More and more drivers are considering buying a pick-up truck or SUV for their next vehicle.  When you head off to your Ford Dealer to check out the various models, brush up on your tire knowledge to be a better prepared consumer.  Here is some basic information.
Tires for light trucks fall into three broad categories:
* Street/Sport Truck:  A sporty truck like the Ford Ranger Splash will use this kind of tire.  The handling traits complement the appealing sporty look.
* Highway:  You should have this line of tire for a heavy duty full sized pick-up because it offers a bigger load capacity.  The typical upright rib tread has been reinforced in recent year with an all season design.
* Off-Road:  Deep grooves built to handle rugged terrain are a trademark of an aggressive tread design, but you can also expect a louder, rougher ride on paved roads.  To eliminate this, many favor the all terrain off-road tire.  You might lose some off road ability but you gain a smoother, less noisy ride.
Molded on to the sidewalls of tires you can locate markings that indicate a grading system for tire quality.
* Treadwear 160:  This number offers a way of comparing tires, but it does not represent an absolute value.  The baseline is 100.  Looking at this value, you will be able to expect 60% more tread life than the baseline tire.  This assumes, of course, that the tire is in proper operating form with appropriate inflation and that you do not exceed the load capacity.  Because this value is determined by individual manufacturers, it will apply only to those products produced by that manufacturer.
* Traction A:  Traction ratings are an indication of the tire’s ability to stop on a wet pavement.  The NHTSA indicates this is the only factor in play here because the ability to corner is not tested.  The scale begins with a highest rating of AA and goes down to the lowest rating of C.
* Temperature C: How a tire is able to resist heat effects is considered here.  Federal requirements put C as the minimum, moving up to B and with A being the best.