Everybody who owns a car, faces a dilemma of choosing the next set of tires when the old ones are bald.
And when we check for best tires for my car model, there are a lot of options. A LOT!
It very easy to get confused between tires which offer superior grips but last less and tires which are hard but offer more kilometers on a set or tires which are very comfortable. but once again last for a less time.
Now, inner me/you thinks lets get them grippy ones, which might save you in a tricky situation where you are testing the grips on sharp corners.
If you are a person, who likes to drive enthusiastically then I would advice to go for the ones which offer grip as they will save you and you will absolutely love them.
However, not all of us drive our cars enthusiastically. Some of us like to test the maximum mileage of our rubber and need tires which can boost our fuel economy, and last us for around 50 to 60000 kilometers at least (Normal grippy tires will last you from anywhere 25 to 35000 KM's).
Now there are many tires in market which term themselves as low rolling resistance tires. AND BELIEVE ME, they work very well!!.
There treads are designed in a way that there is very less friction with road while your car is moving forward, which allows your car to deliver more fuel economy .
And since, there is less friction with road, these tires also last longer.
Tread pattern of a low rolling resistance tire
However, one point to consider is, since there is less friction, if you drive your cars on high speeds lets say anything above 110 km/h, you will end up using more brake pads, as brake pads have to work more in order to stop the low rolling resistance tires.
If you drive at a leisure pace, whilst keeping up with speed limits, trust me, these tires would give you the most value for money. At the same time, they will be comfortable, will offer less noise.
One of the best ones I have come across are the ones from Yokohama Earth series. They have lasted me over 60000 KM's now and I believe they still have around 10k in them.
So to conclude, if you drive at a leisure pace often, and drive fast occasionally, then I would advice you to go for low rolling resistance tires, as they will last you long, and will give you a fuel economy boost of anywhere between 5 to 10 percent, depending on your driving style.
And if you like to throw your cars at higher speeds on highways and corners, I would strictly advice you to go for soft compound high performance tires.
Drive safe and have Fun!!!!!!