Best Tires For Scion tC

‍A bit more about the Scion TC

The Scion TC is considered a compact car. Drivers who have purchased a Scion TC probably like the vehicle for its blend of style and size as it is perfect for driving on the highway or in a city environment. I’ve also seen the Scion TC in person more than a few times as I have a family member who drives one and I have to say it looks pretty cool too.

Factors to Consider for Scion TC Tires

Driving Conditions

When looking for the best tires for your Scion TC, it's important to consider the driving conditions you'll be encountering. If you live in an area with heavy rain or snow, you'll want to look for tires with good wet and snow traction. On the other hand, if you live in a dry and hot climate, you'll want to prioritize tires that offer good handling and performance in those conditions.

Additionally, consider the type of driving you'll be doing. If you mostly drive on highways you'll want tires that offer good stability and comfort at high speeds. If you do a lot of city driving you'll want tires that provide good traction and handling in stop-and-go traffic.

Budget

Another important factor to consider when choosing tires for your Scion TC is your budget. Tires can range in price from affordable to very expensive, so it's important to decide how much you're willing to spend before you start shopping. Keep in mind that more expensive tires may offer better performance and durability, but they may not always be necessary for your driving needs.

The tire market tends to promote the idea that you can get a tire that has good traction, a smooth ride, or a lower price while often sacrificing one of those.

Types of Tires

When it comes to choosing the best tires for your Scion TC, there are several types of tires to consider. Each type has its own unique features and benefits that cater to different driving styles and conditions. Here are the four main types of tires:

All-Season Tires

All-season tires are designed to provide a balance of performance and comfort in all weather conditions. They are ideal for drivers who live in areas with mild winters and don't experience extreme weather conditions. These tires offer good traction on wet and dry roads and are suitable for light snowfall. They also have a longer tread life compared to other tire types. The vast majority of tires you’ll see available are all season tires are they are generally lower priced. They also come in different categories including grand touring and others which only add some level of comfort.

Summer Tires

Summer tires are designed for high-performance driving in warm weather conditions. They offer excellent handling and traction on dry roads, making them ideal for sports cars and performance vehicles. They are not suitable for cold weather conditions and can become stiff and lose their grip in temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Winter Tires

Winter tires are engineered to provide maximum traction and control in snowy and icy conditions. They are made with a special rubber compound that stays pliable in cold temperatures and has a unique tread pattern that enhances grip on snow and ice. Winter tires are essential for drivers who live in areas with harsh winter conditions and experience heavy snowfall.

Performance Tires

Performance tires are designed for high-speed driving and offer excellent handling and traction on both wet and dry roads. They are ideal for sports cars and high-performance vehicles and are made with a softer rubber compound that provides a better grip on the road. However, performance tires have a shorter tread life compared to other tire types and can be noisy and uncomfortable on rough roads.

Best Tires for Scion TC

After conducting extensive research, I have compiled a list of the best tires for the Scion TC. These tires have been selected based on their performance, durability, and overall value.

Bridgestone WeatherPeak

The Bridgestone WeatherPeak is a great tire option for those who live in areas with harsh winter conditions. This tire is designed to provide excellent traction on snow and ice, while also delivering a comfortable ride. The WeatherPeak tread pattern helps to enhance grip in slippery conditions. One of the best parts of the Bridgestone Weatherpeak is what Bridgestone calls evolving sipes. These sipes are capable of changing the tire wears out. The resulting changes maintain grip as the tire gets older.

The WeatherPeak stands out ratings wise with a seriously high 9.3 on wet. This is also well balanced by a 9.2 on dry and 9.1 on wet and snowy conditions. Bridgestone has made one of your better options here for living in a climate that gets a wide variety of weather including snow and cold.

TireRack has these priced competitively at about $220 per tire.

Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3

The PIRELLI P7 AS PLUS 3 is a high-performance tire that provides excellent handling and traction in all weather conditions. This tire is designed to deliver a smooth and comfortable ride, while also providing exceptional wet and dry grip. The P7 AS PLUS 3 features an advanced tread pattern that helps to enhance handling and reduce road noise.

