Difference Between Touring & Performance Tires

If there's one truism in today's car community, it's that everyone thinks they need a race tire. Although true performance tires can indeed make or brake a car dynamically, they lack much of the comfort and longevity of a touring tire.

History

Prior to the 1980s, the only difference between a performance tire and a standard one was size. After Goodyear introduced its Gatorback touring tire, the market exploded in performance and semi-performance "touring" tire designs.

Tread

Because more rubber on the road means more grip, performance tires tend to have far fewer water sipes than touring tires. While this is great on dry pavement, touring tires will always trump when it comes to wet-road handling.

Compound

Performance tires use a much softer rubber compound than touring tires. Although these compounds do stick better, they also wear out much faster.

Speed Rating

Performance tires almost always have a much higher speed rating than touring tires, owing to their tread design and internal reinforcment configuration.

All Terrain

Touring tires are much better in snow and mud, because they put more pressure per square inch on the tread. This allows the tire to "dig in" better, and to shed the mud or snow more efficiently.

References

• Expert Pages
• TireRack.com
• 1010Tires.com

Resources

• Extreme Tire Testing (video)