and the road are four hand prints. That’s about the amount of surface area your tires take up when you’re rolling along the road. And, since it’s the friction between the road and your tires that is responsible for controlling your vehicle—steering and braking in particular—it’s critical that you operate with the correct tires.
At Necessary Tires Too, we care about you and your safety. We’ll always take a look at your tires. We’ll measure the tread depth in several places, look for unusual wear patterns, or any damage to the tire, and we’ll check for proper inflation of the tire, according to your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations.
Tire technology is actually very complex. There are a great many factors that go into the design and manufacture of automotive tires, and we want to be certain that you always have the correct tires for your particular vehicle.
We’ll let you know how your tires look and, when it’s time to replace your current tires, we’ll always give you a range of choices. We stock a large selection of both name-brand and value-priced tires, and we can special order any tire you want. We’ll let you choose which tires best meet your driving situation and your budget.
We appreciate that new tires can be a big investment. We want you to be totally satisfied, and our team at Necessary Tires Too will work to find the best solution for your tire needs.
Call (207) 588-7050 to get your snow tires changeover for just $62.
Where Can I Find My Tire Size?
The tire size and wheel for your vehicle can be found 1) On the sidewall of your tire 2) Inside the frame of the driver side door.
What Does My Tire Size Mean?
Reading the Sidewall.
Tire size can be confusing. Some numbers on the sidewall are listed in metric while others are in inches. Plus, the right size for your car, truck or trailer can differ depending on tire use and your driving habits.
You can see your original equipment tire size in your owner’s manual. This is the sizing recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.
If you’re interested in switching out your tires for a different look or performance need, a good place to start is to look at the codes on your existing tires’ sidewall. Then have one of our tire professionals help you determine a tire size range that will fit your vehicle and driving goals.
Here is an explanation on what all the sidewall numbers and letters mean.
A: Tire Type – The first letter in the code tells you what class of tire it is.
P stands for passenger vehicle tire. P-class tires include cars, SUVs, crossovers, minivans and smaller pickup trucks.
LT means light truck tire. Designed for vehicles that are towing trailers or have ¾- and 1-ton load capacity.
ST stands for Special Trailer. These tire sizes are meant for trailers, including fifth wheels and other travel trailers, boat trailers and utility trailers.
If there’s no letter before the first number, you have a metric tire most commonly referred to as European size. It’s also measured in millimeters but may have different load capacity than a P or LT tire.
B: Tire Width – The three-digit number following the letter is the tire’s width (from side to side, looking at the tire head on) in millimeters. Also called the section width, this measurement is taken from outer sidewall to inner sidewall.
C: Aspect Ratio – The forward slash separates the tire width number from the two-digit aspect ratio. The bigger the aspect ratio, the higher/taller the tire’s sidewall, or “profile” as it’s sometimes called.
The aspect ratio is a percentage. It’s the height of the sidewall measured from wheel rim to top of the tread, expressed as a percentage of tire width. In other words, it’s sidewall height divided by tire width.
In this example, the aspect ratio is 65, meaning the sidewall is 65 percent as high as the tire is wide. To get the sidewall height, take the tire width of 215 mm and convert it to inches (8.46). Then multiply this by .65 and you get 5.5 inches, the sidewall height in inches.
D: Construction Type – This single letter tells you about the internal construction of the tire.
R is for radial tires, the industry standard for most tires today. They have better road grip, lower rolling resistance for better gas mileage, ride comfort and durability than previous generations of tires. In a radial tire, the plies — layers of strong cords made of a blend of polyester, steel and fabric and coated with rubber — are laid perpendicular to the direction of travel.
D is for tires built with diagonal (crisscrossed) plies, called bias-constructed tires. They are also called conventional, x-ply, or cross-ply tires. Some motorcycle and trailer tires still use this internal construction.
Some run-flat tires are identified with an F followed by the type of internal construction.
E: Wheel Diameter (inches) – This two-digit number specifies wheel diameter in inches, how wide the wheel is across the center. It’s the distance between the two bead seat areas (where a tire gets slotted and tightly sealed onto the wheel).
F: Load Index – The two-digit or three-digit number that follows the gap specifies tire load index. The load index symbol indicates how much weight a tire can support. For example, the load index of 89 indicates the tire has a load capacity of 1,279 pounds.
G: Speed Rating – The last letter is the speed rating, which tells you the top speed it’s safe to travel at for a sustained amount of time. A tire with a higher speed rating can handle heat better and provide more control at faster speeds. The maximum operating speed of a vehicle is no more than the lowest speed rating of all tires mounted on the vehicle. (Of course, you should always abide by speed limits for safer driving.) Speed rating is usually, but not always, a single letter.
DOT Code
The DOT code is used by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to track tire production for recall purposes. If a tire proves to be defective, this number helps keep track of where these tires ended up so that buyers can be notified of the problem. At the end of the DOT code you’ll find a four-digit number. This is the manufacturing date of the tire. The first two digits stand for the week; the other two are the year. For example, if your tire had “1610” listed, it was manufactured on the 16th week of 2010.
If you come across a three-digit number, you have a tire that was manufactured before 2000. A DOT tire code of “127” indicates the tire was made on the 12th week of the seventh year of the decade. But it’s difficult to know whether that was 1997 or even 1987. According to tirerack.com, some tires produced in the 1990s may have a small triangle following the DOT number to identify the decade. But any tire that has a three-digit code is history. Tire experts recommend that tires that are six or more years old be replaced, regardless of tread depth.
Sometimes the DOT number will be located on the inside of the tire. In this case, you can either jack up the car to inspect it, or check with your local mechanic or tire shop. You should also make a habit of checking the manufacturing date on your spare tire as well.
Maximum Air Pressure
This number refers to the maximum amount of air you can put in a tire before you harm it. It is not the recommended tire pressure; that number can be found in your owner’s manual and on the doorjamb.
Traction Rating
A traction rating can also be found on the sidewall of all modern tires. It can be represented as AA, A, B or C. This is a rating of a tire’s traction when tested for straight-line braking on a wet surface. For this rating, AA signifies the best traction performance and C indicates the worst.
Temperature Rating
The temperature rating refers to the ability of the tire to withstand heat under high speeds. The ratings, from best to worst, are: A, B and C.
Treadware Rating
Finally, you might find the word “TREADWEAR” on the sidewall followed by a number like 120 or 180. This is a rating of the tread’s durability, as tested against an industry standard. The reference number is 100, so a tire with a treadwear rating of 200 has an 80 percent longer predicted tread life, while a rating of 80 means a predicted tread life only 80 percent as long as the industry standard.