Your tires are arguably the most important part of your vehicle as they are the parts that maintain contact with the road, providing traction, steering and power. When your tires become worn, you lose grip on the road and can be subject to slipping, especially under adverse weather or emergency conditions. Severely worn tires will blow out and are thus very hazardous.

Tires need to be rotated on a regular basis because they do not wear evenly under normal operating conditions. They do wear predictably, however, so by swapping the tires from side to side and front to rear they will wear more evenly, delaying the need for replacement. Rotating is only a temporary measure and should be done before any one patch wears significantly.

Tire manufacturing has gotten considerably more sophisticated (with the introduction of steel belting, advanced tread designs, and complex polymer recipes) in recent years. However, tires still suffer from minute, weight-balance issues that must be corrected when tires are mounted or else they can 'wobble' at high speeds. This balancing is achieved usually by placing small weights around the rim.

Tread designs and material mixes alter a tire's suitability for various terrains, environmental conditions, and driving conditions. As examples, wet-weather tires are obviously better for chronically wet conditions and off-road tires really only perform well off road. The best tires for most uses are called all-weather tires. All-terrain tires are good for trucks that spend time off road as well.