Pirelli offers an interesting balance of abilities. The TireRack's subjective ratings for wet and snow handling performance aren’t all that great at 8.3. The overall dry and regular wet performance is great at 9.1 and 9.3 respectively.

Let’s talk price too. The P7 is priced lower than some other tires on our list at just under $200 per tire at TireRack. For a driver who isn’t in snow frequently if at all the Pirelli can be a real bargain while helping your Scion TC handle well.

BF Goodrich Advantage Control

The BF Goodrich Advantage Control has one big advantage over many of the tires we listed and will list; the price is low at just $179 per tire on TireRack. There is a reason for this low price. The Advantage Control is way better on dry than wet, though it isn’t terrible on wet either at 8.9. To be fair, 8.9 is good, but not as good as other tires for a little more money.  The tread wear life is also pretty good for the price at 8.9 out of 10. Honestly, we expected lower.

This tire is generally a good option if you are on a budget with your Scion TC. It’s also quite useful if you live in a place where rain isn’t all that common.

BRIDGESTONE BLIZZAK WS90

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The BRIDGESTONE BLIZZAK WS90 is another great winter tire option for the Scion TC. This tire is designed to provide excellent traction on snow and ice, while also delivering a comfortable ride. The BLIZZAK WS90 features a proprietary tread compound with silica meant to become more flexible in cold and slippery conditions. Given the number of micro treads within the Blizzak’s tread, the tire also provides excellent braking.

At $184 per tire, the Blizzak is a good price if you need a winter tire.

MICHELIN X-ICE SNOW

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The MICHELIN X-ICE SNOW is a premium winter tire that is designed to provide exceptional performance in the harshest winter conditions. This tire displays a unique tread pattern that helps to enhance grip on snow and ice, while also delivering a comfortable ride. The X-ICE SNOW also provides excellent braking performance, making it a great choice for those who live in areas with heavy snowfall.

At $242 per tire, the Michelin X-Ice Snow is more expensive than the Blizzak counterpart, but could be worth it for drivers who experience lots of snow.

Michelin CrossClimate2

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The Michelin CrossClimate2 is an all-season tire that is designed to deliver excellent performance in a variety of weather conditions. This tire has a unique v-shaped tread alignment that helps to enhance grip on both wet and dry roads. Comfort is also better than average with an 8.9 in the category of competitive tires. Reduced noise levels in the CrossClimate2 come from Michelin’s use of PIANO technology which uses computer assistance to produce an optimized tread pattern.  The CrossClimate2 also features a longer tread life than many other all-season tires with a very solid 8.9 out of 10 on TireRack.

The price is about right too. $225 for the CrossClimate2 on TireRack is a good deal.

BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE980AS+

The Bridgestone Potenza is considered an ultra high performance tire. deliver excellent handling and traction in all weather conditions. This tire features an asymmetric tread pattern with slots in the edges to best enhance grip on both wet and dry roads, while also providing a comfortable ride. The POTENZA RE980AS+ also features a longer tread life than many other high-performance tires, making it a great value.

Per TireRack’s user rating systems, this tire isn’t exactly a wet or snow tire though it does perform better than competitors in the category. The dry rating though is a very solid 9.4 making this a class leader if you are traveling with your Scion TC tires on dry roads.

TireRack offers the Potenza for $209 per tire. While you are looking at one of the more expensive tires in the category, we feel this one is 100% worth it.

VREDESTEIN HYPERTRAC ALL SEASON

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This is an all-season tire that is designed to deliver excellent performance in a variety of weather conditions. This tire features a unique tread pattern that helps to enhance grip on both wet and dry roads, while also providing a comfortable ride. The Hypertrac All Season also features a longer tread life than many other all-season tires, making it a great value.

