How can you tell if the tire has a soft sidewall or stiff sidewall?

I am curious b/c I have General Exclaim UHP 265/35/18 and I am curious what the sidewall is considered.

Thanks,
Demetri

 

...very soft.

 

Press against the tire sidewalls and see if it's soft or stiff....

 

should be soft but poke it

if the tire is off the rim sit on top of the tire and see how well it supports your weight

 

Not really good ways.

Look for load rating and speed ratings. If you want a stiffer tire, get a higher load rated or XL load rated tire. Also look at constructions. Number of ply layers and overlay help the tire stiffness. And aspect ratio -- tall sidewall tires are not going to be as stiff.

You need some sidewall complacency for handling. Too stiff and the tread patch will not work effectively (keeping the car glued in turns). Too soft and steering response suffers.

 

What!? See if whats soft or stiff? Press what against it? Can you draw a stick figure demonstration Thanks bud needed a laugh today!


To the OP look up reviews on tires on a well know site like tire rack. You can learn alot about peoples experiences with different brands.

 

Thank you for all the helpful advice!

I wanted something more soft b/c I daily drive it and take it to the drag strip once in a while and my understanding is soft is better on drive train parts when launching.

The load rating is 1609 I believe. Not sure if that is considered soft or firm

 

Compare to other tires in that class too.

Also, Extreme Summer tires tend to be firmer. All-seasons or Touring softer.

 

Most tires gain about 100 pounds per inch in "spring" rate for each psi. Connect dots.

 

Subjective really. Physically, tires that are xl load rated or have multi ply sidewalls will be the stiffer of the bunch.

 

^ and might have different apex compounds/lengths.