tirewheelguide

Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 9, 2026

Welcome to TireWheelGuide. We provide free information about tires and wheels, including our tire size calculator, vehicle fitment databases, tire reviews, tire comparisons, and informational articles. This Privacy Policy explains clearly how we handle data when you visit our websites: tirewheelguide.com, tirewheelguide.de, and tirewheelguide.com.ua.

We believe in keeping data collection to a minimum. We do not offer user accounts, we do not publish an email newsletter, we do not run email marketing campaigns, we do not collect telephone numbers, and we never sell your personal data. For details regarding the general terms governing your use of our site, please see our Terms and Conditions.

Web Server Logs

When you visit any page on our site, our web server—hosted by DigitalOcean—automatically records standard request details in server log files. These records include:

  • Your IP address
  • The date and time of your request
  • The specific page or file requested
  • The referring website or page that sent you to us
  • Your browser user-agent string (which reports your browser type and operating system)
  • The HTTP status code returned by our server

We use this information exclusively to ensure system security, defend against malicious bots or automated abuse, and detect and fix technical errors. Web server logs are automatically deleted after 14 days.

Cloudflare Content Delivery and Security

All network traffic to our websites passes through Cloudflare, which provides content delivery, site optimization, and security protection. In routing and securing traffic, Cloudflare processes your IP address and standard web request details. To detect bot traffic, Cloudflare may present a brief browser check and may place strictly necessary security cookies in your browser, such as __cf_bm or cf_clearance.

Along with each web request, Cloudflare forwards your approximate country to our server. For this purpose we use only the country code.

Country Detection and Store Selection

We use the country code supplied by Cloudflare to provide relevant market information. Specifically, it enables our system to:

  • Direct our "check price" buttons to an appropriate regional merchant (such as Amazon in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, or Germany, or Tyroola in Australia)
  • Display market-specific notes, such as which tires and versions are sold in your region

This regional determination happens instantly when the page is served and is never linked to your identity or stored with any personal identifier.

Affiliate Links and Click Logging

Our website contains affiliate links and price-check buttons pointing to online retailers. When you click one of these buttons, our system logs basic details about the click before redirecting you. We record:

  • The time of the click
  • The language of the page you were viewing
  • The country detected by Cloudflare
  • The destination merchant (for example, Amazon or Tyroola)
  • The search terms or product information in the link (such as tire model and size)
  • The specific page on our website where you clicked the button
  • Whether you are using a mobile device

This click log contains no IP addresses, sets no cookies, and assigns no unique user IDs. We use this anonymous data solely to evaluate which buttons and tools are helpful to our readers.

Once you click a merchant link, you leave TireWheelGuide. The retailer (such as Amazon or Tyroola) then handles your browsing and any potential purchases under its own independent privacy policy. If you make a purchase, the retailer may notify us that a sale took place so we receive an affiliate commission, but they never tell us who you are or share your personal details with us.

Cookies and Local Browser Storage

We do not set any first-party cookies for visitors to our website. Any cookies present on your device originate either from Cloudflare for essential security purposes, or from Google for analytics and advertising as outlined below.

Instead of cookies, our tire size calculator and tools use your browser's built-in local storage mechanisms to remember your preferences between visits. This information stays directly inside your web browser and is never transmitted to our servers:

  • localStorage key twg.size: stores the last tire size dimensions you entered into our calculator.
  • localStorage key twg.car: stores up to 6 vehicle selections you have picked in our fitment tool.
  • sessionStorage key twg.visitor: keeps a temporary copy of your country and preferred store choice for the duration of your browsing session.

Because this data resides solely on your device, you can view or delete it at any time through your browser's storage settings.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors engage with our content. Each of our sites (tirewheelguide.com, tirewheelguide.de and tirewheelguide.com.ua) integrates Google Analytics 4 directly.

Google Analytics sets cookies in your browser (such as _ga) and collects information about your device, browser, visits, and page interactions. In doing so, Google receives your IP address and device technical specifications. You can learn more about how Google handles information from websites that use its services by visiting Google's Partner Privacy Policy.

If you prefer not to participate in Google Analytics tracking, you can install the official Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

Google AdSense

We display third-party advertisements on our website through Google AdSense. Google and its third-party advertising partners use cookies and related web technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to TireWheelGuide and other sites across the internet.