The Vredestein Hypertrac All Season follows up with our last tire as an ultra high performance tire too with less of a price tag. You can score one on TireRack for about $180 per tire. Honestly, the overall ratings are lowerd on Vredestein with a 9.1 on dry and 9.0 on wet. Winter and snow ratings are actually a little higher at 7.9.

Looking at the above data, you might conclude that this tire is better in the event you live in an area where you want exceptional grip but you might also drive through rain. You would be right.

Why Buy From TireRack?

When it comes to purchasing tires for your Scion TC, there are many options available. However, TireRack stands out from the competition for several reasons.

One major reason why TireRack is so popular is because they make shopping easy. TireRack will ship tires to your front door or you can have your TireRack tires installed at one of tens of thousands of affiliated shops. All you have to do is make an appointment to show up and get them installed for a fee.

TireRack has a wide selection of tires specifically designed for the Scion TC, making it easy to find the perfect fit for your vehicle. They offer tires from top brands such as Michelin, Bridgestone, and Goodyear, ensuring that you are getting high-quality tires that are built to last.

Another reason to buy from TireRack is its exceptional customer service. Their team of experts is available to answer any questions you may have and help you find the right tires for your driving needs. They also offer a wealth of resources on their website, including tire reviews, tire tests, and a tire decision guide to help you make an informed decision.

TireRack also takes information to the next level. They offer many user ratings which help people like you and me decide what to buy. Real world tests are also offere. These kinds of tests are our absolute favorite because they provide objective information using real professional drivers in the same setting every time. We referenced a few of these tests while discussing the best tires for Scion TC.

Finally, TireRack offers competitive pricing and fast shipping. They frequently run promotions and discounts, making it easy to find a great deal on your tires. Plus, they offer fast shipping to ensure that you get your tires as quickly as possible.

Overall, I highly recommend TireRack for anyone in the market for new tires for their Scion TC. With their wide selection, exceptional customer service, and competitive pricing, you can't go wrong.

Do I need snow tires for the Scion TC?

If you don’t drive on snow on a pretty regular basis, the easy answer is no. To be honest, snow tires are definitely not worthy of being on your Toyota Scion TC year round and are not the best idea for a smoother ride when the pavement is dry and warm.

Should your home be in a location that gets lots of snow - and gets it nearly year round, you’ll want to consider getting snow tires for your Scion TC. To be fair, the Scion TC isn’t especially well designed for snow driving in the first place and you might want to garage it if you live in northern Canada or the Arctic.

We do want to throw out one word of caution for snow tires: Do not get overconfident on ice. Snow tires are more meant to help you accelerate to normal speeds and offer more control when slowing down on the white stuff. They really won’t help your Scion TC if you are driving on black ice or on an unplowed side street or freeway. Be careful in traffic and drive normally.

When should I replace my Scion TC tires?

There are a couple of ways to determine when you need new tires and we’ll cover them for you.

Depth gauge

We prefer this method because it is scientifically accurate. A depth gauge is held upside down in the tire read and tells you how much you have left. While there is often a red line telling you the necessary tire tread depth we can readily tell you that 4/32” is getting too skinny and you should replace them as soon as possible.

Performance Issues

When your tread depth is getting too low you still start to notice you are having a harder time braking quickly or accelerating quickly. I have personally experienced this when trying to accelerate away from a stop sign in the rain only to hear some squealing when I wasn’t exactly giving it a lot of gas. These are signs that you could easily lose just enough control of your vehicle to cause an issue. We hope you don’t measure your tire’s health with this.

Low air

If your Scion TC tires look like they are low on air or if your vehicle’s pressure sensors are screaming you might have a problem. Low air pressure can be the result of gradual leaks or extreme cold. You’ll want to refill those tires with air and see if it remains what is added.

Old

Tires that have been sitting around for quite a while will also start to show some cracks. If your tires are older or have obvious flaws you should consider replacing them before driving the vehicle again.

Are the tires the Scion need special?

Not exactly. The Scion TC is a cool car, but it doesn’t need anything truly unique to make it run. We say this because some vehicles offer so much power and torque they need certain tires with extra grip to handle all of it.