Every now and then, besides what new car to buy, I’m often consulted by family and friends about which car parts to buy as well. Giving advice for these things is usually easy, except when it comes to tires. When asking about what tires they should replace their worn ones with, I always tell friends to get something close to if not better than what came on their car.

However, when it’s a premium tire brand like Michelin, Continental, or Bridgestone, there seems to be some hesitance to get the same brand that their car came with. In fact, I’m usually met with a follow up question, “What about this tire brand? Is it ok?”

The brand mentioned is usually a cheaper alternative that hasn’t existed just 10 years before, and made in a country not generally known for making good tires.

This is a worrying pattern among many motorists. After all, tires are quite expensive per piece, and when faced with the prospect of having to buy at least four, it can be a daunting expense. Particularly for SUVs, a decent set can easily reach ₱30,000 – ₱50,000 these days. Most would rather spend that kind of money on a set of wheels that may last as long as the car itself rather than tires that will wear out in about five years. However, the problem with scrimping on tires, especially for your daily drive, is that you’re also short-changing your vehicle’s very performance.

Tires, after all, are the only part of the car that actually touches the road. As such, it is the main limiting factor of your vehicle’s abilities. Many might not realize this, but vehicle traits like fuel economy, ride, quietness, and especially handling, acceleration and braking are ultimately only as good as the tire that transfers all that to the road.

Put cheap tires on your car and your multi-million peso hybrid SUV will only be as quiet and as efficient as the bargain basement rubber was engineered to be. Frustrated that your stock Michelins wore out so quickly? Feel free to put cheap tires, but don’t complain when it seems to slip during turns, chirps when accelerating, or even locks up despite ABS when braking.

Most worrying of all is putting your life to chance by mounting a cheap tire when you frequently drive on highways during the rainy season. I was once rear-ended on a wet highway when I had to brake heavily to avoid a sudden traffic buildup. Despite being fully-loaded with passengers and cargo, my 10-year old Innova on Bridgestones stopped better than a Mazda behind me, rolling on cheap tires and with just a single passenger. I thankfully didn’t hit anyone in front, but the hatchback behind me unfortunately couldn’t stop in time, despite being smaller and lighter. I was hesitant to pay the premium for Bridgestones then, but I certainly don’t regret it now.

Chances are, the main stumbling block to spending on a proper set of tires is the fact that they’re a consumable part of the car. These tires will wear out over time and will have to be replaced once again. But aren’t they a worthy investment, considering all your vehicle’s capabilities rely on them? In fact, a proper set of tires, particularly mid-level to high-performance ones can feel like a performance upgrade on their own. Simply changing your tires can radically improve your vehicle’s handling, ride, efficiency and even quietness.

They may seem like simple rubber hoops, but there’s a lot of technology that goes into a tire. The blocks and tread design are fabricated to disperse water, but also keep road noise low when rolling at high speeds. Many tires are actually molded with multiple rubber compounds: some with soft corners for better handling and hard compounds on the surface to last longer. Some sidewalls are soft for a better ride, some are stiff to stay on the rim even after a puncture. Some even come with rim protectors. In between the inner and outer rubber layers are a lattice of tough material like steel belts and sometimes even Kevlar.

Most bargain basement tires are designed to simply last a long time, but don’t offer much in the way of a quiet and comfortable ride, improved fuel efficiency, or even grip. However higher end tires will be able to offer improvements in some or many of these aspects all at the same time.

I’m not saying everyone needs to go to the furthest end of spectrum and get themselves a set of costly Michelin Pilot Sports or Pirelli P-Zeroes. Rather, evaluate your needs realistically and find a tire that matches. Typically stuck in city traffic? Get yourself a fuel-saving tire. Drive long distances? Get a high mileage tire. If you spend 90 percent of your time in the city, stick with an HT rather than an AT or mud tires for your SUV or pickup. Prioritize the capability that you actually need rather than how ‘cool’ your off-road tires look.

If more motorists took buying tires seriously, we might actually have collectively lower fuel consumption, less emissions, and possibly even fewer accidents.

(Iñigo S. Roces is the editor of Manila Bulletin’s Motoring section)