Best Summer Tires: Your Responsive Warm-Weather Must-Have

I chose the best summer tires by seeking out the newest seasonal tires from the best names in the field. These tires include well-known, highly reputable brands like Michelin and Bridgestone, which have demonstrated reliability and on-road performance in their tire lineups. To determine which tires offered the best in durability, performance, and warm weather responsiveness or handling, I specifically looked for tires rated for summer weather, with added perks like shallow tread and solid water evacuation to prevent hydroplaning and slipping in wet weather. All of these tires also came highly rated and well-reviewed from users online.  

As one of the best performance tires available right now, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S can’t be beat as a summer tire. It’s responsive yet stable, grippy yet durable in hot temperatures, and able to prevent hydroplaning and slipping in rainy weather. If you’re looking for an affordable alternative, the Toyo Tire Proxes Sport is another performance-focused tire that fits within budgets and offers long-term value. 

If you’ve ever wondered what makes summer tires different from alternate options, like high-performance tires or all-season tires, here’s what you need to know. These key details can help you find the best summer tires for your car and your region’s summer road conditions. 

While all-season tires might get a lot of attention because they’re built for year-round versatility, winter and summer tires have their place on the road, too. And if you’re unsure what makes summer tires different from the available alternatives, here’s what makes these more specifically suited for warm weather – or even the heat of the warmest months of the year.

Summer tires are performance tires, built for maximum handling and responsiveness on dry roads. They’re also designed to increase your car’s grip on dry roads, providing the right rubber compound for hot days and road surfaces. Typically, summer tires feature a wide, continuous center channel for stability, plus parallel shallow grooves to evacuate water and prevent hydroplaning when wet weather strikes. At the outermost edge of these tires, you’ll find a larger contact area for increased grip while cornering and turning. Summer tires also feel more responsive while you drive.

Summer tires, overall, are the stickiest choice. Their rubber is built for temperatures over 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and their sticky nature makes them grippy on warm days. But if you use these tires in cooler weather, their rubber can harden and become slick and prone to skids. 

In comparison, winter tires – which are specifically built for snow, ice, and slush – have stiffer rubber compounds and thicker, deeper tread to keep grip even when road contact is limited. And all-season tires blend the features of both summer and winter tires into one, but they’re really a moderate pick; they aren’t meant for extreme heat or extreme cold. 

Tread is also a critical consideration when you’re picking out tires, and this is true for summer tires, too. However, while you might want deep tread grooves and sturdy, thick tread blocks on winter tires, you want the opposite in warm weather. Look for shallower, straighter tread patterns as you’re picking out summer tires. Shallower, straighter tread will put more of the tires’ rubber in contact with the road for the grip you need in hot or wet conditions. 

To make sure you’re picking out a true summer tire, look at the speed rating. Summer tires (along with ultra-high-performance tires, a different kind of summer tire) come in three speed ratings: ZR-, W-, and Y-speed ratings. You should also make sure that the tires you’re considering do not have an M&S label on their sidewalls. That’s a Mud & Snow designation, which helps identify winter tires as well as all-season tires that offer a different rubber compound and tread type for tougher weather conditions. 

While you likely don’t think about wet weather when you’re shopping for summer tires, you should. One of the key hallmarks of summer tires is their strong performance on wet roads; they’re built for summer thunderstorms and surprise showers. So, you’ll want to make sure you choose summer tires with design features that help you keep grip in wet conditions and prevent hydroplaning; check tire product descriptions to determine how they’ll handle slick roads. 

Summer tires are available at a wide variety of price points. You can find budget options priced between $100 and $200 per tire, for a total of $400 to $800 for a complete set. Within this price range, you’ll find both budget picks and mid-range tires that offer great performance and longevity. If you’re looking for top-tier or more premium performance tires, you can expect to spend about $225 to $275 per summer tire. 

You’ve got questions. The Drive has answers.