Building a project car takes a lot of time, planning, and effort. A project car is a car of your own design. It typically involves taking an older car and completely rebuilding it from scratch.
After all that work, you don’t want to skimp on finding the right tires. Deciding the right type of tires for the car may be difficult because of how many there are to choose from. Here are a few helpful tips for finding the right specialty tires that will fit your project car the best.
Size Definitely Matters
When it comes to tires, size does matter. Adding the wrong size of tires on your project car can cause a variety of issues, including ruining the suspension. In order to choose the right size, you must first think about the size of your car. Obviously, you can’t put tires meant for an eighteen-wheeler on a car made for four. The tire size must accommodate the size of the car. Likely, if you’ve rebuilt a car, you can look up the original manufacturer’s tire size recommendation. If you can’t find that information and you can’t decide what size tires you need, talk to a mechanic you trust for advice.
Look for Tires That Are Suited for the Terrain
You may have the correct tire size, but it may not be fit for the terrain of the area. For instance, if you’re in an area with rugged-terrain and unpaved roads, you need tires that can handle that.
Another thing you need to take into consideration is the weather of your area. If it snows a lot where you live, there’s a good chance ice forms on the road. You’ll need to install winter tires or all season tires if you expect to be driving in the snow.
Ensure the Warranty Is Worth It
Warranties are an extra layer of security. Most warranties are annual, but for tires, it’s a different story. Tire warranties are based on mileage. An example of this would be a regular set of tires with a warranty of 10,000 miles. Should anything damage the tires within this mileage, you can have them replaced or repaired with no additional cost.
If you go over the mileage count, though, the warranty is null and void. This means that you will have to pay for the repairs or replacements yourself. Try to find a warranty that offers coverage up to 50,000 mileage if you can. Ideally, you want to procure as much mileage as possible. You should never go with a manufacturer who doesn’t offer any warranties.
Know Where to Shop
Perhaps the most important tip we can give is to know where you should and shouldn’t shop. Reputable tire dealers typically stock a wide variety of tire options to suit your needs. They can also help you determine which tires will last the longest, based on your past and future usage and where you reside. For this reason, it’s best to compare the prices from at least two to three different sets of tires before making a final decision.
Building a new car from the ground up takes time, so it’s important to have a budget set before you get started. The tips provided here are meant to help make buying specialty tires for your project car a breeze.