These advertising cookies allow Google and its partners to show personalized ads to you. You can review and adjust your personalized advertising settings by visiting Google Ads Settings. For more information on how Google manages advertising data, visit Google's Advertising Technologies page.

You can also opt out of personalized advertising from participating industry networks through the Digital Advertising Alliance Consumer Choice tool or the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance's Your Online Choices portal.

Reader Tire Reviews

We invite readers to submit real-world tire reviews using the review form on our tire pages. You do not need an account or an email address to submit a review.

When you complete a review, our form collects:

  • Your review: an overall rating, whether you would buy the tire again, a review title, and your written review text
  • Optional ratings: category scores for dry grip, wet grip, snow performance, comfort, noise, and treadwear
  • Optional vehicle information: display name, vehicle make/model, tire size, distance driven, and driving style
  • Technical context: the language of the site version you used

When submitting, you confirm that the tires you are reviewing are or were fitted to your car, that the review reflects your authentic personal experience, and that you grant us permission to publish your review, make minor edits for typos, or shorten it for clarity. We inspect every submitted review before publication; submissions that do not meet our standards or appear fraudulent are rejected and not published.

Approved reviews are displayed publicly on the respective tire's page alongside any optional vehicle and driving details you chose to submit. The scores you assign are factored into the aggregate owner ratings for that tire. Because we operate in multiple regions, your published review text may be translated into our other site languages.

To prevent spam and abuse while respecting your privacy, our review form does not store your actual IP address. Instead, we generate and store a keyed cryptographic hash (an HMAC) of your IP address. This hash cannot be turned back into your IP address without our secret key, is never shown to the public, and is deleted automatically after 12 months.

If you have submitted a review and wish to update or delete it, please contact us at info@tirewheelguide.com specifying the tire model, the approximate submission date, and the title of the review so we can find it.

Email Inquiries

If you contact us directly at info@tirewheelguide.com, we receive your email address and any details you provide in your message. We use this information solely to review your message and reply to your inquiry. We retain correspondence only for as long as necessary to address your question or feedback.

Legal Bases for Processing (EU/EEA and UK)

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR, we process data using the following legal grounds:

  • Legitimate interests: We rely on our legitimate interests to maintain server access logs for technical stability, to protect our systems via Cloudflare, to determine your regional store from Cloudflare's country report, and to maintain anonymous affiliate click logs that help us evaluate website performance.
  • Contract performance and consent: When you submit a reader review or send us an email inquiry, we process that information based on your voluntary submission and request for publication or assistance.
  • Consent: Where required by applicable European privacy laws, we rely on your consent to place third-party cookies for Google Analytics and Google AdSense. You can revoke consent or disable cookies at any time via your browser settings or the opt-out links provided above.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have specific legal rights regarding your personal data. For visitors located in the European Union, European Economic Area, or the United Kingdom, these rights include:

  • The right to access the personal data held about you
  • The right to rectify inaccurate or incomplete information
  • The right to request erasure of your data
  • The right to restrict or object to our processing of your information
  • The right to data portability
  • The right to withdraw previously given consent at any time
  • The right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

California Privacy Rights

If you are a resident of California, you have the right to request access to the personal data we collect, to request deletion of your information, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. We do not sell personal information for monetary compensation. However, the use of Google AdSense to serve personalized ads based on browsing history across websites may be classified as "sharing" under California law. You can exercise your opt-out rights regarding advertising tracking by using the Google Ad Settings and industry choice links described in the advertising section of this policy.

Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of your rights, contact us by email at info@tirewheelguide.com. We respond to verified requests free of charge within one month. Because we do not use accounts and do not record identifying information in our standard analytics and logs, we store almost no data tied directly to an identity. Consequently, we may ask you to provide specific context (such as the exact date, tire model, and title of a submitted review) to help us locate the relevant records.

International Data Transfers

Our website server is hosted by DigitalOcean. In addition, our service providers Cloudflare and Google process information on servers located across the globe, including in the United States.

Children's Privacy

TireWheelGuide is an automotive information website directed at drivers and vehicle owners. Our website is not intended for or directed toward children under 16 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect operational or technical adjustments. When we make updates, the revised policy will be posted on this page with an updated date at the top. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data handling practices, please write to us at info@tirewheelguide.com.