Some of the most important parts on any car are its tires. After all, the tires are the only part that actually touch the road. And here to give us some pointers we have tire expert Matt Edmunds. Matt, welcome to Goss’ Garage.

MATT EDMONDS: Great to be here, Pat.

PAT GOSS: Alright, now you have shoes and tires. Tell us about them.

MATT EDMONDS: Well I’ll tell you…we change our shoes to get the most out of ourselves for our personal performance, which equates to safety depending on the conditions we’re in or the activity that we’re doing. It’s very similar with your tires.

PAT GOSS: Okay. So, you’re saying that we should be changing tires periodically?

MATT EDMONDS: Well, you know, depending on where you live, if you’ve got winter conditions to deal with, dedicated winter tires, like boots that we put on in snow and ice conditions; very, very important.

You know, if you live in an area where temperatures get down, but you don’t have to deal with snow and ice, all-season tires: good in everything, not great at anything. Like the shops that you might wear every single day of the year.

If you want to get the most out of your vehicle in dry conditions, and actually in wet conditions, an athletic tire, very much like an athletic shoe, if you want to do something very physical.

PAT GOSS: Alright. And that’s a summer tire…

MATT EDMONDS: This is a summer tire, or a three season tire. Now, for some people that live in an area where temperatures really don’t get cold, this is a tire that they can use year round.

PAT GOSS: Okay, now what makes the difference between these?

MATT EDMONDS: Well, I’ll tell you, the difference between these tires, the carcass, the interior of the tires is very, very similar. The big difference comes in the actual tread pattern, as we can see here, but also in the tread compound. The black magic. You know, the summer tire, made to really endure in really hot conditions, is going to be a tire that really holds us, gives you that extra grip you need.

All-season tires will really be able to be the jack of all trades and master of none essentially. So good in everything, not great in anything. A compound that’s going to stay relatively pliable.

This winter tire has been really developed though, and tuned to work in winter conditions. The compound is going to stay soft, pliable, and really give you the ultimate in grip when temperatures get very, very cold. 

PAT GOSS: okay, so this one for everything, this one for performance in warm weather, and this for winter conditions. 

MATT EDMONDS: Absolutely. And this one will actually work extremely well in wet conditions, which is a surprise to most people. That’s why, people who live down South, where you may not have temperatures that drop into the 40s very often, it’s a tire that’s a great tire all year-around for you.

PAT GOSS: Matt, thank you.

And if you have a question or comment, drop me a line, right here at MotorWeek.