Daily driving
Grand touring
Everyday-tier power and daily driving is grand-touring territory: strong wet grip and comfort without paying for grip you'll never use.
The Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 Wildtrak is a all-wheel drive ute with 184 kW and a kerb weight of 2,400 kg. That’s 77 kW per tonne, in the everyday tier. Mainstream hatches, sedans and SUVs. Enough power to notice good tyres in the wet.
77kW/t
Under the P-plate limit. Comfortably under the 130 kW/t limit for P-platers in NSW, Victoria and Queensland (under-25s). Engine modifications or a banned listing can still rule a car out. P-plate rules
For a mild, wet climate. Cold and snowy climates are further down.
Daily driving
Everyday-tier power and daily driving is grand-touring territory: strong wet grip and comfort without paying for grip you'll never use.
Gravel & off-road
For gravel and dirt, an all-terrain's tougher carcass matters more than outright grip.
Also consider: if you rarely leave the bitumen, touring.
Estimates from power and weight. The tyre placard on the driver’s door jamb is the legal minimum.
Grand touring: character
Cold winters, little snow
Your tyre: All-season / all-weather
Michelin CrossClimate 2 · Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 · Continental AllSeasonContact 2
If you'd rather run summer tyres: Grand touring
Continental PremiumContact 7 · Bridgestone Turanza 6 · Pirelli Cinturato P7
Snow and ice
Summer set: Grand touring
Continental PremiumContact 7 · Bridgestone Turanza 6 · Pirelli Cinturato P7
Winter set: Winter
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 · Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 · Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
If you want one set: All-season / all-weather
Michelin CrossClimate 2 · Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 · Continental AllSeasonContact 2
All-wheel drive: replace all four
Keep all four tyres the same make, model and near-identical tread depth. Many AWD systems tolerate only 2–3 mm of difference before the centre coupling or diff is strained, so a single damaged tyre can mean replacing the set, or shaving a new one to match.
Ute
If you tow or carry heavy loads, Light Truck (LT) construction gives stronger sidewalls and a higher load rating. Check pressures laden versus unladen: most utes list both on the placard.
Buying only two?
On AWD, avoid it. On other cars, put the new pair on the rear axle: grippy rears keep the car stable when braking or cornering in the wet.
77 kW per tonne (103 hp per tonne), from 184 kW and a 2,400 kg kerb weight. That puts it in ratio's Everyday tier.
For everyday driving, grand touring tyres. Good options include the Continental PremiumContact 7, Bridgestone Turanza 6, Pirelli Cinturato P7. Always match or exceed the load index and speed rating on the car's tyre placard.
On power-to-weight, yes: at 77 kW per tonne it is under the 130 kW/t limit for P-platers in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Engine modifications can still make a car off-limits.
Cars in the Everyday tier typically run H or V-rated tyres. The legal minimum is whatever your placard, on the driver's door jamb, specifies.