Before You Go

A cooling downpour during the summer might be a welcome break from the heat. Yet, it can make for slick, hazardous roads during your summer getaway.

Rough roads, under inflated tires and driving over the curb can all make your wheels fall out of alignment.

Not only does it make a car harder to drive, improper alignment wears out your tires faster and can reduce fuel economy.

We can go months without really looking at--much less thinking about--our tires.

Such complacency means we’ll fail to notice cracking, underinflation, uneven tread and other symptoms of wear and tear.

They are known as summer tires or ultra high-performance tires--and they are an effective way to increase your car’s traction in dry weather and handle faster speeds. 

There’s no industry standard for what constitutes a summer tire, according to Rubber Manufacturers Association, but they commonly wick away moisture, grip the road well and are softer than tires formulated for cold weather driving.